The Seed For A New Project Is Nurtured

A few months ago I fulfilled a nearly two-year-long search to comply with Mrs. Barn’s admonition to purchase a new (to me) truck to succeed my 2003 S10 with 225,000 miles.  I went round and round, at one point early in the search I was ready to purchase a new 2020 Tacoma 4WD based on reviews and friends’ recommendations.  I went to the local-ist dealer ready to write out a check for the full amount of a new truck. That is, until I actually sat in one of them.  I would not even turn the key and take it out for a drive.  The bucket seat was among the most uncomfortable seating platforms I have ever experienced. Yes I had many objectives for the new-ish vehicle but among the non-negotiable ones was that had it be a comfortable fit for my aching hips and back.  It meant that I had to go back 15 years to find a truck that fit the description.

But I did find one that fit my body, and once I knew what I wanted I just hunted until I could find one in good shape to buy.  In the end I settled on a 60k-mile 2007 Ford with the fold-down console/semi-bench seat rather than the bucket seats that are apparently in every truck ever since.  I do not suppose I need to recount the screaming insanity that is the car market these days, so I won’t.  (Any person using the term “transitory inflation” has revealed themselves to be a belligerent ignoramus/ideologue unworthy of my attention.)  The truck was 1/3 more than I expected to pay, but I did anyway.

It had many features I liked, but one void was the covering for the bed.  I looked at a variety of option$ for this feature and remain in price $hock.  It $eem$ the lift-up $hell I wanted wa$ in the neighborhood of $2000!  Phooey on that.

Then recently while noodling around on youtube looking at woodworking videos I came across this Irish fellow building a cedar-strip canoe and was fascinated.

Use your imagination about how I just might combine my truck’s need for a lifting bed cover with this guy’s project.  Instead of cedar strips I still have this pile of vintage 11/4 cypress…