1/31-2/2/17 I went up to Camp Serendipity for 3 days: Tuesday through Thursday.

I arrived at 12:55 and saw that there was about 6" of new, wet snow on the ground. There was no significant berm so I was able to drive right in up to the hairpin turn, back into a parking space, and then drive over and park at the foot of the concrete staircase heading out. The temperature was about 33° so the new snow was wet but soft. As I went up the concrete staircase with my gear, I paused at each step and used my boot to push the snow off to the side on the next step up. That way I was able to clear the steps without packing down footprints on the treads.

After moving my gear in, hoisting the flag, building a fire in the stove, and having my lunch and a nap, I really didn't feel like working much. I puttered away the rest of the afternoon doing odds and ends like putting the bronze model of Mt. Rainier back in its case which was still open after the scout visit.

On Wednesday morning, the temperature outside was 6° when I got up. After breakfast, I went out to work on the front stair rail. When I had lag screwed the anchor scab log to the Grid F3 column, I had not been careful enough when I drilled the lower pilot hole into the column. I had over-driven the half-inch augur and made the half-inch hole too deep. It only needed to be deep enough to guide the way for a smaller augur which was intended for the threaded section of the lag screw inside the column log. As it was, when I tightened the lower lag screw, I had stripped the threads which, of course, weakened the grip of the screw.

It would have worked that way because the main force on the scab would be compression force into the column but I still wanted to fix it.

I put on my hat, gloves, and jacket, got a half-inch dowel and one a little smaller, a wrench, a hammer, and a bottle of wood glue and went out into the cold to fix the lag screw. I started by unscrewing the lower lag screw and taking it out. I tested the upper screw and found it to be tight and secure. It had been installed right and it was holding the scab log fast.

Then I found a scrap piece of wood veneer that had come from delaminated plywood from an old pallet that was under the porch. I cut an 8-inch piece that was the length of the threads on the lag screw and the depth of the hole in the column. Then I split off a strip about 2 inches wide and wrapped it partway around the lag screw to bend it into a cylindrical shape. Then by squeezing the strip further, I fashioned a cylinder of wood a little less than a half-inch in diameter.

Next I tried the dowels I had brought with me to see how they would fit into the hole as a "pusher". The half-inch dowel was too tight to work so I used the smaller one. I held it under the scab log and marked it at the distance it needed to go to just reach the column log.

Then, I coated the outside of the wooden cylinder with wood glue and shoved it all the way into the hole in the scab log. Then I pushed it in further with the smaller dowel and hammered the dowel all the way to the mark I had made. That meant that the cylinder was all the way into the hole in the column. There it would provide the necessary bite for the lag screw threads and hold it fast.

Finally, I used a 3/4" box-end wrench to turn the lag screw all the way in. It was very tight and hard to turn by the end, but now the screw is properly anchored. I gathered up my tools with my now-very-cold fingers and happily brought them inside the warm cabin. I don't seem to be able to tolerate working in the cold like I used to.

After lunch and a nap, I worked outside again for a while splitting wood and shoveling snow off staircases, but that work seems to keep me warmer than sitting down working with my hands.

On Thursday morning, the temperature outside was 0°, six degrees colder than the day before. I went outside and did some measurements and alignment of the stair rail that was lashed in place. I also did some thinking about how to proceed with the rail installation.

What I think I will do is to make a shallow notch in the scab log that will receive the butt of the rail. Then I will lag screw the rail to the scab which will hold it fast. Then I will flatten the bottom of the rail right where it rides on the bracket that is already installed in the knuckle notch.

Instead of screwing the bracket to the rail, I will use a block of wood in the knuckle notch to hold the rail in a position right over the bracket so it is ready for the screws. That will allow me to bend the top of the rail some five inches or so over so that it can be recessed into the newel post at the top of the staircase.

After bending the rail and marking the newel post, I will cut the notch in the newel post and screw the top of the rail into the notch. Then I will screw the bracket to the rail and remove the block from the knuckle notch. The rail will then be secured in its final position awaiting the installation of the balusters. And, the screws holding it will have to be removed in order to install the balusters.

There are still a lot of problems to solve to get those balusters installed, but at least I think I have a feasible plan.

I left for home at 12:30, not exactly happy with my rate of progress, but happy to have spent another delightful three days in the woods in my cabin. Life is good.