Author Topic: What Keeps Me Out of the Workshop  (Read 49718 times)

Offline Pete.

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1075
  • Country: gb
Re: What Keeps Me Out of the Workshop
« Reply #25 on: April 07, 2015, 04:51:56 PM »
Great, so now when i tell my daughter her room looks like a pig sty she's going to take it as a compliment :)

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: What Keeps Me Out of the Workshop
« Reply #26 on: April 12, 2015, 04:06:36 PM »
Well another weekend has come and gone which brought Brian the Brickie here for a day and a half with some commensurate progress. That's 1500 bricks bumped out, and my body is telling me the details of every one  :bugeye:
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline Pete.

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1075
  • Country: gb
Re: What Keeps Me Out of the Workshop
« Reply #27 on: April 12, 2015, 04:24:02 PM »
That's a posh piggy palace!

How do the pigs like the concrete? Don't they miss being able to root about in mud and generally turn the ground to mush?

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: What Keeps Me Out of the Workshop
« Reply #28 on: April 12, 2015, 05:24:17 PM »
We used to raise pigs on earth on that very spot before we built the first sty and yard, but it became totally untenable over winter.

Not only was it so soft they could easily circumvent the fencing as they worked it loose, also keeping the sleeping quarters viable was impossible - we are on a very soft bit of low lying ground. I do also have two earth pig runs elsewhere but we rarely use them now as the pigs don't seem to have an issue not wallowing. They get the occasional turf to keep the mineral input up, and a hose spray in hot weather.

If you consider that virtually every cottagers sty was either cobbled or concrete it's not a new thing.
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline Pete W.

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 852
  • Country: gb
Re: What Keeps Me Out of the Workshop
« Reply #29 on: April 13, 2015, 08:17:58 AM »
Hi there, Andrew,

I hope that you and yours are all well.

The new pig palace is looking good.

What's the latest lambing score? 
Best regards,

Pete W.

If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, you haven't seen the latest design change-note!

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: What Keeps Me Out of the Workshop
« Reply #30 on: April 13, 2015, 08:24:15 AM »
Hi there, Andrew,

I hope that you and yours are all well.

The new pig palace is looking good.

What's the latest lambing score?

Hi Pete, yes it's coming along nicely but rather slowly - I made the roof trusses this morning - I'll post pictures later.

As for the lambing, a single and a twin Jacobs this morning brings the score up to 26 so far. Just the tail end charlies now - expecting 35. It was to have been 36, but one was scanned as a twin, actually produced triplets, one was still born and another didn't survive the night, but the surviving one is quite sturdy for a triplet.

Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: What Keeps Me Out of the Workshop
« Reply #31 on: April 13, 2015, 11:30:29 AM »
So as mentioned above I made the four simple trusses for the sty roof this morning. Usual crude building woodwork fixed with nail plates. I think that they're identical to the ones I made a few years back for the first sty - but as there's a 'ceiling' of 20 mm shuttering ply with 200 mm of rockwool insulation above I cannot actually see anything other than the lower few inches of them. The brickie builds the gable ends to the shape of the outer trusses, so they're needed before that bit of brickwork is done.

I doubt Brian the Brickie will  be ready for them next weekend when he comes, but at least the pressure is off as they are ready and waiting, conveniently stacked across my Ifor Williams trailer.
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: What Keeps Me Out of the Workshop
« Reply #32 on: April 16, 2015, 01:34:34 PM »
Well a bonus day today (Thursday) as Brian the Brickie was unexpectedly able to give me another day laying bricks.

Incidentally, these bricks are all rejects from the local brick yard, and a fellow buys them as hard core, and has his wife and daughters sort out what is vaguely acceptable to lay, and pallatise them. They give a rustic charm :)
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline Zadig

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 68
  • Country: gb
Re: What Keeps Me Out of the Workshop
« Reply #33 on: April 17, 2015, 04:02:24 PM »
Just been watching Lord Emsworth extolling the virtues of Whiffle - reminded me of you.

You're making a lovely job Andrew, it's a pleasure to watch the progress.

