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Hi all and welcome to TheWoodHaven2 brought into the 21st Century, kicking and screaming! We all have Alasdair to thank for the vast bulk of the heavy lifting to get us here, no more so than me because he's taken away a huge burden of responsibility from my shoulders and brought us to this new shiny home, with all your previous content (hopefully) still intact! Please peruse and feed back. There is still plenty to do, like changing the colour scheme, adding the banner graphic, tweaking the odd setting here and there so I have added a new thread in the 'Technical Issues, Bugs and Feature Requests' forum for you to add any issues you find, any missing settings or just anything you'd like to see added/removed from the feature set that Xenforo offers. We will get to everything over the coming weeks so please be patient, but add anything at all to the thread I mention above and we promise to get to them over the next few days/weeks/months. In the meantime, please enjoy!
Mike's ext'n & renovation (solar panels)
- Thread starter Mike G
- Start date
[emoji1376][emoji1376]
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Rod
Old Oak
Impressive as usual
Rod
Rod
kirkpoore1
Old Oak
Pinch
Old Oak
Fabulous work Mike and great write-up! 
It's good to see traditional green oak joints in the making - lovely! Must be very satisfying, and tiring working with those heavy oak timbers. Perhaps Waitrose corn flakes has a secret ingredient of spinach thrown in.
Do you notice a difference in working the green oak after it's been lying around in storage for 6 months, effectively drying out? I know the complete air drying process can vary from 2-3 years, but I can imagine the oak will feel and cut slightly differently to when it first came out of the mill as green. Years ago, I always fancied seriously getting involved with the green oak craft, but oh boy, it's jolly hard work.
I couldn't imagine attempting to cut one of those tenons with a hand saw - top work!
Looking forward to see this part of the project go through the process.
It's good to see traditional green oak joints in the making - lovely! Must be very satisfying, and tiring working with those heavy oak timbers. Perhaps Waitrose corn flakes has a secret ingredient of spinach thrown in.
Do you notice a difference in working the green oak after it's been lying around in storage for 6 months, effectively drying out? I know the complete air drying process can vary from 2-3 years, but I can imagine the oak will feel and cut slightly differently to when it first came out of the mill as green. Years ago, I always fancied seriously getting involved with the green oak craft, but oh boy, it's jolly hard work.
I couldn't imagine attempting to cut one of those tenons with a hand saw - top work!
Looking forward to see this part of the project go through the process.
Mike G
Petrified Pine
Thanks Paul.......much appreciated.
Yes, those big lumps of oak take some shifting. Some of the bigger ones are quite difficult to even roll over, so you do as much as you can from one side, rather than keep on turning them as you do with smaller stuff. Fetching them in from the woodpile outside can be quite a task. Fortunately, all the big stuff is done now, so my back can rest easy.
The oak is certainly different 6 months on. For a start, it has lots of surface drying cracks, and knots on the surface are hard and stand proud. The outside half inch or more is noticeably tougher to work. But get through that and it is still much as it was before. In fact, I cut about a foot off the end of one post, and then drilled out for a housing for a softwood plate and water literally ran out of it and dripped on the floor.
Given a fair wind I'll post some more photos in an hour or so. I've 3 or 4 days to catch up on, and lots has happened.
Yes, those big lumps of oak take some shifting. Some of the bigger ones are quite difficult to even roll over, so you do as much as you can from one side, rather than keep on turning them as you do with smaller stuff. Fetching them in from the woodpile outside can be quite a task. Fortunately, all the big stuff is done now, so my back can rest easy.
The oak is certainly different 6 months on. For a start, it has lots of surface drying cracks, and knots on the surface are hard and stand proud. The outside half inch or more is noticeably tougher to work. But get through that and it is still much as it was before. In fact, I cut about a foot off the end of one post, and then drilled out for a housing for a softwood plate and water literally ran out of it and dripped on the floor.
Given a fair wind I'll post some more photos in an hour or so. I've 3 or 4 days to catch up on, and lots has happened.
