Constructing the Arbor Part 2

Here's the link to Constructing the Arbor Part 1

Okay, here we go again : ) I left off last at finishing the notches on the posts.

Jen got a piece of plain white paper and drew a design for the ends of the top beams. We cut the design out and traced it with a pencil on both ends of both beams.
After that was done, I used the jig (saber) saw to cut the design out. I took it really slow I didn't break the bit, especially around the tighter curves. Check out those awesome safety glasses! ;-)

Here's the finished beam.

Now I took the finished two beams and attached them to the posts. First, I measured and marked the top of both beams at their center point. Then I measured the inside distance between the posts and divided it in half to find the center measurement. Jen helped me put the first beam on the posts and center it up. Then I drilled 2 holes all the way through the beam and post for the 5" carriage bolts to attach the beam to the posts. Finally, I put the bolts in and fastened them down with the nuts and washers. As you can see in the picture, I offset the bolts because on the right side of the post in this picture is where I will be attaching the top cross brace with the lag screws. I didn't want them to run into the carriage bolts.

So here's how things are looking at this stage. This gives the best perspective of the proper orientation of the notches that were cut to accommodate the beams.

Now it's time to attach the bottom and top cross braces. Okay, I forgot to take a picture of just the cross braces being attached so here's a picture ahead of schedule to give a good perspective of the cross braces. So measure to the outside edges of the posts for the bottom brace and the inside edge of the beam for the top brace. My posts were set slightly less that 4' apart so I could get 2 braces out of a 8' 2x6.

Here's a close up of the top and bottom braces. I put the bottom cross brace around a foot off the ground. I just did what I though looked good. I drilled guide holes on each side for the lag screws. Again, I drilled the guide holes so the lag screws wouldn't break while screwing them in. Also, make sure you use a drill bit that's smaller than the lag screw. You want to make sure that the lag screw still has wood to bite into. Don't forget the washers.

Next post I'll continue on with the vertical 2x2's that will attach the cross braces and the last minute idea I had concerning the dowels. 

Good day and remember, safety first!