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Deck Truss Bridge - November '03

Installing the first truss


I carried the stringers out to the bridge location; they were only about 70 lb each.
On the left you can see the header that I created out of used RR ties - I found a local supply for $1 apiece!
I'll build the other header once I have the entire bridge built - I don't want to have to tear out a misplaced header!
I found that the roots of tree at the right-hand end of the stringers were right where my header will need to be, so I cut it down and tore out the stump with an excavator.
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Here's another view of the stringers and the header:
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The rest of the parts for the truss fit in one wheelbarrow:
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Beginning the reassembly of the diagonals and angle blocks:
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Reassembly complete:
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When I tried to add the top stringer, the truss tipped over!
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2nd time's a charm: all wooden parts are in place.
Note the small leg under the center of the truss: I added this to prevent sagging during construction.
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I added all the tension rods and plates:
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And knocked the whole thing over
Luckily I had several rods secured of this thing would have exploded into a million pieces!
However, it does give a good view of the black tension plates on the bottom of the structure.
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Finished!
All rods have been tightened and the whole thing is slathered in preservative. The wood creaked and
groaned like an old wooden ship as I tightened the rods, the ends of which still need to be trimmed.
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Here's how it looks from the other side:
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And from on top of the abutment:
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And from the other end:
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Finally, a panoramic shot of the whole thing:
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