So my brother Dave was surprised when I told him I was cutting all the lumber around the dimensions of the Tiki bar by hand.

“How come you don’t have an electric saw?”, he asked.

“Because I don’t need one.”, I tell him.

“Sounds like it might have come in handy on this project.”, says he.

“Touche.”, is all I could say.

Fact is, the original plans called for very little sawing. I had all my measurements and had the guys at Lowe’s cut it all for me. Of course, that went out the window when I found I couldn’t slide the planks under the Tiki bar, so it was either move the Tiki bar – not an option due to its size and weight – or cut the wood down to fit around and under the Tiki bar’s dimensions. And yes, it was a lot of work, but it was good work. And, hopefully, I’ll never need my trusty hand saw for anything else other than trimming tree branches on occasion.

As you can see, all the wood is down. I realized late today that I’m going to have to do some sawing to accommodate the Tiki torches that go on the front and side corners, but that’s going to be small potatoes. After that, the planks get picked up and numbered so they’ll go back in the same positions after they are stained and polyurethened. Then I’ve got sand to move around to raise the east side flush with the patio, and lower the west side so the planks are slightly beneath the bricks. Then the pile of sand on the patio gets shoveled in and around the supporting frame, then the frame gets covered with plastic so that $#@% neighborhood cat doesn’t get any big ideas while we’re staining the wood.

It’s gonna be a painstaking process to get all the wood stained, but we’re still on track for a champagne and ribbon-cutting ceremony planned for July 4. You’re all invited.

Oh, and don’t worry – I’ve got an electric drill/driver for screwing the planks into the frame – I’m not that stupid to think that would be done by hand!