Building a Chicken Tractor

[CrealCritter]

@CrealCritter I am putting plywood decking on it. It is thin, but it's mainly to lay the radiant heat barrier on before covering with tin. It will work to help stabilize it. An X brace......you lost me. I'm no carpenter, but I don't let that stop me. My building just kinda evolves, I study on it, what to do next, how to do it, do it wrong, take apart, cut it wrong, try again, make mistakes, learn better for next time? Huhh? Who said anything about next time?

1/2 lap joint, you mean notching it out so the 2x4's are flush with each other? That might be above my pay grade.

Nah... You can do it, no problem. You probably seen X bracing on lots of buildings & bridges before but never really paid much mind to them...

It's like this but your just going to do 1 X corner to corner on inside of the knee walls.

X bracing makes walls strong like bull ox

And yes see you already got it "you mean notching it out so the 2x4's are flush with each other"

That's exactly what I'm talking about. It's just officially call 1/2 lap joint is all. You may just have to bump up your pay grade when you complete the X bracing.

 

[baymule]

X brace, yes, lap joint, no. I have a hard time even cutting an angle. I have no idea how to calculate an angle. Wanna know how I cut angles? I lay the board in the shape I want and mark the angle with a sharpie. Then I cut it and most of the time it fits ok. When it doesn't I just slap another board across it.....are those grommets? I know what it is, but not what it's called. I cut the pieces for the door by standing them up, securing with a screw and drawing on the backside where to cut. I built the door in place, me and my sharpie, marking like I know what i'm doing......shhhhhh.....don't tell nobody....... tomorrow I'll assemble the door and see if it fits.

 

[CrealCritter]

X brace, yes, lap joint, no. I have a hard time even cutting an angle. I have no idea how to calculate an angle. Wanna know how I cut angles? I lay the board in the shape I want and mark the angle with a sharpie. Then I cut it and most of the time it fits ok. When it doesn't I just slap another board across it.....are those grommets? I know what it is, but not what it's called. I cut the pieces for the door by standing them up, securing with a screw and drawing on the backside where to cut. I built the door in place, me and my sharpie, marking like I know what i'm doing......shhhhhh.....don't tell nobody....... tomorrow I'll assemble the door and see if it fits.

It's easy to do the angles for the "notches" just tack your first 2x4 temporarily in place. Don't drive the nails home so you can easily remove it. Then temporarily tack your second board up. Use your sharpie and draw your line on both boards where the X intersects. No math needed at all - easy smeazy...

 

[baymule]

This is an X brace I built on the back side of a hoop coop in 2015. I didn't notch the 2x4's, I cut them in half and patched it together. The hoop coop is still in use, hasn't fallen down yet. LOL

 

[CrealCritter]

This is an X brace I built on the back side of a hoop coop in 2015. I didn't notch the 2x4's, I cut them in half and patched it together. The hoop coop is still in use, hasn't fallen down yet. LOL

View attachment 6975

That's some mighty fancy cutting on that back wall radius. We just gotta get you notching instead of scabbing. Once you learn how - it's just as fast and a lot stronger than scabbing will ever be. With notching your using the stength of the wood to your advantage, instead of relying on the strength of chineese fasteners which (bend like twig in wind storm).

Let me look around and see.if I can find some how-to's on notching for you. If you can run a skill saw read a tape measure and pound a nail with a hammer you most definitely have the skill to notch it just overcoming that voice inside your head that says "you can't do that".

Remember it's only wood... so what if you mess up on a cut... Grab another board, correct the mistake from the first board and try again. You do realize boards DO grow on trees - right?

 

[CrealCritter]

Baymule here's a simple little project that illistrates the use of joining construction wood members with grooves and notches for structural integrity by using a skill saw, chisel and hammer. Have a look / read of how the the notches/groves are made and give it a try on some scraps until you get the hang of it.

Once you get the hang of joining wood members with notches. I can show you how to carve with your skill saw, carving with a skill saw is just down right fun and you won't need to use a chisel to clean out your notches any more.

 

[sumi]

Bay, love your little helper!

 

[baymule]

I have chisels.

 

[baymule]

I didn’t get anything done over the weekend. We kept our two little grand daughters and the youngest is cutting molars and felt bad. Plus it was windy and cold. So today I got the decking on and cut one piece of tin. Got a text from DD, would I go pick up the girls, babysitter had to leave. So I did.

Next I need to build them a playhouse.

 

[CrealCritter]

They do need a play house.