I posted this update on Facebook a while ago, which updates the whole project to the last work weekend of 2014.
Firstly, a Google sketchup drawings showing construction – front view.
The final design, however has lower cross-bracing on the rafters, which will be about a foot higher than head height. This will reduce the lateral stress on the low walls either side.
An “exploded” view / underneath, showing grooves to receive staves (the planks that stops the building from wracking)
A close-up view, showing pinning of through / lap joints.
Pegging from the outside seemed a weakness I wanter to avoid. So we chose to blind-peg from the inside.
Actually, mMany of the final pegging will be predominantly stainless steel hex screws
2013 : August : Work was properly started on the Forge.
There was a lot of other things going on, like moving shipping containers and the such, so work didn’t start until part way through the week.
Four lapped bases and four corner uprights were constructed.
2013 : Sep 14/15 – Show – No work done on the Forge
2013 : November : Sunday only – somewhat delayed by the weather and lack of petrol – we fitted two new uprights for the Forge.
2014 : Feb – Coppicing – No work done on the forge
2014 : March : In spite of the film work getting in the way. Just over half a day’s work got all the uprights in and the wall plate trial fitted.
2014 : April : Ian Lewis, Chris Boulton, Malcolm Butler and I spent just under a day and a half working on the forge construction. Both satisfying and frustrating, as we did so well with what little time we had, but we could have so much more.
Four inner uprights had tenons put on them, plus we chiselled through the mortises on the existing wall plate, and constructed the other wall plate. A bit of fettling will see that all home and dry – then it’s onto the four short connectors that keep the inner uprights in place, then the main crosspiece.
2014 : May – Due to a clash with a show at Sherwood, there was a Forge-specific (roughing-it) weekend.
We were focussed, nay driven, to make the most of the weekend, and as such managed to get most of the framework sorted. Don’t we look happy?
2014 : July – Show – No progress on . Forge
2014 : August week : Being there for a week acheived far more than I thought possible. Fine weather and an abundance of manpower also helped!
The main framework and staves for one wall were completed.
2014 : September : During the hot, humid and muggy September morning we dismantled the forge, redistributed and levelled the shingle, kindly deposited there after the Detling show then re-laid the four cill beams that comprised the base.
On Saturday afternoon, we cut channels all around the base and some of the uprights and short connecting pieces.
Sunday morning we cut short rebated staves to go into front end wall – to replace the chamfered lot that were there, and the majority of which turned out too short!
Sunday afternoon we reconstructed the forge, with the exclusion of the single section wall plate, which will be channelled out at the next WW, along with all the uprights.
2014 : October : We completed the other side of the forge. By now I started to realise that once the channels are cut, the stave walls go up in a matter of hours. It was a shame to miss out on all that wattle, daub, plaster and painting… …not!
2014 : November : Chris, Ian, Malcolm, Brian, Hannah, Kyle and I managed to
install one end of the forge.
The top section took a little “persuading”, but now all the sections are bolted together it’s already a much, much tighter construction.
2015 : Next year.
We’ve got a couple of months out, doing coppicing, but work should resume in March, where we should get the other end up. Then ordering shingles and making rafters.
But who knows, we may have a surplus of bodies at the coppicing – which would free a few of us to do something else?
It’s all good, really!