Rebirth of the sail-shade.

3/3/19:

Building Summary: Today, Padre and I reinstalled the sail shade. This consisted of our taking measurements in regard to PVC and rebar length, fetching the pieces of rebar we bent yesterday, applying PVC pipe to them*, and then bending the other end to 90° (3 o’ clock and 9 o’ clock). After this, we installed the beams to the front of Jacobhouse in an X-formation. The final step was laying the sail-shade over that domed structure and attaching it at four corners.

Commentary: Once again, I arrived a bit late to Jacobhouse this morning – a circumstance primarily due to my adding even more to the soup I began yesterday (technically, I made the soup into a stew by adding more onion and beef) and also due to my making some bread dough for lunch.

As far as highlights go, I’d have to say there was one primary highlight this morning, and that was the fact that Padre’s sail-shade plan worked. For context, we previously tried three or four different strategies in putting that shade-cloth up, ranging from shifting the elevation of all four corners to modifying the number of turnbuckles and clips to utilizing a cable-rigging system. None of those worked, though, because there always seemed to be a dip in the center of the shade.

With the new method, however, we used slightly-too-long** pieces of pvc-sheathed rebar to extend from the front-poles to Jacobhouse in an X-formation. This not only provided an upward bow on top of which the sailshade could rest, it also kept the flexible outer poles from bending inward under the pull of the sail-shade’s elasticity. Now with an outward force pushing on the poles, an inward force pulling on them, and the prominent X-formation, the sail shade is sturdily fastened in place and there will be no chance of it puddling water.

Final Note: There is a good chance that an electrician will be out to Jacobhouse on the morrow. After his visit, I will likely know what major step to take next.

* ¾” PVC was applied to prevent rust spots from appearing on the sail-shade and to prevent friction of rebar on the cloth.

** We made them slightly too long because there needed to be enough length to create an arc in the rebar (hence the mentioned ‘bow’).

Additional note: The FedEx contest is going on for another month, and voting reopens every 24-hours. If you have time, please feel free to vote for Master Blend Cattle Company here. Thanks!