The Pool Is Open!

After finishing the backfilling last night, the water looked really inviting, so I jumped in.  Perfect temperature and much bigger than the old pool.  I can acttually swim in this one.



Here's a better shot of the pump and chlorine generator

Almost Done!

The pool project is almost done.  The pump and filter are in.  Testing last night I need to add more water to the pool and there is a leak to take care of.  I also need to replace the pressure gauge on the filter, but I am still on target for swimming this week.  In the picture the line in the lower left comes in from the pool to the pump.  The line in the middle is the return from the filter.  The line on the right is the waste line.

The pump and filter setup:

The Pool Is Up

After a very long day Saturday, the pool is up.  We did final grading,  got the vertical supports up and got the wall up.  It took 3 of us about 3 hours to get the wall done.  In this picture I am shaping the sand berm inside the pool for the liner.  I installed the liner today.

A Setback

So... today was supposed to be setting the metal uprights for the pool and doing the finish grading.  The directions for the pool say the uprights should be 42" on center, except the metal pieces that span between them have holes at 45".  Needless to say I was rather put out after discovering this, so I spent the afternoon digging and resetting 9 of the 10 blocks.  This also has implications on the size of the pool.  When I bought it, the seller said it was 15x30.    The directions call for a 15x30, but they also assume 4 uprights each side.  I have 5, at 45" on center so  I am wondering if the pool is an 18x33.  Of course I bought a liner for a 15x33....

Beginnings

A partial view of the first steps to the pool install.  There are 10 of these blocks, each set about 3" below eventual finished grade and all are level and level with each other.  I am a little under 1/4" out across the 20' width of the pool, which isn't bad.  This was the worst spot.  There are 3 blocks in that pic spanning 84". I had to excavate an area about 2' wide by 84" long 4" or so down so I could start leveling the blocks.




A side shot:

All Sparkly Clean

I went to put some stuff in the dryer last night and found a cell phone in the washer.  I didn't expect much, but took the battery out of the phone and put everything in a ziploc with dry rice.  I left it there overnight.  The phone seems fine this morning.  So, if you decide to give your electronic gadget a bath,  stick it in a bag of rice overnight afterward to dry it off.  It seems to work, I have rescued two phones this way. 

You Win Some You Lose Some

A few tools  and handles I made recently.  Left to right walnut, mahogany, and 2 oak handled tools.The mahogany tool was my first handle. I like the design of the others better.  It gives my hand a place to grip close to the tool for control on lighter cuts.  The bent tool is supposed to be a hollowing tool but the curve is too large.  I don't have enough leverage to keep the tool steady against the wood.  I think I need to reforge it to so a shorter and deeper curve.