Mike G
Petrified Pine
This is the corner post of the oak screen I made a couple of years ago, and I am about to plant another post alongside it. I thought I would leave a warning for anyone who didn't like my work:
Some of these pictures get a bit complex. Here is a photo of the southern bridging joist projecting into the stairwell. Not only does this need cutting off, but it also needs supporting. At the moment, it is hanging from a pair of timbers on the floor above. The timber I am talking about is horizontal, in the middle of the photo, and has a little black still showing:
You can see it half way up the right hand side of this photo:
I waited until my wife was out of the house for a couple of hours, and with every window in the house open I used that well known piece of delicate woodworking machinery, the chainsaw:
The fumes were awful! Next, I had to carve a joint in the end of the old bridging joist to match this one in the beam which will support it:
This joint won't be visible, but it will need to be strong. I roughed away the worst with the chainsaw:
Access wasn't easy, but it turned out well, and I cleaned it up with a chisel. Lifting the beam which will support it into place was simple, as it was alongside studwork enabling lots of opportunity to clamp in supports, and then once at the top, the beam could just rest on the top of the studwork until it was slid into position. Now, remember that this beam is between two post, with a tenon on each end. That meant leaning the big post i put in the day before out of the way. With nothing to rest it against, I had to improvise:
Note the top of the beam about a foot out of line with the lintel above it. Towards the bottom of the photo you can see the studwork which temporarily held the new beam. Back to the other end of the new beam:
It is impossibly to see the joint with the old bridging joist, but that went in well. Remember that these joints are impossible to try beforehand, so I had made careful template to check that everything fitted. This one went like a dream:
Both ends were perfect! I have worried about this piece of structure more than anything else in the last year or more. The right hand end of that beam will be the first thing you see as you walk in the front door of the house. The left hand end you'll pass every time you use the stairs. Cocking either of them up would have haunted this build forever. This is one of those things I have woken up in the middle of the night worrying about. I really wouldn't have been more thrilled if I had hit a century in a Test match at Lord's.
I quickly fixed the studwork into place, and plasterboarded it. The downstairs loo now has a wall again!
The next big lift was the sister of the 2 storey vertical post I put in the other day. It was another 2 man job, and it went well:
Note this view:
This is from the kitchen through into the lounge. Both of these room are to get a structural door frame, and then across the gap between the heads will be a beam forming the head of the stairwell, and taking the long side-piece. The post on which I wrote the message in the first photo is on the left, nearest the camera.
Again, there is a tenon on both ends of the beam, so the newly-positioned post had to be leant out of the way to enable it to fit between:
The left hand post has the light switch in it, so there is a rebate house out of the back for the cables. This photo was for my benefit, not yours, so that i could be sure of getting the wiring right (this is the temporary surface mounted switch we've used for a year or two:
Note that the two posts are not loadbearing. Structurally, they hang from the peg holding the joints together. There is no foundation under them, and there is insulation under the screed. The head of the door will be holding the weight of much of the floor around the stairwell, plus the weight of the stairs.
I wish I'd got a photo of this joint going together. It is a haunched mortise & tenon, for a really good load-bearing junction:
You can just about see the mortise on the RH side of this photo, right in the top corner:
Moving across to the lounge doorfame. One end of it gets its support from the brickwok of the fireplace. I couldn't use an angle grinder because it would have filled the entire house with dust:
The lower photo shows the post propped roughly in position. Note the small cut-out at the top for wiring, which again will be channeled down a big rebate in the back of the post.
Here is the completed doorway:
Right, that leaves us with just two principle timbers to complete the stairwell structure. This mortise was made and positioned a year or more ago:
Here's its partner, for the other end of the stairwell, in the beam which will bridge across the two heads of the doorways I've just put in:
Here is that beam in preparation, mainly just to give an overview of my "workshop" in the dining room:
I thought I would show the ends of the beam, rather than hide them behind plaster:
And this is where I reckon it will end up:
That's looking up at the kitchen ceiling, with the door-head to the left of the photo.
