The Barn - Update I - The Loft

Part of the original plan for our barn was to have a U-shaped loft inside, where the entire back 20 feet would have a loft, and then moving forward in the barn, the loft would extend 10-12 feet from the side walls for another 20 feet or so of depth.

Well, over a year ago, I was able to start on this process, with the idea of building one half of the back section at a time. At the time, I figured I would have that section done by now, but it was not meant to be; however, I thought I'd show the progress in pieces, starting with where it is today.

Here is the first post hole:

And here is part of the first post. I decided to use triple 2x12 inch built-up posts, using deck screws to tie the boards together, for the farther internal one, 2x10 inch boards for the center post between the barn-middle post and the barn wall, and 2x8 inch boards for the posts that would sit on the barn side's concrete footer. I chose to make them this hefty because of potential weight we might have up there one day, like grains, etc., Lord willing:

I didn't calculate the height of the first posts correctly when I bought the wood, and so I needed to elevate the post some. I used a cinder block for that, and string to align the posts:

And here is the post braced:

And then in concrete:

Here is a post next to the barn structure, attached to the metal barn post, using L-brackets and self-tapping screws:

And here is one attached to one of the metal purlins, looking from behind the post:

I cut away the top of the posts all around the center board to allow the cross beams to be attached with bolts and allow for the center boards of the cross beams to have something to sit on:

And here is the first row of posts:

Here is one end of the cross beam. I used 5/8 inch bolts to secure the cross beam to the post:

And the first cross beam in place. I used ratchet straps to vertically level the posts and bar clamps to squeeze together the cross beam boards as I screwed in the deck screws:

Here's how the first two boards looked installed on the post attached to the barn structure, which required some overhang to cross the purlin to fill in the space all the way to the barn wall:

And that same end complete:

Here is how I attached the back cross beam to the back purlin (some of these L-brackets I would have to install on the post before raising it because of lack of space issues for getting tools in there to install them after the fact):

And here is how I attached the posts sitting on the barn's concrete footer, using concrete screws for this:

And here are all the beams in place!

It's been like this for some time, but we are grateful to the Lord for granting that we be able to begin constructing the barn loft. We look forward one day, if the Lord wills, to be able to begin installing the floor, even if it's one sheet at a time.

-- David

Orange Day 2013 - Ain't Patrick's Day

As in previous years, we gathered yesterday on the Lord's Day for our fellowship tradition in Protestant opposition to the Catholic Saint Patrick's Day, wearing our orange colors. Some time ago, Protestants in Northern Ireland and Scotland took the color orange in honor of William the III, also known as William of Orange, and for his stands against the Roman Catholics, especially on July 12, where he defeated the antichrist Roman Catholic forces at the Battle of the Boyne (see the "Antichrist" section on our "Soul Info" page regarding our belief that the Pope and Roman Catholic Church are the Antichrist and religious system of Antichrist).

And here are just a few pictures of the time of food and fellowship:

We stand once again with those brethren throughout time who oppose the antichrist Roman Church, and we remember the martyrs of the faith throughout time.

-- David

David's Digest: Charmed, I'm Sure

This is a short book review for Mr. Bunker and Chris Awalt's next volume in the fictional "W1CK" series entitled "W1CK 2: The Charm School."

This picks up where W1CK left off, in the Charm School, the U.S. hidden and secret town that raised people as Russians to be spies for the U.S. that was introduced in the first volume. It begins with the uprising that started at the end of volume 1 inside Warwick, taking you through the personal and societal turmoils of those in the town, which parallel the upheaval escalating outside in the U.S. after the natural disasters that had just happened, and more details are revealed about the overall plans of the powers that be for the future of the U.S.

The authors artfully tell the tale, bringing out more of some of the personal sides of the characters, and are able to weave in the continuing story from the previous volume with the further development of the overall saga. They also once again bring into play current events and science, adding relevance to the reader's experience. With the character and story development, to me, this volume was more enticing than even the intense W1CK 1!

For more information about the book, please visit http://www.facebook.com/wickbook and the related book launch blog post from Mr. Bunker, "What if the Russians really are going to attack? What if WICK really happens?", and here you can see the reviews for the Kindle version of W1CK 2.

If you plan to, please purchase their book at Amazon.com on March 13, 2013!


Ironically, if the things in the W1CK series ever play out in real life similarly to the story, e-readers will end up being worthless, and thus I personally am not really a big proponent of them, but as a bonus, "W1CK 3: Exodus" is supposed to be available on March 13 for the Kindle as well.

-- David