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Build an outdoor shower
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Add an outdoor shower to your cottage to rinse off after a dip in the lake
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By Paul Lewis, photos by Roger Yip, illustration by Len Churchill
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At the end of the day, you can rinse off your sandy toes with the added foot spigot and valve.
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Next, predrill and drive a 1 3/4"-long deck screw through the strips into the underside of each deck board. Later, you'll glue the strips back on top of the joists they were cut from, but first you need to complete a few modifications to the middle joist.
Saw 1/8" off the top edge of the middle joist. This compensates for the wood you removed from the outer joists. Next, mill a 3/4"-wide x 4 1/2"-long x 2"-deep mortise on the top edge of the middle joist to receive the upright that will hold the shower pipe. I used a 3/4"-diameter Forstner bit in a drillpress and bored a series of overlapping holes, 2" deep. Turn these into a clean mortise using a sharp chisel. Glue the middle joist to the feet and side joist assembly.
Spread glue on the top edges of the side joists and install the deck board and strip assembly back onto the outer joists, adding several screws between the deck slats.
Add the Upright
Cut the blank for the upright to length. Lay out the curved top portion of the upright and cut it out using a bandsaw, then smooth the edges using a stationary spindle sander. Next, mill a 3/4"-wide x 4 1/2"-long x 2"-deep tenon on the end of the upright. I used a dado blade on my tablesaw for this work, but a handsaw and chisel would work well too. As you work, test-fit the tenon into the mortise on the middle joist and pare it down with a rasp or chisel until it fits snugly. Complete the connection with weatherproof glue. You'll need to be creative while pulling this joint together because of the curved shape. I clamped a small scrap block on each side of the upright, creating ledges for clamping to the bottom edge of the middle joist. To complete the woodworking portion of this project, screw and glue the four small side blocks onto the feet on either side of the middle joist. These strengthen the middle joist and reduce side-to-side movement of the upright.
Plumbing the Shower
Take a look at the “Plumbing Checklist” on the next page to gather the needed pieces. Start by using a pipe cutter to prepare the various lengths of 3/4"-diameter copper pipe. The longest pipe gets bent into a half-circle that holds the shower head. If you try to do it freehand, the pipe will kink, so you'll need a plywood jig. (See “Bending the Rules,“ next page, for more on this technique.)
Next, starting at the garden hose adapter, solder together all components of the shower riser. For help, see “Soldering Success“ on previous page. As you work, line up the hose bib, shut-off valve and shower head arch so they'll be parallel to the upright when complete. Once the soldered connections have cooled, thread the shower heads and valves onto the fittings.
To assemble, clamp the shower riser to the upright. Cut some pipe straps from a sheet of copper flashing and sand the edges smooth. Wrap the straps around the riser and the upright. Overlap the straps at the back of the upright and secure them with three small copper nails (called roves) in each. Finally, tack the fronts of the straps to the copper pipe with a bit of solder.
I chose to leave my shower unfinished. Cedar weathers to a pleasing silver grey; the copper will darken to a dark brown or green.
When you take your first rinse, remember to be kind to your lake and leave the soap at home.
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