CAN'T HAMMER BUT CAN STILL SCREW

Ok all you porn buffs, hit the road. This is not that kind of blog. I am referring to the actual meaning of the words, not the Urban Dictionary version. Bye.

There was a time I could hammer a bit.   When I raised my calves, I built all their pens (thirty of them) which were each 4 foot by 16 feet, with 8 feet under cover. I even tar papered their roofs. Now they weren't pretty, but they were sturdy. I have never built anything that I would want in my house. I am a back forty--out of sight--type of builder.

With arthritic hands, my hammering days are about over. Now that I have convinced you I am a ho-hum carpenter, I'll tell you why this came up. You have heard me moan about my back on occasion. It is part arthritis and part herniated disk that  can get my attention periodically.

I know a strong core protects the back and I use to do my back exercises religiously. They really do work. I also know it requires getting on the floor and at my age and degree of stiffness, that is not a pretty nor pain free sight.

So I thought, why not an exercise table so I wouldn't have to hit the floor? I checked the friendly Internet and they are either too expensive or too rickety looking. I had the time and inclination so I thought I would build one.

I am putting it on my porch (no way  anything I make will come inside) since there is more room.   It will be mildly exposed to weather so  I am building it with pressure treated lumber.

For some reason I wanted the bench to  have pretty legs (have no idea why) so the legs were store bought and turned. I now realize that was a huge mistake. Four by fours would have been better and sturdier. Pretty should be reserved for vanity benches, exercise tables should be for function.

What I am notorious for when I build something is that I don't always think every thing through. Building is like chess, you must anticipate the next move. So often I reach a point where I realize the big picture won't work and I have to do a lot of “unscrewing” and redoing. Should state here that I live by the electric screwdriver and drill.

This is the partially finished bench. Now I really have to figure a more attractive way to brace the legs but it is rock solid right now. Now comes the part where I pad the surface. All I can say is that it is probably good only Patti will be using this. Fortunately I am not critical and have a selective “blind eye” when it comes to my projects.

I am purposely putting it on this side of the house which is not clearly visible from the road. Besides being a bit embarrassed by my work, I couldn't imagine throwing my legs in the air daily in view of the tourist and neighbor traffic.  Old gals have their pride.



Gosh, I just noticed I really need to paint my porch floor. Pictures show what the naked eye ignores..

This is the mostly finished project. I could only paint the non-pressure treated parts.  In three  months when the PT wood dries, it can also be painted. Like me, it looks best photographed from 20 feet. It is comfortable, stable and is easy to get on and off.  

If you have trouble either getting onto the floor to exercise or like me, the getting up is killer, you might want to consider one for yourself. The best thing is that the process of building it definitely qualified as exercise.

A circular saw, drill and screw driver are all you need though a handy male would make the whole thing a bunch  easier.  

 Time to hit the hammock now as soon as I take a few Aleve.

As you all know, Blogger saw fit to scarf up all of our posts late Thursday. Now they must not have liked mine for they returned it a day later but they really loved the comments all of you left for they kept them. I'm so very sorry. 

The good thing is that I got to read them before they vanished into the abyss and I want to thank you so much for your  positive thoughts about my carpentry attempt. What a delightful surprise.  You are the very best. Hopefully we are back to normal now.