Some of these pictures get a bit complex. Here is a photo of the southern bridging joist projecting into the stairwell. Not only does this need cutting off, but it also needs supporting. At the moment, it is hanging from a pair of timbers on the floor above. The timber I am talking about is horizontal, in the middle of the photo, and has a little black still showing:
You can see it half way up the right hand side of this photo:
I waited until my wife was out of the house for a couple of hours, and with every window in the house open I used that well known piece of delicate woodworking machinery, the chainsaw:
The fumes were awful! Next, I had to carve a joint in the end of the old bridging joist to match this one in the beam which will support it:
This joint won't be visible, but it will need to be strong. I roughed away the worst with the chainsaw:
Access wasn't easy, but it turned out well, and I cleaned it up with a chisel. Lifting the beam which will support it into place was simple, as it was alongside studwork enabling lots of opportunity to clamp in supports, and then once at the top, the beam could just rest on the top of the studwork until it was slid into position. Now, remember that this beam is between two post, with a tenon on each end. That meant leaning the big post i put in the day before out of the way. With nothing to rest it against, I had to improvise:
Note the top of the beam about a foot out of line with the lintel above it. Towards the bottom of the photo you can see the studwork which temporarily held the new beam. Back to the other end of the new beam:
It is impossibly to see the joint with the old bridging joist, but that went in well. Remember that these joints are impossible to try beforehand, so I had made careful template to check that everything fitted. This one went like a dream:
Both ends were perfect! I have worried about this piece of structure more than anything else in the last year or more. The right hand end of that beam will be the first thing you see as you walk in the front door of the house. The left hand end you'll pass every time you use the stairs. Cocking either of them up would have haunted this build forever. This is one of those things I have woken up in the middle of the night worrying about. I really wouldn't have been more thrilled if I had hit a century in a Test match at Lord's.
I quickly fixed the studwork into place, and plasterboarded it. The downstairs loo now has a wall again!
The next big lift was the sister of the 2 storey vertical post I put in the other day. It was another 2 man job, and it went well:
Note this view:
This is from the kitchen through into the lounge. Both of these room are to get a structural door frame, and then across the gap between the heads will be a beam forming the head of the stairwell, and taking the long side-piece. The post on which I wrote the message in the first photo is on the left, nearest the camera.
Again, there is a tenon on both ends of the beam, so the newly-positioned post had to be leant out of the way to enable it to fit between:
The left hand post has the light switch in it, so there is a rebate house out of the back for the cables. This photo was for my benefit, not yours, so that i could be sure of getting the wiring right (this is the temporary surface mounted switch we've used for a year or two:
Note that the two posts are not loadbearing. Structurally, they hang from the peg holding the joints together. There is no foundation under them, and there is insulation under the screed. The head of the door will be holding the weight of much of the floor around the stairwell, plus the weight of the stairs.
I wish I'd got a photo of this joint going together. It is a haunched mortise & tenon, for a really good load-bearing junction:
You can just about see the mortise on the RH side of this photo, right in the top corner:
Moving across to the lounge doorfame. One end of it gets its support from the brickwok of the fireplace. I couldn't use an angle grinder because it would have filled the entire house with dust:
The lower photo shows the post propped roughly in position. Note the small cut-out at the top for wiring, which again will be channeled down a big rebate in the back of the post.
Here is the completed doorway:
Right, that leaves us with just two principle timbers to complete the stairwell structure. This mortise was made and positioned a year or more ago:
Here's its partner, for the other end of the stairwell, in the beam which will bridge across the two heads of the doorways I've just put in:
Here is that beam in preparation, mainly just to give an overview of my "workshop" in the dining room:
I thought I would show the ends of the beam, rather than hide them behind plaster:
And this is where I reckon it will end up:
That's looking up at the kitchen ceiling, with the door-head to the left of the photo.
As expected, I'm loving watching this Mike. Inspirational.
