Happily, we moved past that fun time, and I decided I needed a new construction project to keep me busy. I had something in mind I'd wanted to build Liam for quite a while, so I decided that I'd build something for him and involve him as much as I could, without telling him what I was going to make. So you'll have to indulge me, dear reader, as I keep you similarly in the dark.
This one started off humbly enough, just a small pile of choice cedar lumber in the back of my truck. A 2x4, a couple of 1x8's, and a handful of 1x4's, all rough cut cedar 8 feet long.
With Liam's expert help marking the boards for cutting, I quickly got these cut down to size using the trusty miter saw. Liam solemnly said "Dada's saw is loud" after I finished. I got all this done at the end of a weekend - after this, work had to proceed an hour here and an hour there in the evenings after I got home from work. Very quickly into this process, when I'd get home Liam would say "Want to work on special project!" (pronounced very cutely PRAW-ject).
Now that the cuts were finished, on to the sanding. I got this random orbit variable speed sander a few projects ago - this little dude is worth its weight in gold. Seriously, I love this thing.
Hopefully the photo shows the detail decently - left is un-sanded, right is sanded with the sander for only a few minutes. Liam was a huge help with sanding, too - after getting the main planks sanded with the sander, we both broke out the hand sanders to knock off the corners.
The next step I had to do one morning while Mom took Liam out and about - sealing the wood. I opted for a clear sealer with no tint - I think cedar is gorgeous enough on it's own not to need any color added. You can see the difference between sealed and unsealed, it really brings out the color and beautiful grain.
Now comes the really fun part - stickers! I found these really fun construction stickers on Amazon (of course). Liam had a ball putting these on the boards with me. Once we got the stickers set it's finally time for assembly! Liam was a fantastic helper - we both had our drills out, and after I drilled pilot holes he would grab a screw and set it into the hole for me to drive.
The first night we got one set of sub-assemblies done. I know the top photo isn't super clear, but it's super cute.
A few nights later we got the second set of sub-assemblies done. I was so impressed by how on task he stayed while we worked on these. Finally, with the sub-assemblies done, it was time to work on the main structure.
First, making a box. Note Liam's drill in the background - he was not to be left out of the drilling action.
And a few boards on top. Anyone guessed what this is yet?
The next day we cut some landscape fabric and stapled that to the bottom.
Next came the first set of hinges - we took the first set of board assemblies and attached to the main structure using some nice steel hinges. So close to finishing, but we had to break for dinner and bath time.
A few days later we finally got to tackle the last steps. We got the last set of board sub-assemblies attached with more hinges. Now time to test this baby out!
Liam really liked raising and lowering the bench seats :)
Ok, enough suspense - the finished project. As you might have guessed already, it's a sandbox for the crazy man! I placed it in the yard and filled it with sand (500 lb!) while Kristen and Liam were down at the ranch for a few days - I can't wait until he gets back to see his surpise! I can't take credit for the design - before I started I was perusing the web looking for inspiration and came upon this site and the free plans for this box. Fantastic site, by the way, you should check it out. But I take full credit for the fine craftsmanship and, of course, the personal touch of construction stickers. I am seriously happy with the way this one turned out. I'm hoping that since Liam helped so much with the building, he'll appreciate this that much more. As soon as he and Kristen get back in town I'll do the full reveal for him and see what he thinks - I'll save that for another post.
