Garden Obelisk - Lumber Order - Spring 2020 Projects

Posted by on


Yesterday, I posted (for my own thinking) a lumber order for the building of a Versailles Orangerie Planter box and mentioned that it was one of a couple of projects I'm thinking about as part of our social distancing program.  I recently received the catalog from Gardeners Supply Company - which is a joy to read right now - and saw this large cedar obelisk.  They're asking $199.00 for what seems to be a pretty "good quality item".  But, I know that I can beat that price if I built them myself.

Here's the Gardener's Supply Company Obelisk.  This is NOT my photo - it is via their catalog here:

Source via Gardener's Supply.
As for the 'why' add an obelisk, well...I'm not totally sure just now, but thinking about growing something like hops.  We had Golden Hops planted in our yard back in Elmhurst and I liked having them grow up a trellis.  It took a couple of seasons to get them to grow vertically, but by the time we moved, they were putting on a nice show.

The Gardener's obelisk is 7'6" tall, so that means that I'd have to use 8' long 2x2's.  That's a nice size, isn't it?  I did some factoring and have come up with these dimensions for the rungs on each side.  The front/back are full dimensions, but the sides are 3" shorter to account for the width of the legs.  Here's my cut list:

2 27"
2 24"
2 23"
2 20"
2 19"
2 16"
2 15"
2 12"
2 11"
2 8"

Using the cutlist tool from Jonathan Overholt, I see that I would need 4 96" boards to make those rungs. BTW...that cutlist tool is pretty great.

Just like the Orangerie Box, here's what my order looks like:

1.  4 2x2x8 treated boards (for the legs)
2.  8 1x2x8 treated boards (for the rungs + interior decoration board)
3.  1 4.5" x 4.5" treated fence post cap (for the top of where the legs come together)
4.  1 4.5" acorn-shaped treated finial
5.  A pack of 'trim head' outdoor/deck screws (the ones that eliminate pre-drilling)
6.  Some 1" brads (to tack the rungs into place before I screw them together)
7.  Some portion of a gallon of "Go Way Green" to paint the obelisk.

Comments

Post a Comment

Be nice to each other here.

Popular posts from this blog

Lou Malnati's Salad Dressing Recipe as Published in the 60's

Posted by on
Image
Earlier this winter, I wrote about the old Lou Malnati's menu and mentioned that as I was waiting around for my pie to finish up, I spied an old Chicago Tribune article posted on the wall that included the original Lou Malnati's Italian Salad Dressing Recipe.  The Tribune reporter called it "prized".  We were set to host a little pizza party over the weekend, so I figured I'd give it a shot.  Here's the article as seen through my mobile phone's camera. I'm not a wine drinker, so the fact that the recipe called for Burgundy wine didn't strike me as odd.  I went shopping at Angelo Caputos in Addison - a really incredible shopping experience - and when I got to the wine section I found Burgundy wine was carried ONLY in those HUGE jugs.  And they were dirt cheap.  The only issue is that needed just 4 ounces.  We ended up with a whole-lotta-wine that Nat won't drink. I've taken the recipe and modified it a bit by eliminating the percentage...
Read more

Tom Thayer's Italian Beef Recipe

Posted by on
Image
TOM’S TAILGATER ITALIAN BEEF COURTESY OF Steve Dahl  and  DAHL.COM Ingredients: One 3 ½ to 4 pound boneless beef chuck pot roast One package of Zesty Italian Salad Dressing and Recipe Mix One 16 oz. jar of hot giardiniera One 16 oz. jar of mild giardiniera One dozen baguettes (French rolls) Directions: In a four-quart Crock-Pot, pour in one bottle of giardiniera. Place the roast on top of the layer of giardiniera. Sprinkle the salad dressing mixture on top of the roast. Add the second bottle of giardiniera to the top of the roast. Cover Crock-Pot and cook on high for 6 to 8 hours. When fork tender, shred the roast in the Crock-Pot and allow it to combine with the other ingredients. Slice the baguettes in half and pile on the beef and giardiniera mixture. ------------------------------------ For the babe's baptism party, we hosted a collection of family and friends back at our house after the church proceedings. We ordered some of t...
Read more

Overwintering Disneyland Roses With Leaf Mulch - Floribunda Roses - December 2024

Posted by on
Image
Yesterday, I posted photos of how I'm attempting to overwinter some Dahlia tubers in the ground and in a couple of those pics, you might have peeked at the chicken wire cages next to the piles of mulch on the dahlia tubers.  Those chicken wire cages are full of fallen leaves and are set on top of the three Disneyland Rose crowns along the southside of our house. See below for a couple of photos showing how I set up the ring of chicken wire and filled it with mulched-up leaves: These roses struggled this year, so here's hoping this little bit of extra Winter protection is going to help them get through the cold.
Read more