Cheers
Mark
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Cheers
Mark
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2014
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TrimTheKing":2ikjf9f0 said:
:text-+1: :text-bravo:
Rod
Old Oak
Impressive!
Rod
Rod
Jimmy Mack
Old Oak
Fantastic MG, a radiator hanging in space always gives me a chuckle... like me you must be ready for the Radox...
Lovely work.
Sent from my Moto G (5) using Tapatalk
Lovely work.
Sent from my Moto G (5) using Tapatalk
Jimmy Mack
Old Oak
[emoji1][emoji1][emoji1]Mike G":2zcihyk5 said:
All in good time.
My wife would of had me do the bathroom first! I'm currently dodging a hot tub installation! Tapping off my lovely 3ph... Just no. [emoji1]
Sent from my Moto G (5) using Tapatalk
Mike G
Petrified Pine
Where were we? Oh yes......the beam across the door heads.......
Here it is at the beginning of the lift. It's a simple lift, but even so, I take it in stages and you can see a horizontal temporarily in place on which to rest it half way up. Then just take a breath and lift:
Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of it in position. Never mind, it's not that exciting.
Now, a big lift, with much more thought required. This beam completes the stairwell structure. It runs the length of the stairs, fixing into a beam which has been in place for a year or so, and the one I have just put across the door-frame heads. As there are tenons (plural) on each end, the beam I lifted in the above photo just slides out of the way to allow the gap necessary to fit the tenons into the mortises. However, first things first. This is a big lift, there is precious little to use for support, and there is nothing above from which to hang it. Further, my lifting buddy wasn't available. Here it is in position ready for the lift to start:
I screwed an upright to the WC wall to hold a temporary support, clamped to a post of the dining room wall, then lifted an end onto that:
The this end onto a scaffold board:
When it got to the right height, I clamped on a bit of protection, so that I could manouevre it without fear of it falling. This beam was made about 6 months ago, and the lower tenon had twisted a little as it dried, so it didn't go in immediately. I had to chisel a sliver off the top, in situ, which only took a few seconds:
The other end was easier as the beam it slotted into was free to move wherever I wanted it. I clamped on the temporary fall-protection as per the other end, gave it a little tap with a rubber mallet and home she went:
I was pleased to find that all the various joints had been made at the right heights:
And my calculation of the position of the beam over the kitchen door has about right too:
So, that's the primary structure in place for the stair opening. We've lived without proper access upstairs for 3 days, (you can see the ladder to our bedroom in the previous photos) so it was time to get a floor in. Joists first:
Note the step. Getting under the low eaves beam of the old part of the house necessitates having the floor as low as possible at the head of the stairs. Next the flooring (the landing will be carpeted):
The last photo shows the place I will be breaking through into the front bedroom, which has been accessed for the last year or two through what will be a cupboard.
Once the floor was sort-of in, enough for the evening, I did some work on the old temporary stairs, which were quite narrow:
That's about 13" of tread width, in old money. That had been forced on us by the temporary wall between old and new, but now I could put in something more respectable:
Contrast the last photo, with one taken from the same position 3 days before:
Finally, note the green curtain over the oak wall in the last couple of photos. That's where work is focused next.
Here it is at the beginning of the lift. It's a simple lift, but even so, I take it in stages and you can see a horizontal temporarily in place on which to rest it half way up. Then just take a breath and lift:
Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of it in position. Never mind, it's not that exciting.
