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RossJarvis:
Here I am, back again (like the proverbial penny).
I had considered drilling the tenons the proper way, by sticking them in the mortices, marking down through the holes in the mortices and then drilling slightly off-set toward the tenon “shoulder”. This would tighten the joint up. However, I really couldn’t be a***d so I did it a bit bodgy and quick(ish).
First job was to re-assemble the frame, level and check for flat and square, whilst applying the bits of string to tighten it all up;
For the life of me I couldn’t get it to square up… I’m not sure why, possibly mis-cut tenon shoulders, or sideways-gravity, or the braces the wrong way round. But no matter how much bashing with a mallet, it was still off-square, I even swapped the braces around, but no luck. If I loosened the stringy things (two boat-builder friends have informed me that these are “Spanish Windlasses”, however, as these are bearded boat-builders [We used to call ‘em pirates in my day!] I couldn’t guarantee they’d know the difference between windlass and cutlass, particularly when some Pussers has been drunk!) it was all too loose so I had to get some powerful thinking drink out;
This is the only recourse when the tea has failed to work! A glug or two of Girrrrder juice later and BINGO! Another Spanish Windless! As I’d run out of nylon string I had to find summat else, so;
A bit of electric string! It’ll make the electrons giddy next time I hoover the lawn, but you can’t have everything. I tightened the long diagonal till the job was square;
The joints sort of looked as tight as they’d go so, “re-introdusing….Daa Da Daa Da Da….Mr Makita he very Tough….Mr Makita he very Strong…Mr Makita give him one charge….And he will work the whole day Long…Daa Da Daaa”.
(If anyone’s wondering whether I am paid for any endorsements, no I am not! However I am open to any offers!). As I said I quite like this drill, even if the headlights are pointless. One good thing I like is that he stands on his own foot quite easily;
I drilled through the mortice holes and then realised I should have come through from the front face, tearing any wood on the non-to-be-looked-at side. The pre-drilled holes seemed to be good enough to guide the drill through straight(ish). Once all the holes had been done I started cutting and sharpening the pegs;
These I made 2 ½” long (okay, everyone but the first, wot was a tad too short), then I bashed ‘em through with the hitting-stick, using a proper wooden carpenter’s hitting-stick and not a “Birmingham Screwdriver”. Et Violet (as the gardeners say in France);
Once again I came in the wrong way round (hit em in from the front, not the back you plo***r!), tearing a bit more wood out the “pretty side”;
Still, nuffink a damp rag and a 700Watt planer can’t sort out. So, up to a point, frame number 1 is done;
All I’ve got to do now is; frame two (I’ll see if I can do that properly), tie them together, floor it and bung a roof on, can’t take long surely?
Remember that tight lap-joint (Yes M’Lud, I was proceeding in a Northerly direction past the “Double-mint Hippo….)? Well, I done an’ split me lower beam!!!;
Nothing a bit of glue and cramps can’t sort, but I was well pleased with that joint too. I think the joints don’t need to be as tight as I’ve made them, not with all the fitting and re-fitting I’m doing and the bashing with the stick!!
RossJarvis:
--- Quote from: mosey on August 28, 2013, 01:19:21 PM ---I'll wave to the Calshot Spit when we fly over.
Mosey
--- End quote ---
You might see me down there making propellors for Supermarine with my tenon saw!!
Pete W.:
Hi there, Ross and Mosey,
First of all, Mosey, I doubt whether you'll come in over Calshot Spit - more likely to be over Prestwick, even if you're not due to land there. That's unless, of course, you're coming in an Imperial Airways flying boat, via the Bermuda Triangle!
--- Quote from: RossJarvis on August 28, 2013, 02:22:40 PM ---SNIP
You might see me down there making propellors for Supermarine with my tenon saw!!
--- End quote ---
A bit :offtopic: but here I go anyway: (Swing the lamps)
Back in about 1950, my school Hobbies Club ran a visit to The 'Airscrew Company and Jicwood Limited' at Addlestone, near Weybridge. They were making laminated wooden airscrews with each layer (what's the singular of 'lamina'?) cut so the grain was in the radial direction. I don't remember seeing any tenon saws! The 'Jicwood' part of the business also made laminated wooden moulding forms. I believe that my father had worked there at some stage in his career because he gave me a mallet with a laminated wooden head.
We were also shown a department making chipboard, I don't suppose there are many of those in the UK anymore. And they were also making, in one piece, the thermal insulation layer for the roof of the London double-decker buses, it was made of expanded rubber!
mosey:
I'm reminiscing about my errant childhood...I can see the Spit in my dreams, bright red and white. Any chance to make-believe I'm going past there is heaven. :)
Mosey
13 days to Heathrow.
RossJarvis:
Hello dearly beloved. Been out in the “workshop” again. I was a bit concerned that my pace has been a bit slow, so I did a wee “time and motion study”. Now that I don’t have to do as much thinking as when making the first frame, cos I did it then. For the second frame I’ve decided to do a bit more work between cups of tea, so now for every cuppa I’ll cut two or more joints instead of one!
Firstly, following the handy tip from Andy T I’m going to mark up the timbers cramped together, squaring the ends up;
Marking across, using frame one for positions;
Marking back from the other ends, using the shortest timber to set the “height of the frame;
“Uh Oh”. Look who’s turned up, it’s the apprentice again, he’s been lying low most of the week. He asked if he could come to the pub Sunday night, as he knew the dark haired girl who’s just moved in next door was going to be there. I think he had too many shandies! Here he was asking me where all the hob-nobs have gone? “you scoffed em all last week ya little Nerk!” said I in my usual polite style. “Well you’d better buy some more granddad” says he. So I told him to get a shopping bag and I’d give him a couple of quid for some more.
We’ve had to get him his own bag, as he always leaves ours down the Co-op;
“An’ I want you to come straight back, no blinking dawdling!” As I’ve said before, you trades-people know just what they’re like!
Here’s the long bits cramped up and being marked out;
Here’s me cutting three tenon shoulders in one go, told you I’d done a time and motion study!;
And this shows you how blinking hard the morticer gets stuck in the wood;
Any way time to get on, TTFN!
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