Greenhouse construction has commenced

[brianthainess]

As for leveling your posts, i would invest in one of these. i have seen them for sale here in Thailand and no doubt Lazada sell.

Also leaves both hands free.

Edited June 7, 2020 by brianthainess

[mr mr]

2 hours ago, Grumpy John said:

I really like good firm melons.  My wife's melons are good size and firm but we need varieties that command a premium with more discerning Thai shoppers.

are her firm melons only available to thai shoppers or are farang allowed as well ?

[GBW]

All firm melon jokes aside, I have found that Thaiwatsadu has the best range of building equip and hardware.

Im not sure how far from 'Nowheresville' they are located, but a quick google for the nearest local will do.

Im a retired builder,  Australian expat living here. Some of the photos on this thread have made me jealous,

bob cats, stabilla levels,  Kelso wheelbarrows,  bloody hell ! 

Good luck with your build, look up and live : ))  Photos, you look fairly close to those power lines ?

Cheers mate

[GBW]

Just now, GBW said:

All firm melon jokes aside, I have found that Thaiwatsadu has the best range of building equip and hardware.

Im not sure how far from 'Nowheresville' they are located, but a quick google for the nearest local will do.

Im a retired builder,  Australian expat living here. Some of the photos on this thread have made me jealous,

bob cats, stabilla levels,  Kelso wheelbarrows,  bloody hell ! 

Good luck with your build, look up and live : ))  Photos, you look fairly close to those power lines ?

Cheers mate

Also, ive got an app on my phone that gives growing guides and times for fruit and veggies in Thailand, will do a screen shot and forward later.... 

 

[chocboss]

On ‎6‎/‎6‎/‎2020 at 3:37 PM, Grumpy John said:

Know that system well but I  cannot See how it would work checking that each post is upright. I've taken to legging it far enough away to see if the post is upright.  I head up onto the road then move 90 degrees to check the other way.  It's working!

use a plumb bob that's all they use in Thailand 

[Grumpy John]

7 hours ago, colinneil said:

Sorry mate, just could not resist.

Hope you have better luck than me trying to grow organic bell peppers, every time i have tried only managed minute useless peppers.

The same problem we have!  Cannot get them any bigger than a tennis ball...and that's only one in 5 the rest are golf ball size.  We put teaspoon of Magnesium Sulfate every week which helps but not enough it would seem.

[Grumpy John]

On 6/7/2020 at 1:36 PM, brianthainess said:

As for leveling your posts, i would invest in one of these. i have seen them for sale here in Thailand and no doubt Lazada sell.

Also leaves both hands free.

Bought one at Thaiwatsadu Pattaya...and it's not reading right either.  My son reckons the plastic doesn't hold it's shape here after a couple of years...but I don't reckon it gets that hot it warp's plastic!  OK its out in the sun......

[Grumpy John]

On 6/7/2020 at 3:41 PM, mr mr said:

are her firm melons only available to thai shoppers or are farang allowed as well ?

No melons for anyone at the moment but we are getting a  regular supply of very tasty and fragrant Kanoon....lo and behold Mar has just parted one out!  And the word is "I am loving it! "

[Grumpy John]

On 6/7/2020 at 4:31 PM, GBW said:

All firm melon jokes aside, I have found that Thaiwatsadu has the best range of building equip and hardware.

Im not sure how far from 'Nowheresville' they are located, but a quick google for the nearest local will do.

Im a retired builder,  Australian expat living here. Some of the photos on this thread have made me jealous,

bob cats, stabilla levels,  Kelso wheelbarrows,  bloody hell ! 

Good luck with your build, look up and live : ))  Photos, you look fairly close to those power lines ?

Cheers mate

Closest Thaiwatsadu is Muang Phitsanulok close to 100km away.  I would agree they do have some good quality gear from Bosch and Makita if a bit on the dear side.  In Oz the 4.5" angle grinder is as common as mud and disks available everywhere...not so here.  Every trip back to Oz I have to buy a box of 50 cutoff wheels and some linishing disks.  Then last year MrDIY has 4.5" disks in stock, so I grab the 2 tins x 10 thinking they will get more...nope haven't seen em again! 

[Grumpy John]

Making progress!  Thinking out that water tube idea and it's quite a good idea!  All I need to do is put a spot of weld at the same point of every post as reference and without fail I have everything level.  And the plumbob will ensure every post is perpendicular.  Thanks to the good advice from posters the next greenhouse will be perfect! ????   

 

[IsaanAussie]

4 minutes ago, Grumpy John said:

All I need to do is put a spot of weld at the same point of every post as reference and without fail

Yeah, the weld spot on every post in the same place, easy but why? If the post is a bit deep or shallow?