Offline NormanV

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 629
  • Country: gb
  • United Kingdom
Re: What Keeps Me Out of the Workshop
« Reply #34 on: April 17, 2015, 06:49:18 PM »
Andrew, your talking of trusses reminds me of my first house that I built in Kenya (no building regulations). We made the first truss from 6x2s and as we tried to raise it up onto the top of the two storey building it slipped and crashed to the ground. amazingly no one was hurt and the truss was not damaged. We built the rest of the roof with 4x2s. the house is still standing.

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: What Keeps Me Out of the Workshop
« Reply #35 on: April 19, 2015, 04:31:21 PM »
Thanks Zadig & Norman - I must admit to thinking occasionally about Lord Emsworth while I'm tickling the sows ear at feeding time  :lol:

So another week end and a bit more progress - Brian could only put in 3 hours on Saturday but made up for it on Sunday working a straigt 10 hours.

The wall plates are now ready for the trusses, but all the pillars need filling with concrete before that happens, and two of them are not up to height yet
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: What Keeps Me Out of the Workshop
« Reply #36 on: April 21, 2015, 09:32:26 AM »
My eldest son came to visit today, so I took the opportunity to get him to help fitting the trusses. I'd thought that they'd obstruct the pillar tops thus preventing me filling them with concrete, but in practice they don't. Construction is rather unconventional, in that I've laid a 'ceiling' of 20 mm shuttering ply from wall plate to wall plate, then set the trusses on top of the ply, as fixing a ceiling after the trusses are in would be very difficult in such a cramped place.

It was while measuring up to cut the ply we realised that Brian the Brickie had set the lintel in the wrong place - it was 4 1/2" too far forwards. So I chopped it out, and there is still access to re-set it even with ceiling and trusses in place. He's back this evening to finish the pillars, so he can re-set it then.
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline RotarySMP

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 463
  • Country: at
Re: What Keeps Me Out of the Workshop
« Reply #37 on: April 21, 2015, 09:56:59 AM »
Those photos have been photoshopped. I have been to england a few times, and there has never been weather like that.

Nice job on the pig sty. You do realise that this will be put under historic place trust protection in about 12 years, and turned into a trendie pub sometime in the 2070s
Mark
Best regards, Meilleures salutations, Mit freundlichen Grüßen, Cu salutari
Mark
https://www.youtube.com/c/RotarySMP

Offline vtsteam

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6466
  • Country: us
  • Republic of Vermont
Re: What Keeps Me Out of the Workshop
« Reply #38 on: April 21, 2015, 10:00:23 AM »
They really look nice Andrew. An asset to the property.  :thumbup: :clap: :clap:
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: What Keeps Me Out of the Workshop
« Reply #39 on: April 21, 2015, 10:01:49 AM »
Those photos have been photoshopped. I have been to england a few times, and there has never been weather like that.

Nice job on the pig sty. You do realise that this will be put under historic place trust protection in about 12 years, and turned into a trendie pub sometime in the 2070s
Mark

Thanks Mark - no photoshopping here  :lol:

We've been having an unseasonably dry few weeks - good in that the building work can proceed unhindered, but bad in that we are getting desperately short of grass for the sheep. Now it's warmed up a bit it should be growing rampantly, but as it's so dry it isn't  :(
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: What Keeps Me Out of the Workshop
« Reply #40 on: April 21, 2015, 10:05:06 AM »
They really look nice Andrew. An asset to the property.  :thumbup: :clap: :clap:

Thanks Steve. I decided early on that it all needed to look slightly OTT as it's amazing what an interest our guests in the cottages have in the animals around the farm. But I doubt that I can get away with the building costs offset against cottage tax, so the price of pork will have to rise  :lol:
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: What Keeps Me Out of the Workshop
« Reply #41 on: April 21, 2015, 03:23:39 PM »
So as promised Brian the Brickie popped in for a couple of hours this evening to bring the pillars up to a height that I can fill them with concrete (hopefully tomorrow) He also re-set that lintel that I had to move.
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: What Keeps Me Out of the Workshop
« Reply #42 on: April 22, 2015, 06:04:18 AM »
I spent a couple of hours before breakfast knocking up some strong fine concrete and filled the pillars. Used a cut off sheep feed sack as a funnel to avoid putting cement marks down the outside. Took a remarkable amount by the time it was tamped down and fully compacted - 10 cubic foot by my calculations.

