Army truck camping cabin

This week a brilliant project turned up at my workshop. 

This great big Army truck is gunna be turned into a lovely camping cabin, by me. 

Apparently it may have been used over in the faulklands. 

I can't help but find myself reliving my childhood and looking over the cab thinkin I'm Oddball , from the Dirty Douzen .

I want one now ..

Also happening at the mo are some lovely joinery stairs that I am making for some clients in East Portlemouth. The stairs are all their desighn and will look bloody spiffing. 

I will assemble next week on site and post some finnished photos. 

Glocester Services.

Glostershire sevices . 

A vet good example of glue lam timber structure done with fineness and style. 

Also a great example of how all sevice stations should be. 

Oak frame stairs

Do you remember that I posted some photos of some trees that were being felled ? 

Well the trees belonged to this client and she asked me to build two sets of stairs for her. 

The job was a little more involved than I first thought but the end result is preety cool, even if I do say so myself. 

Now theise stairs are done I have a roof to rebuild on a huge house in Salcombe. 

Then I have another set of stairs to build. The good thing is this new set are completely different . They will be built from joinery grade Oak and softwood. 

Progress

It's been a bit of a mixed bag at work lately. Which is great because I've been buisy doing lots of different things. 

Today I managed to skive off to Widecome fair where aswell as drinking some very tasty beer, I watched a couple of sawers cutting wood with a tractor powered saw mill. 

During last week I helped out the old company to erect a frame near Dartmouth. It's great to hang out with my old work colleges every now and then. 

 2 Weeks ago I organised the moving and cutting of three trees on somebody's land. These trees are being converted as we speek, well not at the moment as it's 19:48 so if he sawer has any sence he will be sat with his good lady an a bottle of vino . 

I will be using the timber from these to make some stairs for the clients who's land these trees came from. 

I also bought a new van last week and moved into a new workshop and became a Limited company. 

So you lot need to spend lots of money with me so that I can build you lovely things and pay my bills. 

Oak round window

Today I finnished the round window

I had to make a steamer so that I could bend the beading for the window.

I didn't have any dowl to hold the stock in place so I cut up a broken arrow , which I think is a preety cool thing to use . 

It's the first time I've streamed timber and it is suprisingly bendy once hot , but it cools so quick then becomes brittle , you need to be on your toes. 

Oak round window

Bread boards

Progress on the round window. 

I just need to build a steamer to bend the beading and it'll be done. 

ROUND WINDOW

Right . I got theise bits and I got to make a round window. 

So first I cut all the oak , wedged it in a jig . Neatend up the joints , glued it then screwed it

Then started routing the shape. 

Just need a longer router bit then I can Finnish it. 

Glazing oak frame

Today I popped down to Lustliegh so that me and Liam could glaze his frame. 

Always feels good to weathertight a frame. 

Makes me feel warm and comfortable , a bit like when you put a nice clean bandage on. 

Timber frame extension in Devon

I haven't posted on this blog for ages as I've been flat out finishing this job. 

I also didn't want to show too many progress pictures as it was a mess of wood , insulation and other materials for quite a while. But during the last two weeks it has suddenly lept forward in progress , no small part being due to Liam and myself working hard to keep crossing things off of lists. 

This is it then the finnished article. 

It just needs decorating inside , this is a job that the client wishes to do. 

The outside is clad in Western Red Cedar , finnished with "Osmo" oil. 

The edge details are folded Zinc to match the edges of the rubber roof. 

The steps and small veranda are oak as is the glazing detail. 

The joinery windows and French windows are painted hardwood made by a local workshop (Bond Joinery ) . 

This has been a really fulfilling job and there's no way I would have been able to do it without Liam, a massive help also from Pat and Dan made it possible. 

It's strange to think of the ammount of work that we have done on this place in 9 weeks 

7 weeks was the orriginal aim but 5 days of bank holidays then another week of unplanned work made it so that we wernt far off the deadline . 

The client is well chuffed and I'm so stoked that , not only are they happy but also that it looks so brilliant. 

Progress on the Dartmouth job.

This Week I framed up the outside steps then we dug some holes for the footings for them. 

We are waiting for the western red ceder cladding to arrive till we can Finnish the outside. 

But we did get the stairs in the inside this week . 

Finnished roof

Finnished the roof an it looks bloody great. Even if I do say so myself. 

I even welded the lead without blowing it full of holes. 

Rubber / zinc roof

We have had some really sunny days so I managed to Finnish off the roof on the extension in Dartmouth . 

It's a rubber roof sheet and it was a treat to lay. 

Normally they are supplied with a plastic facia , but I didn't like the look of this so I had some sink cut and folded so that I could edge the roof in that insted. 

I am really pleased with the end result. Although the photo is a bit crap. 

Dartmouth extension progress.

We've had a reall buisy few weeks on site . 

Liam and the guys have been digging and mixing concrete full time. 

Underpinning the original house and pouring pads for the frame to sit on. 

Finding sewer pipes and connecting into it for the new bathroom. 

Got some really nice granit stadle stones from a quarry in Cornwall. 

We have now got the bottom plates in and all the floor joists .

I have nearly finnished framing so next week it will be roof on electrics routed in place and start building the walls . 

Sunny

Today it didn't rain so much

SOGGY BOTTOM BOYS

What can I say about today..? It was wet.

Above is a lovely photo of Pat (rhymes with drowned rat) 

Below is a photo showing the sweeping vista of Dartmouth , unfortunately you can't see much of it as there is a lot of rain in the way.

Timber frame extension Dartmouth

Most of the oak arrived for the timber frame consevitory that I am starting the build on tomorro. There will be a team of 3-4 on this build (including Liam Carnell restorations) we are seeing the project through from underpinning to tileing and everything in between . So there should be plenty of updates . 

Oak and glass table

Looks very nice dosnt it. ? 

Arch brace truss Lustliegh

My self and Liam Carnell restorations www.liamcarnell.com have been buisy this last 3 weeks . 

We have built walls and a roof , put up solar panels and got the building preety weather tight. 

I built a screen to house the doors and glazing panels . 

Then last job was cleening the frame . This is a right task but always looks well worth it. 

We start a new job soon so it may be a while befor I post pictures of this build finnished , but stay tuned.