Start with the hardest part the roof! What do you need to achieve? Sheets of iron, plastic or panels of shade clothe will not deform to cover a frame that is not square.

I would start by placing the four corner posts first. Length, width and equal diagonal measurement at ground level. Other posts don't matter. Get the plan view as good as possible.

At the top of the four corner posts, ideally you have got it all perfect, diagonals are equal and length, widths are the same, but it wont be. So what do you do then? 

 

[Grumpy John]

12 hours ago, IsaanAussie said:

Yeah, the weld spot on every post in the same place, easy but why? If the post is a bit deep or shallow?

Start with the hardest part the roof! What do you need to achieve? Sheets of iron, plastic or panels of shade clothe will not deform to cover a frame that is not square.

I would start by placing the four corner posts first. Length, width and equal diagonal measurement at ground level. Other posts don't matter. Get the plan view as good as possible.

At the top of the four corner posts, ideally you have got it all perfect, diagonals are equal and length, widths are the same, but it wont be. So what do you do then? 

 

Yer,  that makes sense!  Next greenhouse I'll do that.  Now I  know how come builders spend so much time preparing before they start!  ????

[IsaanAussie]

You ain't finished with this one yet. Don't give up on it yet!

Have you installed the last two posts yet? If not then make sure "at the top of the posts" the two side and width dimensions match, more importantly the two diagonals are the same. Then you have a clean square start for the roof. The walls are easy, worst case they might not be flat. 

If you have installed all the posts, then measure the width, length and diagonals as installed and let me know if they are different. The trick is to not transfer any errors on the next level, the roof. 

 

 

 

[Grumpy John]

18 hours ago, IsaanAussie said:

You ain't finished with this one yet. Don't give up on it yet!

Have you installed the last two posts yet? If not then make sure "at the top of the posts" the two side and width dimensions match, more importantly the two diagonals are the same. Then you have a clean square start for the roof. The walls are easy, worst case they might not be flat. 

If you have installed all the posts, then measure the width, length and diagonals as installed and let me know if they are different. The trick is to not transfer any errors on the next level, the roof. 

 

 

 

Mate,  the last post is in!  Will recheck the measurements.  My wife can use our tallest ladder and hold the string line at one end and I can hold it at the other...then we will see how if my eyes are good or not!  I expected 1cm variation in height and 2cm along the trusslines.  I'll be down there tonight and we will do that and see If my diagonals are.....close!  ????  Will order the wiggle wire soon. 

Edited June 11, 2020 by Grumpy John
Smelling

[IsaanAussie]

Wiggle wire? Too technical for me.

I don't even trust rulers or tape measures, never get the same result repeatedly with them. Always cut and check one piece, then use that as a master template for every other one that is the same. I will make one truss and then position the pieces of the next one on top of that "Master" to tack weld it together. The trick here is to get helpers to use the same one, the Master, not just the nearest one. I found I had two options, paint the master part and remove all on-site tape measures, or cut it all myself. The result is all trusses are interchangeable and within millimetres on all dimensions.

 

 

[Grumpy John]

16 hours ago, IsaanAussie said:

Wiggle wire? Too technical for me.

I don't even trust rulers or tape measures, never get the same result repeatedly with them. Always cut and check one piece, then use that as a master template for every other one that is the same. I will make one truss and then position the pieces of the next one on top of that "Master" to tack weld it together. The trick here is to get helpers to use the same one, the Master, not just the nearest one. I found I had two options, paint the master part and remove all on-site tape measures, or cut it all myself. The result is all trusses are interchangeable and within millimetres on all dimensions.

 

 

I got that right from the get-go! The trusses are made in a jig I made myself.  I wouldn't trust somechai to make em!   A local somechai is doing a new roof for the house and last night tells us he is one metre short on one side and could we get some more short lengths. Well back home it would have been "Well somechai,  your mistake you fix it"....but not here!  For whatever reason we go and get the needed sections...but there not white!   They run out of white so their beige.  We could have gone another 50km to Wang Phong and got white.  Normally I would be majorly p1zzed off by now but today I let it go.  Don't know why???  Maybe it's because it is so high up no one will see it...unless their spying on us on Google Earth.  Ps: Wiggle wire is what holds the plastic sheets. 

 

 

Edited June 12, 2020 by Grumpy John
Ps:

[IsaanAussie]

2 hours ago, Grumpy John said:

Wiggle wire is what holds the plastic sheets.

Oh! I call them deck screws. LOL

[Grumpy John]

7 hours ago, IsaanAussie said:

Oh! I call them deck screws. LOL

A better picture may help describe the use of wiggle wire.

[djayz]

On 6/7/2020 at 1:05 PM, Jai Dee said:

 

There's always one with his mind in the gutter... 

What do you expect in Thailand? ????