Now, a big lift, with much more thought required. This beam completes the stairwell structure. It runs the length of the stairs, fixing into a beam which has been in place for a year or so, and the one I have just put across the door-frame heads. As there are tenons (plural) on each end, the beam I lifted in the above photo just slides out of the way to allow the gap necessary to fit the tenons into the mortises. However, first things first. This is a big lift, there is precious little to use for support, and there is nothing above from which to hang it. Further, my lifting buddy wasn't available. Here it is in position ready for the lift to start:
I screwed an upright to the WC wall to hold a temporary support, clamped to a post of the dining room wall, then lifted an end onto that:
The this end onto a scaffold board:
When it got to the right height, I clamped on a bit of protection, so that I could manouevre it without fear of it falling. This beam was made about 6 months ago, and the lower tenon had twisted a little as it dried, so it didn't go in immediately. I had to chisel a sliver off the top, in situ, which only took a few seconds:
The other end was easier as the beam it slotted into was free to move wherever I wanted it. I clamped on the temporary fall-protection as per the other end, gave it a little tap with a rubber mallet and home she went:
I was pleased to find that all the various joints had been made at the right heights:
And my calculation of the position of the beam over the kitchen door has about right too:
So, that's the primary structure in place for the stair opening. We've lived without proper access upstairs for 3 days, (you can see the ladder to our bedroom in the previous photos) so it was time to get a floor in. Joists first:
Note the step. Getting under the low eaves beam of the old part of the house necessitates having the floor as low as possible at the head of the stairs. Next the flooring (the landing will be carpeted):
The last photo shows the place I will be breaking through into the front bedroom, which has been accessed for the last year or two through what will be a cupboard.
Once the floor was sort-of in, enough for the evening, I did some work on the old temporary stairs, which were quite narrow:
That's about 13" of tread width, in old money. That had been forced on us by the temporary wall between old and new, but now I could put in something more respectable:
Contrast the last photo, with one taken from the same position 3 days before:
Finally, note the green curtain over the oak wall in the last couple of photos. That's where work is focused next.
Rod
Old Oak
Don't get me wrong Mike, I'm sure they are perfectly safe but are the joints etc "designed/calculated" or is it down to "experience"?
Thinking in particular the long beam with the double tenons.
Rod
Thinking in particular the long beam with the double tenons.
Rod
Great progress Mike. Bet you're both happy to have something a little more permanent in place now.
Cheers
Mark
Cheers
Mark
StevieB
Nordic Pine
:eusa-clap: In total awe of your skills Mike, majorly impressive :text-coolphotos:
Steve
Steve
Mike G
Petrified Pine
Rod":154rdtrb said:
Experience, and "English Historic Carpentry" by Cecil Hewett*. You are dead right, though, these are funny old joints to design. You can't take big amounts from either beam without weakening them. The long beam, with the tenons, is only taking its self-load, and about 3 feet of floor, so is very lightly loaded. If it were taking anything more substantial I would either have used a bigger timber, or, possibly, had a blacksmith make something up to support it. Should it show any sign of failure, or even feel a bit bouncy, then a retro-fitted steel shoe would be perfectly possible, but it all feels really firm and stable when jumping up and down on it now. Certainly firmer than the original floor of the house!!
* https://www.amazon.com/English-Historic-Carpentry-Cecil-Hewett/dp/0941936414
Mike G
Petrified Pine
StevieB":24ix4fyh said:
Thanks Steve.
TrimTheKing":24ix4fyh said:
Very happy. The stairs and a full landing make a huge difference, and having access to the second bedroom (where I do my drawing work, and post on the forum) via a door rather than climbing through the back of a cupboard feels really grown-up!
Mike G":1kogcwbg said:...via a door rather than climbing through the back of a cupboard feels really grown-up!
Haha, I'm picturing you posting every night from Narnia!! :lol:
Mark
Malc2098
Sequoia
Very happy. The stairs and a full landing make a huge difference, and having access to the second bedroom (where I do my drawing work, and post on the forum) via a door rather than climbing through the back of a cupboard feels really grown-up!
You'll come out of there one day looking like a lion!!
You'll come out of there one day looking like a lion!!
Malc2098
Sequoia
TrimTheKing":aarms2z0 said:Mike G":aarms2z0 said:...via a door rather than climbing through the back of a cupboard feels really grown-up!
Haha, I'm picturing you posting every night from Narnia!! :lol:
Mark
You so and so. You beat me to it!!!!
