Breaking Ground - Finescale - of a sort

Tom Insole

Tom Insole

Western Thunderer
Osgood said:
Result on the roofing sheets, Peter!
Oh and if you need to hit that borrowed saw with your hammer, you'll find it on the shed roof......

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Funny story about hammers and a shed roof…
Quite some years ago when I hadn’t long been with my now wife and mother of two children I was assisting her dad in building a shed. Whilst we were felting the roof there was a coating of Belchmin before overlaying with the felt.. I was asked to throw the father-in-law the hammer. Being quite nervous about the idea I took the “without thinking” option and slid it across the wet roof covering the hammer in some thick black sticky tar like mixture! I can assure you it didn’t go down well and probably would have been better thrown!

I learned my lesson to listen to orders and gently thrust in future. I’m still yet to live this incident down when helping with DIY projects at the in-laws.

Tom
 
Peter Insole

Peter Insole

Western Thunderer
Working out the dagger design has been a bit a bit more of a problem than initially anticipated!

Deciding on the precise proportions involved multiple factors, primary of which was making allowance for the geometry between a plain frontal pattern and a seamless shift to a 13-degree pitch at the sides. Bearing in mind that the boards are only 3 1/2 inches wide (closed) by 9 1/2 inches deep (as a maximum) leaves very little room for manoeuvre - get the hole centres wrong, and the finished job could end up looking decidedly odd! I was also concerned that the daggers should look right, and not too much like a row of dragon's teeth?!

After a fair bit of trial and error on paper, I decided to cut a short section out of card for a visual check in situ...

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I am really happy with that so far! It will all get rather interesting once the cutting gets under way, methinks!

Pete.
 
Peter Insole

Peter Insole

Western Thunderer
Thank you Simon, I hope the generic pattern has the right "feel" - in a sort of Southern-cum-Eastern region style that will look good with some proper "Stone No.1A" (or) "Light Stone" paint applied!

I was a little concerned that the gap between the "spades" (own descriptive term!) were a tad too wide, but I am restricted by the need to cut down into solid wood by removing all of the visible section of groove on one side! I draw some comfort knowing that the thickness of the wood will visually reduce that gap at all angles except head on!

Pete.
 
Simon

Simon

Flying Squad
I think the gap is perfect, there were a myriad of styles and designs back in the day and to my eyes what you have created stands really nicely both against its building and in silhouette.

It absolutely proclaims "railway" and I am very much looking forward to seeing it develop - mind your fingers.

I could have said "mind the gap" which brings London railways and tubes to my mind, but it would have been a bit cheeky.

Simon

Who today has a lunch date with a characterful lady who appears in the "Titfield Thunderbolt", which is going to be really good fun....

Sorry, just felt I had to share that with someone(!)
 
Osgood

Osgood

Western Thunderer
Not wishing to put the Cat.jpg amongst the Pidgeons.jpg, but how are you going to deal with the sloping sides - will the board joints be set at 90 degrees to the sloping roof - or, with a crafty adjustment to the shape requiring the downslope hole to be drilled lower than the upslope hole, set vertical and stepping down as they run towards the building wall?
 
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Peter Insole

Peter Insole

Western Thunderer
Well spotted Tony, (said wearing a Captain Mainwaring hat) Ah, I was wondering when somebody would notice that!

It is a bit complicated really, but that's all part of the fun, isn't it?!!

Of course, I want the "spears" to match all round, but only one half of each hole will have to be stepped down to follow the sloping profile! I haven't yet started to draw the next template as I want to see how the straight section finishes up fitting under the roof at each end. It will almost inevitably require peculiarly trimmed boards (specials) at the corners - and only after completing them will I be able to determine the exact and correct alignment of the downward runs!

Another potential trap that I am laying for myself is a desire to ensure that the grooves are at the downhill and the tongues face uphill on both sides, (therefore cut handed!) in order to assist with water run-off!

It should all work fine, (ahem!) so here goes..!

Pete.
 
Peter Insole

Peter Insole

Western Thunderer
Knocking up a "cobbled jig" proved to a bit of fun in the dungeon today! Some odd timber offcuts and a squared piece of ply were glued and screwed together to form a tray for snugly holding two sections of T&G at a time. A larger block of wood was fitted beneath the hole centreline to clamp into the drill press vice, and also to provide some more meat for the drill pilot to run into. All seemed to be going perfectly well up to the point when I discovered that there was not quite enough reach on press!

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It was only a couple of mil with the tongues facing the front, (as above) but with this jig also being needed for the "handed" cuts, I was short of 9mm on the other side. I didn't fancy remaking the thing, so there was no alternative to hacking a chunk out of the far edge to close over the pillar!

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Not a particularly pretty job, but it did the trick!

I had just blown the shavings away from the first successful cut before taking the above photo - and had completely forgotten about that nice fresh mug of tea lurking on the corner of the bench!

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Thats the first batch under way now, and enough to do the front face - bar the "specials" for the ends anyway.

A rather tedious but ultimately satisfying task - so far!!

Pete.
 
Peter Insole

Peter Insole

Western Thunderer
I was a bit worried about the next bit but decided to just bite the bullet!

Here is the first one off the bench:

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As I was setting off down the cellar stairs first thing this morning my wife called out; "Hold on, I'm just about to start on your breakfast!"

In the time it took to toast two slices and apply marmalade I had got it done! Once replete, the task started in earnest....

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Rather than faff about setting up more jigs for cutting a series of angles on the circular and bench saws I decided to trace onto the wood the whole outline with pencil around the card template, have a go at doing each side complete as a rough cut with the jigsaw, then whizz back down to the lines with the linisher.

They are stacking up quite nicely now and I am absolutely chuffed to bits with the result!

Pete.
 
Peter Insole

Peter Insole

Western Thunderer
Thank you Michael. The pine "dags" are cut from very soft, open grained timber, so I am hoping to find an effective treatment to thoroughly soak them with before hanging them outside - otherwise I fear that after all the effort they might not last very long?!

The old ways with wood were lead paint and creosote, both horribly toxic of course - and that is precisely why they were so effective!

Pete.
 
simond

simond

Western Thunderer
The “WEST” (Wood Epoxy Saturation Technique) approach will work, at a price.

I imagine there are resin suppliers without the trade name that would be cheaper,
 
Osgood

Osgood

Western Thunderer
With (justifiable no doubt, due to misuse and irresponsible disposal) environmental considerations, the effective products available to Joe Public have all gone "west" - your Protim 4 Stars etc are now all water based which I don't think soaks in as well as solvent-based products, and they all contain a much reduced active ingredient content c/f the same products only a few years ago.

This is about the only solvent-based product I've been able to find recently - and not too pricey (say £42 for 5 litres, and widely stocked).
Given the flimsy nature of the T&G I reckon it would pay to fill a container up and give them a good old dunking!
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