Taking Shape

Just looking back I see it’s just over a month since the wheelhouse plans were drawn up. It feels a lot longer as I seem to have been working away on the wheelhouse for ages. Although there is plenty still to do, you can see the basic shape . A slight change from the plan is the shorter rear windows, this was necessary to accommodate the handrail/hinge I had made for the original fit out.

As you can see the three side windows are not now of uniform size, but as close as I can make them. Everything is just pushed together to confirm measurements and see how it looks. Wondering why it is taking so long, did a bit of counting and there are 155 individual pieces, not counting screws, dowels or plugs – most of which have been produced from rough cut timber. All that red stuff on the ground is damp sawdust – really must get round to sweeping the yard when this ia all over.

Just about managing to keep pace with the rate of grass growing. Thank goodness Karen is into gardening.

As for GCS – had a couple of days off helping the lads clear Woolsthorpe depot in preparation for the societies new acquisition ‘Mudlark’ an ex BW dredger.

Slow But Sure

The front of the wheelhouse is starting to come together. The clamps came off on Monday and everything is looking  good but it has become apparent that there is not much of the original timber that can be reused. Sods law in that it is either the too small or there are screw holes just where you don’t want them.

Monday afternoon saw me at Glenmere Timber at Market Harborough picking up a few bits of sapele and a couple of pieces of north American ash for when I come to refit the interior.

It’s all rough sawn inch and a half by eight foot boards, so I’ll be popular with the neighbours when they  get put through the planer.

The completed framework has been given rubbed down it’s first coat of varnish.

While the varnish is going off it has given me the chance to catch up with work in the garden. Four rows of potatoes earthed up and lawns mowed, things are certainly starting to sprout now.

One more coat of varnish and the hinges will be fitted and then a couple more on top of that, but it all takes time, at least with the weather improving this can be done outside while I’m creating a dust inside or vice versa.

A sure sign that the weather is warming up a bit is that Sox has taken up playing with the fishes again.

Cutting list for the rest of the wheelhouse just drawn up so that is the planned job for the next few days between wielding sandpaper and paint brush. Think the neighbours have got wind - they’re going away for a few days J

It Fits

Feeling quite smug yesterday after taking the new bit of wheelhouse framework  down to T-A and with Karen’s help managed to drop it into place for the final fit. Only need to trim a couple of millimetres on the side window ends to align with the doors

Couldn't get a good angle to get a decent photo, well that's my excuse anyway.

Straight home and dismantled it all ready for the final assembly.

This morning a bit of gentle trimming and the reassembly completed this afternoon.

All clamped up to make sure there is no movement as the glue goes off.

Definitely need more clamps.

Not sure what to do next, the rear which will be similar or the side panels but one thing is for sure – it will soon be back to the old routine of sanding and varnishing. The beading to hold the windows in place will be done as a job lot once all the frames are complete. I’m thinking it will be easier to handle if we install the windows in situ rather than fit them beforehand.

Ah well! That’s killed a bit of time – decided to do the blog entry now to stop me trying to adjust and tweak the clamps that little bit more.

Let's hope this weather holds.

Dodging Showers

Well it’s been a few more days of tail chasing. Trying to get the garden sorted in the gaps between the showers, Karen has persevered and managed to get a lot of the seedlings in under Brocks critical eye,

and Sox helping out as only he knows how.

If it brightens up there is going to be a lot of fruit about again this year judging by the amount of blossom and bees about.

As for me I have been trying to keep the grass and weeds under control, albeit not very successfully.

Been down to T-A a couple of times to measure up and check measurements, working on the principle of measure twice and cut once.

The front of the wheelhouse is starting to take shape.

At the moment the joints are only pushed together to see how it looks and the clamps are holding where the hinges will go to collapse the framework. It’s going to be about 5 inches lower than the original but the difference is quite noticeable. Don't know why we were given so much headroom.

The framework will be pinched together with a few screws so it can be offered up to check the fit before being assembled properly. With it being such a nice day today I had hoped to get a bit further but sods law saw the electricity being cut off all morning while the eccletrixity board connected up a new pole over the road.

Two days of rain forecast but hopefully we’ll get down to T-A for the big test before long. Fingers crossed that it will fit.