(This post written by Tom)
I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but when Abby asks me to do a project, rest assured it will get done, probably, sometime during the next three to nine months, usually following dozens of repeated requests. In this case she wanted a rack for the boys’ bikes and scooters. A sensible request, since their bikes and scooters tend to be strewn all about the garage. She even had handy instructions on how the rack should be built.
I only saw three real obstacles to implementing the plan: (1) Power tools were required; (2) I currently own no power tools (other than a drill); (3) I am not particularly adept at utilizing the power tools I don’t own. Otherwise I was ready. (The good Lord saw fit to bless me with a few gifts, but“handyman” and “carpenter” are not among them.)
Fortunately my dad builds furniture and has a shop. So yesterday I took Thomas and Arthur along to build a bike rack with my dad. After I explained the finer points of measuring and cutting the lumber, Thomas and Arthur’s attention began to drift.
Arthur tested the structural integrity of various pieces of furniture.
(Arthur, with Grammy.)
Thomas was convinced he could build a truck if we’d let him use a power saw.
Meanwhile, my dad and I built the bike rack, by which I mean he did the drilling and cutting while I read him the cut instructions and nodded a lot. (Ok, I did some drilling too.)
(My dad, throwing caution to the wind and drilling in sandals.)
When we were done, we strapped the rack to the roof of the 4Runner, Griswold-style, and headed home. And now we have a bike rack.
(A bike rack. It also seems to work for skateboards.)
(Note: We made a few modifications to the plan linked above based on what we needed. Most notably, the boys’ scooters stand up on their own so we didn’t need slots to hold them upright. We just left those slots open for scooters/skateboards. We also widened the space between the slats on the first three so the smaller bikes would fit. It’s easy to come back and adjust the spacing if needed)
1st, 6th, and 7th photos by Allison Muirhead
