The sandwich boards

Now we are getting some where, with boards both sides of the tops of the posts, we will have something substantial in place. But how to attach them? Well for a start we will avoid week spots by making sure where was have to finished on board and start the next, we don't have to do this both sides of the same post. That avoids weak spots, but for the actual attaching we have bought a variety of things to try out, coach screws, galvanized 6" nails, and galvanized brackets. Whatever we do, we need to be spot on, checking the level along the posts and also across from the ledger board.

The easiest way I found to do this, was to get an approximate but too low level, attach two brackets at the near and far posts, and then slot the board into the brackets. You can now wedge a few slithers of wood into the brackets to adjust the level upwards whilst you check with a spirit level across and along. I used a meter long level, but longer would have been better, with a short level any warping in the wood may throw readings off, and not help you in spotting the warp. Having found the level I hammered in three 6" nails on each post, and also nailed the brackets fully to the wood. This struck me as pretty adequate to the task.

Working along all was fine until it came to the last post, the first one that had been concreted in, somehow or other it was out of line. and a little bit of creative bodging was needed. I still don't know how I messed up there, I had been using a nylon rope from one end to the other of the path to mark out a dead straight line, as clearly this was the one thing with the posts that had to be right.

With this hiccup dealt with, some structure was now visible, in particular it shed a bit of light on the "L" to the steps, where a long joist span over 3m would be needed and where the joists would need to accommodate a manhole cover. I decide to be as conservative as ever and draft in my Dad to build a little supporting wall below the man hole cover, it can't do any harm and we have plenty of bricks as the old path had a couple of rows of bricks to make a flower bed. We also place a small blob of concrete to support what will be the final joist at the very top of the hill under the steps.

By now a few people are loitering as they go past, I think the penny has dropped, as to just what the plot it.