Malc2098":203njkt5 said:TrimTheKing":203njkt5 said:Mike G":203njkt5 said:...via a door rather than climbing through the back of a cupboard feels really grown-up!
Haha, I'm picturing you posting every night from Narnia!! :lol:
Mark
You so and so. You beat me to it!!!!
:text-lol:
I take it you have something up your sleeve for the final stairs Mike?.
Mike G
Petrified Pine
I'm thinking a mix of painted timber (strings and risers, ballusters) and oak treads, with a cut string on the visible side and a housed string against the wall. Simple cottage style rather than something grand or ornate.
Pinch
Old Oak
Gorgeous work chap! Are you sure there isn't spinach in those cornflakes? :shock: 
I bet the aromas of the oak fills your house with absolute joy - just lovely.
I bet the aromas of the oak fills your house with absolute joy - just lovely.
Mike G
Petrified Pine
Thanks Paul. Oak shavings are one of the few things I can smell, and the house smells great (to me). My wife hasn't mentioned it, so I guess she's OK with it.
Note to self: MAKE PEGS, DAMNIT!
Note to self: MAKE PEGS, DAMNIT!
Pinch
Old Oak
Mike G":3pjo45y8 said:
DAY-UM! :lol:
Unbelievable... I was going to ask you exactly that, but was distracted earlier. So, heehee, I'm assuming your pegs (pins) are oak as well. Are you making as and when you need them or making a batch to last a while and so on?
EDIT: Sorry Mike, I didn't mean that to be funny funny, just my silly sense of humour.
Mike G
Petrified Pine
I make them in batches, but I've run out. I need 6, so I'll make a couple of dozen. There's a lot of oak work coming up, and I'll need more, but making pegs is such a dull job. Yeah, they're seasoned oak, and I have some off cuts of the old floorboards I cut off a few days ago which will make perfect pegs. Nice little thought, too, that their life in the building isn't finished.
Your sense of humour is fine by me...... :lol:
Your sense of humour is fine by me......
:lol:
Mike G
Petrified Pine
To bring things almost up to date. Here is the breakthrough of the doorway into Bed 2:
And the construction of the cupboard which forms the wall to the bathroom and stairwell:
Don't worry, I added noggins prior to tacking the plasterboard. I've since added a hanging rail too.
And the construction of the cupboard which forms the wall to the bathroom and stairwell:
Don't worry, I added noggins prior to tacking the plasterboard. I've since added a hanging rail too.
Mike G
Petrified Pine
Just to show how silly little nothing jobs can take hours, here is a light switch:
It has 5 cables leading to it as it is two two-way circuits, all threaded down through a hole in the beam and along a rebate in the back of the post. There was previously a temporary switch location, wired by the electrician. All I had to do was note carefully where each of his wires went, and replicate that in my switch. Here's what the temporary switch wiring looked like:
Not only did I have the photo to refer to, but I also marked up all the cables, and noted their position on a diagram.
It took me the best part of 4 hours. Once threaded into the confines of the rebate, all the markings I had put on the cables were invisible to me. Oh boy, did that give me some fun.
Now, a complete change of scenery. Here is the front of the house, with the porch base almost ready:
Oops, looks like the lens needs a wipe.
Here is the porch, ready to assemble:
And here is what I am going to build:
First job was to bring the 2 inch blocks up level with the top of the bricks. I too the novel approach of laying them over-height, and trimming them off afterwards. It wasn't a complete success.
As always, start with the sole plate:
There is a little sloped rebate to the outside. A couple of passes of the circular saw, a clean up with a plane and scraper, and that was easy:
Best James May voice Now, look out for the schoolboy error. Lulled into a false sense of adequacy by the first rebate, on the outside to the plate, I went and ran one on the inside all the way to the end of the piece of wood, without stopping it. The little chamfer on the bottom right hand side of the following piccie:
It was my wife's fault. She called "lunch", and I thought I'd just squeeze the chamfer in before we all sat down...... I knew what I'd done straight away, which rather spoiled lunch. There was only one good solution, I thought: time to do a mitred bridle joint. I don't think I've done one before in oak framing, and it's in a pretty prominent position. What could possibly go wrong?
