The Cosmic Sukkah

• Description
• Materials
• Tools
• Drawings
• How To
• Pictures

Description

Here is the Cosmic Sukkah, (since it is designed by an astronomer ;), that you can build for under $200 and in one day. Of course, the actual cost of the lumber will depend on the quality of wood you chose to use, and thus the durability of the structure. The same applies to the type of hardware you pick up (zinc plated, stainless steel or brass).

Using standard 1 x 3 x 8 and 1 x 2 x 8, you can easily built an 8' x 8' structure, some 6' 6" tall.

Materials

• 6 nice pieces of 1 x 3 x 8
• 20 nice pieces of 1 x 2 x 8
  For the novice a 1 x 3 x 8 is an 8' long board, but not quite 1x3" (you will find the actual dimensions here).

• Corner braces "inside L brackets", 1-1/2 x 3/4 in., 6 pairs.
• 48 machine screws to attach these L brackets: 10-24 x 1-1/4 in.
• 24 hex nuts and 24 wing nuts, or 28 hex nuts, for the 10-24 screws. (I used the hex nut to attach permanently the brackets to the front and back parts, the wing nuts to assemble the structure).
• 48 #10 locking washers and 48 #10 regular washers.
• 20 machine screws, 1/4 x 2 in.
• 6 machine screws, 1/4 x 2-1/2 in. (these are too short to put washers, you may consider getting longer ones and a few more washers).
• 26 1/4 in. wing nuts.
• 20 1/4 in. locking washers and 40 1/4 in. regular washers.

Tools

• Drill,
• jig saw, or hand saw,
• screwdriver and wrench,
• saw horses, pencil and L-shaped rule will come handy.

Drawings

• top front, one (1) piece (use 1 x 3 x 8)
  
• bottom front, two (2) pieces (use 1 x 2 x 8)
  
• top back, one (1) piece (use 1 x 3 x 8)
  
• bottom back, one (1) piece (use 1 x 2 x 8)
  
• top rafters, two (2) pieces (use 1 x 3 x 8)
  
• top sides, two (2) pieces (use 1 x 3 x 8)
  
• bottom sides, two (2) pieces (use 1 x 2 x 8)
  
• back and side cross beams, twelve (12) pieces (use 1 x 2 x 8)
  
• front cross beams, four (4) pieces (use 1 x 2 x 8)
  

How To

1. Trim three 1x2x8 and six 1x3x8 boards to be exactly 8' long for the bottom sides and back and top front, back, sides and rafters.
2. Mark on the respective boards where to drill the holes.
3. Use a nail to precisely indent the position of each hole, then drill carefully a pilot hole (use a 1/32" drill bit), and then drill the final holes (some are 7/32", some are 1/4", be vigilent).
4. Cut and drill the two bottom front parts from one 1x2x8 board, using the same procedure.
5. Cut and drill the twelve long cross beams, using the same procedure.
   Note that these have a top and a bottom (the hole is further offset from the end at the top). You will need a piece of paper on which to draw a template to trim the top and bottom ends with a 30 degree cut.
6. Cut and drill the four shorter front cross beams, using the same procedure.
   These also have to be trimmed, altough the angle is different (18 degree) so you may need to trim a little more.
7. Sand all the boards, and make sure the respective screw fits through each hole. You can varnish/lacquer them now, (or do it when it is all assembled).
8. Attach the 12 corner braces to the top front and back and to the bottom front and back (10-24 screws, head inside against the corner brace. Outside use a washer, a locking washer and a hex nut). The corner braces are oriented to be 'inside' at the four corner and for the two rafters.
9. Assemble each of the four walls, using the cross beams and the respective top/bottom parts, using the 1/4 in. screws. Use a washer on each side of the wood and a locking washer under the wing nut. Don't tight the nuts until all the boards that form a wall are assembled. Use the longer screws where two cross beams are joined to the frame.
10. Raise and connect the walls, using the corner braces, the 10-24 screws, and the wing nuts (you'll need a helping hand). Start with the back and one side, then the other side and finish with the front.
11. Mount the two rafters by attaching them to the corner braces.
12. That's all folks! Decorate and enjoy!

Pictures