As a woman who didn’t grow up building things, lumber yards were unfamiliar territory. It was very confusing, and signage with prices and explanations was often confusing or non-existent. Add to the that the fact that you’re in a place where people might or might not be wearing their masks properly, and this introvert was doing some hyperventilating trying to figure out what to buy.
The sketch above shows some of the math I worked out in the parking lot, occasionally calling into the salesperson inside to ask specific questions about dimensions (remember that in the Summer of 2020 we were in full on pandemic mode). One thing about buying wood is that a 2X4 piece of wood actually measures more like 1 3/4 X 3 1/2 inches, and I needed that figure to calculate how much wood to buy. I settled on rough planed 1X6 inch spruce, which was pretty sweet to work with. I stained it with the same Cordovan oil stain I ended up using on all the wood. Since I wasn’t using much pressure treated wood for multiple reasons, I opted to take the time to stain just about all of my wood on all sides before assembling. This took considerable time, and I also ended up buying a lot more stain that I anticipated, but I’m hoping it will lengthen the life of the coop.
I bought my first power tool, a circular saw, in the Spring of 2020 in order to build a critique wall for my home studio. I used it a lot for making a coop. I’m going to be honest, I’m not a great candidate for power tools. I’ve always been much the absent minded professor type. To counteract this tendency, I am neurotically careful about taking the battery out when I’m done with a cut, and I had to get very strict with myself. If I got too aggravated, it was time for a break.
I bought my first power tool, a circular saw, in the Spring of 2020. I’ve always been a bit absent minded, so to counteract this tendency I am meticulous about removing the battery after pretty much every cut. I also have to notice when I’m getting aggravated, and take breaks lest I get careless.
The next step was to figure out how to shingle the roof. I searched around for youtube videos and I found a great one for beginners with Isidro Sandoval here.
Deborah Santoro 