Note the other rebates in the above image, which shows the plate upside-down. The triangular rebate is simply somewhere for the mortar to go when this piece is bedded, such that if there is any shrinkage or movement there won't be a straight joint through under the plate. The small rectangular rebate is for some lead. more of that in a week or two.
Schoolboy error number two: I did the rebates prior to marking out for the mortises!! This meant I didn't have an edge to work to with my square and mortise gauge. How many years have I been doing this stuff? Oh, and I didn't mention that the wood wasn't straight:
Here are the mortises, and some big notes to myself so I don't make any more cock-ups:
The male side of the mitred bridle joint, with half a mortise:
Here's the other one, sitting in situ:
I knew this wasn't going to be easy:
Not perfect, but OK for the first one. I've got 8 to make, so I'll make a template:
It has 5 cables leading to it as it is two two-way circuits, all threaded down through a hole in the beam and along a rebate in the back of the post. There was previously a temporary switch location, wired by the electrician. All I had to do was note carefully where each of his wires went, and replicate that in my switch. Here's what the temporary switch wiring looked like:
Not only did I have the photo to refer to, but I also marked up all the cables, and noted their position on a diagram.
It took me the best part of 4 hours. Once threaded into the confines of the rebate, all the markings I had put on the cables were invisible to me. Oh boy, did that give me some fun.
Now, a complete change of scenery. Here is the front of the house, with the porch base almost ready:
Oops, looks like the lens needs a wipe.
Here is the porch, ready to assemble:
And here is what I am going to build:
First job was to bring the 2 inch blocks up level with the top of the bricks. I too the novel approach of laying them over-height, and trimming them off afterwards. It wasn't a complete success.
As always, start with the sole plate:
There is a little sloped rebate to the outside. A couple of passes of the circular saw, a clean up with a plane and scraper, and that was easy:
Best James May voice Now, look out for the schoolboy error. Lulled into a false sense of adequacy by the first rebate, on the outside to the plate, I went and ran one on the inside all the way to the end of the piece of wood, without stopping it. The little chamfer on the bottom right hand side of the following piccie:
It was my wife's fault. She called "lunch", and I thought I'd just squeeze the chamfer in before we all sat down...... I knew what I'd done straight away, which rather spoiled lunch. There was only one good solution, I thought: time to do a mitred bridle joint. I don't think I've done one before in oak framing, and it's in a pretty prominent position. What could possibly go wrong?
Note the other rebates in the above image, which shows the plate upside-down. The triangular rebate is simply somewhere for the mortar to go when this piece is bedded, such that if there is any shrinkage or movement there won't be a straight joint through under the plate. The small rectangular rebate is for some lead. more of that in a week or two.
Schoolboy error number two: I did the rebates prior to marking out for the mortises!! This meant I didn't have an edge to work to with my square and mortise gauge. How many years have I been doing this stuff? Oh, and I didn't mention that the wood wasn't straight:
Here are the mortises, and some big notes to myself so I don't make any more cock-ups:
The male side of the mitred bridle joint, with half a mortise:
Here's the other one, sitting in situ:
I knew this wasn't going to be easy:
Not perfect, but OK for the first one. I've got 8 to make, so I'll make a template:
Jimmy Mack
Old Oak
You're like a machine Mike.... What's in these lunches? The porch design looks lovely [emoji1]
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Sent from my Moto G (5) using Tapatalk
Looking forward to seeing this go up Mike, looks good so far and I'm sure you'll turn the...erm...overcut into a nice feature. :lol: :eusa-dance:
Cheers
Mark
Cheers
Mark
Mike G
Petrified Pine
It's gone already, Mark, with the mitre. I'm looking forward to this too. I offered the first post up, and it feels just gorgeous, with the distance between the top of the sole plate and the underside of the eaves plate being only 1200! Low eaves = cute.