The postman always rings once. When I’m expecting tools, I’m at the door before he can ring twice.

I added some vintage hand drills to my collection. The hand drill is a Millers Falls number 2. The cap on the handle unscrews and there are bits inside. One hand brace is unmarked. The ratcheting hand brace is made by H.S.B. and Co. I paid $15 for all three.

If a lock is going to be exposed to the elements, brass is my first choice. Brass padlocks do not rust. I was shocked that neither Lowes nor the Home Depot had keyed brass padlocks. Wal-Mart had a great selection in several sizes.

After releasing the plastic channel at the base of the seat back, I turned the seat cover inside-out. I cut out the damaged foam on the side bolster. Using contact cement, I glued in a block of new foam.

An electric carving knife works great for shaping seat foam. When I was satisfied with the shape, I pulled the seat cover back in place and snapped the plastic channel together.

A modest assortment at a reasonable price…

Dremel 75-Piece Accessory Tin Can Kit at amazon.com

A look inside.

The little plastic box contains some sanding and polishing supplies.

I liked the storage tin better than the plastic boxes used with the other accessory kits.

Part I and II can be found here…

Part I (Posts and Rails)

Part II (Installing Pickets)

I was going to build a steel gate frame from scratch, but found an Adjust-A-Gate kit for less than $50 at my local Lowes. The kit can be used to build a gate from 4 to 6 feet high and 36 to 72 inches wide. Two side frames, four telescoping pieces, and a bag of hardware came in the kit. The frame parts were powder coated gray.

A post that will support the weight of a gate should be sunk deeper into the ground. I widened the bottom of my post hole into a bell shape. Extra concrete was used to set this post. Using a 1/2″ spade bit, I drilled two pilot holes for the gate hinges. I used a short piece of pipe to screw in the hinges.

The manufacturer claims the hinges are capable of supporting up to 3,000 lbs. Here is a closeup picture of an installed hinge.

The next step was to install the side frame on the hinges. The telescoping pieces were installed, along with the second side frame. I cannot believe this design was finalized and put into production. What were they thinking? The horizontal tubes on the side frames are 1 3/4″. The telescoping pieces are 1″ and 3/4″. These parts should have been sized to fit snugly together. As you can see in the picture, the telescoping pieces are a sloppy fit and serve no useful purpose.

I eliminated the telescoping pieces and assembled the frame using only 2x4s.

This is a picture of the outside of the gate after I installed the pickets.

Here is an inside picture of the completed gate.