!!! In the quiet hours of the bootcamp grind, I found myself: Esteban's Bootcamp Experience

Mike Haasl wrote:A pro tip for burning the router grooves...  Use the oxy acetylene torch to put a tiny, focused flame in the groove. You get much less charring outside the lettering so the planer has an easier time cleaning up the surface.  That's how I did the sign you're not supposed to read in the classroom.  In lieu of the oxy torch, I'd use a small propane torch flame and try to just hit the grooves.

Thanks so much, Mike — I really appreciate the pro tip and you taking the time to share it. That makes a lot of sense, especially keeping the charring focused so cleanup is easier afterward. I’ll definitely give the small propane torch approach a try and keep that in mind for future signs. Grateful to learn from your experience.

Andy Ze wrote:It seems like you guys spend a lot of time on that fencing. Could you not run twine or something instead? At least it would keep the deer out.

That’s a fair question. Yeah, it does take a good bit of time — and at the moment it’s just me working on it, since the high commander is out for a couple months and the other boot has been away for a bit. That said, I’m not on fencing all day every boot day, just chipping away at it steadily.

The goal here is long-term durability. I’m rebuilding about 30 panels at the Abbey (roughly 300 feet, conservatively) using the current design I was taught: posts buried three feet deep, spaced nine feet apart, each set with a gravel sock. The horizontals are all notched into the vertical posts to increase contact surface, with five nails per notch (four toe-nailed).

The fencing that failed was from earlier versions — posts set directly in soil with no gravel sock, which led to dry rot, and horizontals that weren’t notched, so the hardware took most of the load and eventually failed.

Twine would definitely be faster, but out here it usually only lasts a year or two in the elements, especially with deer pressure. This approach takes longer up front, but it should hold up for many years with minimal maintenance.

There must be something wrong ... I didn't get e-mails anymore about boots (like you) posting in their threads. First I thought: maybe they're on holiday.
But it lasted too long. I went to look for new posts at the Wheaton Lab forum ... and indeed, you had new posts!

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:There must be something wrong ... I didn't get e-mails anymore about boots (like you) posting in their threads. First I thought: maybe they're on holiday.
But it lasted too long. I went to look for new posts at the Wheaton Lab forum ... and indeed, you had new posts!

That’s really kind of you — thank you for taking the time to check.
I’m glad you found the posts despite the email hiccup. Hopefully the notifications sort themselves out soon, but I appreciate you letting me know.

B.E.L. Post # 67

After a very engaging morning meeting, I headed over to the Abbey and focused on making some solid progress there. I set two vertical posts in place, taking my time to get them straight and secure — always feels good when posts go in clean and true.

After wrapping up at the Abbey, I made my way back to basecamp and shifted gears. I put up the wooden deliveries sign at the red cabin, which should help keep things flowing a bit smoother for folks coming through. While there, I also laid sand over a large icy patch on the drive to make it safer to travel — slow, steady work, but important this time of year.

I finished out the day working on the last wooden sign task, tying up loose ends and bringing that project closer to being fully complete. All in all, a full and satisfying day with a good mix of planning, building, and practical problem-solving.

Yesterday 01/13/2026

After the morning meeting, I spent the first part of the day clearing out soil in front of the spot where the large wooden delivery sign will eventually live. This little project has a few nice benefits bundled into it — exposing the beautiful face of the bedrock, sifting through the soil to reclaim usable gravel, and setting aside the remaining dirt to be hauled off later and built up into a berm. Slow, deliberate work, but satisfying to see the area gradually take shape.

The second half of the day was over at the Abbey, continuing along with the fencing. I put up more of the horizontal pieces and dug another post hole, steadily inching the fence line forward. A good mix of thoughtful earth work and solid hands-on building to round out the day.

B.E.L. Post # 68

The first half of the day was a good mix of processing and maintenance. I processed five crates of woody bits, spent some time repairing a broken wooden sign, and did maintenance on another chainsaw. I also continued clearing soil from the rock face where the big wooden delivery sign will eventually go, carefully sifting as I went and ending up with six 5-gallon buckets of gravel set aside.

After lunch, I headed over to the Abbey to keep things moving on the fencing. I set another vertical post and framed out the last two panels in the section I’ve been focused on. At this point, all that’s left here is to run the junk poles, and then I’ll be moving on to the final fallen section. Steady progress and a satisfying way to wrap up the day.

B.E.L. Post # 69

The first half of my day was one of those steady, satisfying stretches where a lot of little things come together. I processed a few more crates of woody bits, fixed up a wooden sign that had seen better days, and broke down a beautiful purple rock from the lab so it can be mailed out. Always a bit bittersweet to take apart something that striking, but it’s headed off to a good home.

I also spent some focused time on the big wooden sign. I positioned the 10' log exactly where I wanted it, bored three holes through it, and ran three 14" pieces of rebar to lock it in place. It felt good to slow down and get that alignment just right—one of those details that will quietly matter for years.

After that I headed over to the Abbey and ran junkpoles through the horizontals, completing about 2.5 panels. Progress was a little slower than usual since I was trimming the junkpoles down to 8–10' lengths and doing some woodland care in the immediate area at the same time. Still, solid forward movement, and the fencing is really starting to take shape out there.