..it'll give someone a surprise if they reverse into it, and I don't think that the pigs will knock them over  :lol:
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline RotarySMP

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 463
  • Country: at
Re: What Keeps Me Out of the Workshop
« Reply #43 on: April 22, 2015, 09:34:55 AM »
When renovating my house, I moved a couple of door frames. Not knowing that these days they are just foamed in, I filled the frames with cement mortar. Amazing how much you can get in a seeming small space if you don't bother calculating the volume.
Mark
« Last Edit: April 23, 2015, 02:53:15 AM by RotarySMP »
Best regards, Meilleures salutations, Mit freundlichen Grüßen, Cu salutari
Mark
https://www.youtube.com/c/RotarySMP

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: What Keeps Me Out of the Workshop
« Reply #44 on: April 25, 2015, 02:29:59 PM »
Brian the Brickie returned today (Saturday) and put in another 10 hour stint. He's got the majority of the front gable end up and (for some inexplicable reason) done a bit on the rear gable.

He can't manage tomorrow as he has a meeting of the local crown green bowls club, and being chairman has to be there :( He's suggesting he'll be able to be back Tuesday or Wednesday, but the weather is breaking so that might well stop him - still quite a bit of progress today.He's motivated to finish it, as I've told him he can't borrow my digger until this job is finished  :lol:

Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: What Keeps Me Out of the Workshop
« Reply #45 on: April 28, 2015, 01:33:03 PM »
So today as Brian the Brickie hadn't turned up by 08:30 I decided he wasn't coming, and I'd get on with the surface / land drain run, and water supply, which entailed hand trenching up the side of the slab, and connecting to the 'Y' point I'd previously installed when I put the 'Aco' storm drain within the pig enclosure. Hand trenching as it's too tight to get the digger in.

I'd done the first couple of metres by 9:05 and of course Brian turned up - my trenching cutting him off from where he'd been working  :bang: So we agreed that he'd continue on the rear gable while I got the drains in.

Solid pipe up to the corner of the sty, and perforated land drain in pea shingle across the end. As I wanted a rodding point at the corner I decided to incorporate a 'back entry gully' that I had left over from previous works, and place it under where the tap will be on the corner pillar. I just had to buy an 'extender' to bring it up to finished ground level (not yet in the pictures.) *** edit actually you can just see it sitting upside down on the pillar !!!!!!!
« Last Edit: April 28, 2015, 02:52:18 PM by awemawson »
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: What Keeps Me Out of the Workshop
« Reply #46 on: April 28, 2015, 01:37:16 PM »
Brian got the rear gable up to the first layer of corbelling, and put the second corbel on the front gable.
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: What Keeps Me Out of the Workshop
« Reply #47 on: April 28, 2015, 01:56:57 PM »
Today I let Brian persuade me to sell him my Kubota K008 3/4 ton digger. He needs a small one to fit through a door for a job he has coming up, and I need a bigger one, but not as big as the JCB 3CX 14 tonner that I reluctantly parted with last year.

I've located a JCB 803 and committed to buying it - this is a 3 ton machine that should hopefully fit my needs and not be too much of a dog when I see it in the flesh - bought blind from a dealer 300 miles away  :bugeye:
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline vtsteam

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6466
  • Country: us
  • Republic of Vermont
Re: What Keeps Me Out of the Workshop
« Reply #48 on: April 28, 2015, 09:29:57 PM »
Green stuff above the track looks like it might have been sitting for a long while -- unless that's fresh, hard to tell in a photo. I forsee some madmodder projectdom in the future!  :thumbup:  :beer:
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: What Keeps Me Out of the Workshop
« Reply #49 on: April 29, 2015, 10:12:20 AM »
It probably has sat for a while Steve. It's in transit as I type - chap left Manchester 14:30 so it will be quite late when he arrives - must be a 6 hour journey at least.

I decided having laid the land drain etc to start back filling up to the walls in road planings that I'd saved when I excavated for the slab. First I had to fit the 'drain riser', then the gate to see where things need to end up
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex