Over the weekend I completed one side of the trellis on the grape arbor. I’ll put up another on the opposite side. The rabbet is exposed on the ends at the top and bottom; I’ll put some wood putty there before Rachel paints it. Another thing: if you’re going to put up trellis like this and you have a table saw, don’t buy the frame pieces they sell with the trellis. They’re almost without exception low quality, warped crap. Make your own by ripping construction grade lumber and then cutting rabbets for the trellis to sit in.
I built that grape arbor last year before I started learning about woodworking. I see a lot that can be improved—notably I could have used half-lap joints for those top cross-pieces instead of attaching them with L-brackets. It would have looked better but I didn’t have the tools or knowledge at the time. I may re-do those once I get a little more experience and confidence.
I’m being very cautious about buying new tools or gadgets; I don’t want this to turn into yet another consumerist trap. One thing I’ve learned I will need to invest in is a shop vac that will connect to the table saw. I’ve been sweeping up the sawdust with a broom but sometimes there is a lot of sawdust and it gets everywhere, in my clothes and therefore into the house. Catching it as much as possible at the source is becoming necessary.
