Stairs and Hoist
22 July 2007
The barn roof was finished quite some time ago but the barn is still far from
complete. The most recent addition is the stairs. There are four
flights of stairs. Well, kind of three because two of them are attached
around the corner of the barn. The third flight is just the extension of
the first two so they really all count as one. The fourth flight is just
three steps inside the barn and it's too small to count. So there is
really only one set of stairs but it was still a lot of work to build.
After getting everything nailed and bolted into place, I tested the stairs by
jumping on them and shaking them back and forth like an angry gorilla.
Nothing broke, everything felt very sturdy. The bottom flight of stairs
isn't quite as straight as I would like. I could fix them but probably
never will because they're good enough to pass inspection. The upper two
flights are much straighter. All that is missing now are the railings.
After my gorilla imitation, my dirty footprints demonstrated that white
isn't the best color choice for high traffic areas. The stairs
are white because that's the only color I had available (it's left over
from the roof trusses). I need to go to the paint store and ask
them if they have any paint the color of dirt.
Another new addition to the barn is the chain hoist. A tall barn with
big steel I-beams just has to have a chain hoist. My hoist is rated for
two tons. I could theoretically pick up my entire truck with it. I
doubt I ever will but it's nice to know I could if I wanted to. I did
use the chain hoist to lift up the shell for the back of the truck. I
had taken it off so I could haul mulch around easier. The shell is light
but awkward, putting it back on is really a two person job. Unless, of
course, you have a chain hoist handy.
My father bought the chain hoist for me. I had looked around town
for one but couldn't find what I wanted. Then my father found the
perfect hoist at his favorite hardware store in San Diego. He
also found a great dolly for the hoist. I brought it home with me
when I was out there visiting. In addition to being able to move
heavy stuff around, a chain hoist suspended on a dolly also makes a
great swing.
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