Building the Octagon Pt.24 The Veranda. Pt.1.

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I had a choice of 2x6" or 2x8" for the veranda rim joists. Or fascia
boards, as they would become. Since I seemed to have mostly 2x8s left I went with those. A good choice, as it turned out, because 2x6s would have looked too mean. Even the 2x8 seemed to be dwarfed by the double beam fixed to the octagon posts. An optical illusion, but still.

My 4' level being used to judge the best angle for the octagonal veranda. The inverted joist hangers [shoes] are visible just behind the board. I used the level to mark off the tops of the joists. Followed by the square to mark the sides.

How to hold up the these veranda rim joists? They would be highly visible. So 6" nails definitely weren't in order. In a flash of inspiration I decided to invert some of the concealed, joist shoes I had bought in error.  By marking the back of the 2x8 with the joist spacing I was able to fix the joist hangers precisely. 

Then I had the problem of cutting off the excess veranda joists to 60cm or 2'. I soon found I did not have the physical strength to use my old, cheapo, circular saw. It seemed to have become a lot heavier over the last decade of being largely ignored. 

So I marked off and had a few trial cuts with the jigsaw using a coarse-toothed blade. With patience that did the job as I disappeared under another pile of sawdust.

Now all I had to do was screw the hangers to the back of the 2x8, chop the ends off at 22.5° and drop the whole thing into place. Seven more screws each, in addition to the six already holding the hanger to the 2x8 board and all was firmly fixed. 

There followed more experimental line drawing with straightedges. As I tried to find a compromise rim joist angle for the next face of the octagonal veranda. Once satisfied, I sawed the miters on the joists. A rub with bar soap aided a smooth, straight cut with a hard tooth, Sandvik hand saw. The jigsaw could not manage the skew in 2" timber without a foolishly long blade. Which I didn't have, of course and it is Whit Monday, national holiday.

The first section of veranda rim joist [fascia] fixed in place.

Just as a bonus these hangers provide an air gap [drainage] behind the board to which they are fixed. I had marked the hangers down the 2x8 to ensure the flooring would be just flush with the top of the board for a smart appearance.

Veranda floorboard hiding the inverted joist hangers. A small air gap will be left between all the boards on the veranda to improve drainage and speed drying after rain.

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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