| Project by TexasDawg | posted 74 days ago | 554 views | 0 times favorited | 15 comments |  |
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Well, on a mission for the President of Afghanistan, I managed to hurt my hand. Medical said it was bruised and gave me some Motrin for the pain. Two weeks later, it was still hurting and I could barely hold a drill, so I went to medical over at another camp and got an x-ray. Turns out I broke two bones in my hand and had been working for two weeks with a broken hand. They can’t set it here, so they just put a cast on it. I will have to get it rebroken when I get back to the US. Before I went into my cast, I managed to finish a porch swing for the office that could use the space left when they took away a broken port-o-pottie. We don’t have running water and some times it is nice to just sit outside for a little while to decompress. With the space, I was able to build a porch swing where people in the office can sit outside in the shade, look up and see birds in a nearby tree, and feel the breeze as it blows the smell of the port-o-pottie across your face.
But seriously, I had some scrap 2×6 wood, a piece of plywood, and the trunk of a tree that was cut down a while ago. I didn’t have a scroll saw, but I was able to find a sawsall. I learned very quickly that it is very difficult to follow a cut line with a sawsall. The main design requirement was that it had to be able to hold up two people wearing body armor. This is a heavy-duty swing. One problem is that I didn’t have the proper hardware to hang the swing. I found some chain at the motor pool, but I had to ‘go out on the town’ for some ‘S’ hooks. Trying to explain the concept to people out at a store was a challenge. Finally, the shop owner’s eyes got bright and he ran off. I heard some banging in the back of the shop and the owner walked out with two nails beat into the shape of an ‘S’ hook. The nails worked for about 10 minutes before the soft metal completely bent and dropped the chair. We puzzled over the issue and lucked into some locks (that were the right size) at the exchange, so now the chair hangs without worry of dropping people on the ground.
A big thank you to fellow member David Mitchell for sending me some tools that helped me finish the project!
-- "If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you."
15 comments so far
rainymountcraftsman
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34 posts in 83 days
posted 74 days ago
Looks great!! Keep yourself safe over there.
rickf16
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221 posts in 474 days
posted 74 days ago
Looks good Dawg! When you get back, you’ll have to open your “Afghan Wood Works” store ;)
-- Rick
navyman
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96 posts in 298 days
posted 74 days ago
fine looking swing. i know about military med. after 25 yr. in the navy. be safe.
-- Michael . USN ( Ret ) Batesville,AR
Dennis
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7 posts in 77 days
posted 74 days ago
Like the hefty, substantial look. Take care of yourself.
Dennis
-- D.R.O. is getting greener everyday
Big_Bob
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96 posts in 602 days
posted 74 days ago
Looks great. But shade must be hard to come by in Afghanistan. Or there is now a waiting room for the port-o-pottie.
Be safe!
Bob Clark
-- Bob Clark, Tool Collector and Sawdust Maker
SCOTSMAN
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2238 posts in 478 days
posted 74 days ago
I wondered what on earth Swanging was ! now I know!! LOL well done Alistair
-- excuse my typing as I have a form of parkinsons disease
TheDane
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195 posts in 556 days
posted 74 days ago
That’s Yankee Ingenuity for you … nice work!
Thank you for serving our country!
-- The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary. -- Vincent T. Lombardi
Muzhik
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128 posts in 1031 days
posted 74 days ago
So you’re saying that Vitamin “M” didn’t fix you right up? Weird! Maybe they should step you up to the 800mg dose.
Good work on the swing, Dawg.
patron
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2376 posts in 234 days
posted 74 days ago
you be stylin now , dawg !
that swing looks like it will hold up real good .
glad you got the tools ,
i hope they help .
-- david ,new mexico ,allheart
cabinetmaster
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8498 posts in 451 days
posted 74 days ago
Super job and you all take care over there. Thanks for serving. MSG-Ret.- USAR
-- Jerry--A man can never have enough tools or clamps
Innovator
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3125 posts in 306 days
posted 74 days ago
Looks wonderful, take care of that hand.
Thank you for what you do for our country!
-- Whether You Think You Can or You Think You Can't, YOU ARE RIGHT!!!
David65
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160 posts in 178 days
posted 74 days ago
Excellent work
-- David '65
Roz
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461 posts in 679 days
posted 74 days ago
It is exactly this kind of innovation that makes us a great nation. URAAH! Using what you have on hand, great!
You built a fine swing and are right to be proud of it. Your comrades will surely benefit from a few minutes respite upon it, but do you really need the armed guard? Sorry, my feeble attempt at humor. I think it very cool that you have used your talents in what ever place life takes you. I like the “Swanging” reference.
Thanks for defending freedom. You guys are always in my prayers and on my mind. Oh yeah, Go Navy.
-- Terry Roswell, L.A. (Lower Alabama) "Life is what happens to you when you are making other plans."
clieb91
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683 posts in 828 days
posted 69 days ago
One heavily built swing. Nicely done.
CtL
-- Chris L. "Don't Dream it, Be it."
a1Jim
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16636 posts in 470 days
posted 69 days ago
Very nice swing Sorry to hear about your hand. Thanks for your service to our country and all of us.
-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon