Today, we settled down to analyse the planer machine to learn what is happening when we try to plane larger pieces of Oak timber and why it is coming out with a slight dip in the middle. We wondered whether the heavier pieces was causing a slight ‘bending’ of the metal platforms that guides the timber in and out of the machine but carefully putting a series dumbbell weights and watching the surface against a steel rule (using a bright LED torch to shine through any gaps opening up) but nothing happened even after we put 17½ kg load on the very end of the table. The machine has 500mm long input and output tables and reading more about these types of machines on the web, we were concluding that the long pieces of timber is too long for the machine. The cylindrical rollers don’t give enough support because they only hold up at one point and as soon as the timber slide pass, it loses support and ‘moves’ which is part of the problem.
This means we needed to extend the flat tables to provide a much longer surface to keep the timber on the straight and narrow and the planer then can do it job on removing the excess material that is causing the bow or dip.
So this afternoon, we created two thick wooden platform made from two layers of 18mm OSB board, measuring 300mm wide by a metre long and these were sanded smooth and then glued together. Next we got out of our metal supply two lengths of 50mm wide by 3mm thick steel strips, both being more than 2metres long. These were cut to form four 1metre pieces. Then a triple set of 8mm holes were drilled in both the steel strips and also into the sides of the metal (aluminium) tables. Finally, we drilled a series of 5mm holes down the other end which will allow us to screw our thick wooden platform pieces into place. We will slightly enlarge the steel holes (the set of three holes) so we can wiggle up and down the whole extended platform so it becomes dead level and aligned up with the rest of the machine. Finally, we will put on two legs underneath to help support these extended guides as the whole machine will suffer and tilt over when it tries to handle heavy and long Oak timber pieces.
This is taking quite a while to analyse, design and implement this necessary modification to our planer machine but we want something that will be solid and long lasting so we can deal with all our Oak timber for the whole building project. So just a couple of days of work here will save many, many days of frustration and problems later on!
Category: Phase 4
Construction of External Skin of House: External Walls, Roof and Skylight. Slate tiles on roof and timber cladding on walls.
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Planer Machine Grows Longer!
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Oak Timber Continues Being regularised
The task continues today of processing each Oak timber piece to regularised them into flat and straight consistent planks of wood.
The smaller widths are now done.
Stack-of-Edged-40mm-Oak
But the wider set is proving more difficult to handle as the weight of these 2metre long planks can be quite heavy (upto 20Kg!) and we discovered that this is causing a slight distortion within the planer machine itself (like the little castor wheels were bending, and the latest, the metal flat input and output tables are also being deflected slightly too). So we are finding solutions to handle these oak planks, including buying more rollers on legs and putting the machine on blocks of wood.
Trying-to-get-planer-to-work-on-larger-pieces
There are hundreds of Oak pieces we have bought for all sorts of jobs around the house, which we will need to plane and regularise so we are going to invest some time and thought to build a sturdy framework, possibly extending the input and output tables to help support the heavier Oak timber and create a factory like setup to consistently and accurately do this job properly. -
Walls All Trimmed Almost!
The task of trimming the tops off the walls in between the rafters continues today and now the majority have been done with only the inside corners left to do (these were more awkward and needed a think to how to do it). All the outside corners were done with little difficulties.
Then swopping over to our big brother router machine, we then went around to trim all the outer corners where the cement boards had overlapped each other and was sticking out proud. It was something that we needed to do since last year but we knew the opportunity would present itself and today was the day!
Tomorrow, we will adapt our template with a new design to allow us to trim the tops of the walls at each of the five inside corners and that would be that. -
Cement Boards Get their Top Edge trimmed down to the Rafter Height
Today, the task of trimming the tops of the walls has started, where the excess amount of the cement boards sticking above the height of the rafters is sliced down so all is at the same angle and same height.
Top-wall-trimming-Jig
Using our medium sized router machine, our template we made a couple of weeks ago and the tall step ladder, we proceeded around the edge of the building to run the router back and forth between the rafters and trimmed off the unwanted cement board material.
Trimming-cement-boards-1
Trimming-cement-boards-2
Trimming-cement-boards-3
Tomorrow, we have about a quarter to go to complete the circuit and that will be that! -
Some of the Oak Timber Planed on One Edge
Today was the day where our Oak Timber started the process of being regularised. The first process is to plane one edge straight, there are 90 pieces to process and 35 of them have been done.
Oak-facias-Day-1-of-edge-planing
It was a case of learning the technique and making sure the finish edge is flat and straight.
Once this edge is made flat, we can set aside the 32 planks to slice in the circular saw to achieve the desired width of 90mm which are for the four pillars to form the corners of the Conservatory and 11 planks of 175mm wide to make sills for the garage windows.
The rest is for the Fascia which needs to be 150mm wide and some of them will need two pieces glued together, in order to get up to this width. -
The 40mm Thick Oak Timber Being Processed To Generate the Fascia Boards
Yesterday and a little bit late this afternoon, we have started processing a some of our Oak Timber to create the Fascia Boards for our Roof.
We brought (yesterday’s shorter work day) into our workshop all the planks of the 40mm thick Oak and have it all laid out on the floor. It adds up to about a ton of timber!
Pile-of-40mm-Oak-planks
Then, today, we started the task to plane all the planks, using our big planer machine, on one edge to establish a flat straight edge. We noticed that the width of the rough sawn timber is not parallel and there is some variation. We didn’t have time to do many so we will learn more tomorrow to how this variability will reveal itself in the bigger picture and change our calculations of which planks of Oak will be put aside for other part of the building etc. We need about 80 metres of 150mm wide boards to do the Fascia and the rest will form parts of the conservatory and Garage Windows. -
Conservatory Dormer Roof Framework Now Complete
Taking advantage of the better weather today, we went to finish off the task of installing a couple of sheets of cement boards to complete the gable triangular section of the wall.
Cement-boards-on-Q-Gable
Then we tidied away the remaining spare cement sheets and stored them in our sheet material storage tent. We have six sheets left for future jobs like the rain filtration unit.
After lunch, we sliced and cut two long diagonal 95mm by 45mm thick timber rafters to conclude the framework for this dormer roof structure that will connect to our Conservatory (which will be built in a couple of years). There was quite a complex joint to make to connect to the sloping valley rafters sticking out of the building(as the picture reveals below)
Joint-on-end-of-Q-facia
Then these two final pieces were carefully fitted, making slight adjustments until all was good and tight, at which point, they were glued and screwed together. The excess valley beams were sliced flushed afterwards.
Q-Framing-complete
This concludes the building of the framework of the whole roof and the next job is to produce the Oak Facia boards that goes all the way around the edge of the roof. -
Framework All Completed for Conservatory Roof Interface Dormer
Today, we proceeded to cut six rafters to fill in the sloping sides of the dormer roof structure, and then four vertical posts to fill in the gable flat extension of the wall going up.
Q-Roof-framing-complete-1
Q-Roof-framing-complete-2
On Monday, we will put up two cement boards on the gable wall to get that covered up and then we will need to add the last rafters on the front which will be the actual interface to the conservatoryThe we can start looking at the Facia boards and the guttering.
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Conservatory Roof Dormer Framework Building Up
This morning, we carried on with the manufacturing and installing of framework pieces to build up the “Dormer” roof section ready for the Conservatory. The two long valley rafters were finished and got installed up on the “P” section of the roof.
We had to file away the edge of the cement board so these diagonal beams can reach pass and over to where the guttering will be.
Next, we cut the horizontal ridge beam which had a complex joint to connect to the two diagonal valley rafters
Q-Ridge-end-joint-detail
And a vertical post from the main wall of the building. All was glued and screwed into place.
Q-Valley-rafters-and-Ridge-installed
It was a short day today but tomorrow, we will continue with this job by making a set of rafters that will come down from the Ridge beam and sit on top of the valley beams! -
Side Porch Completed and Conservatory “Dormer” Now Under Construction
After a delayed start, we got the final three “F” rafters cut and installed up into the Side Porch Roof structure.
Side-porch-framing-complete
Then we dismantled the scaffolding tower to move it to the far side of the house where we will have our Conservatory. This will join to the house with a ‘seamless’ transition, so the house roof needs to have a dormer formed where they join which will extend out to the main house gutter line. We are calling this section of the roof the “Q”, connecting onto the “P” roof!
After a very late lunch, we ripped sawn down the length of two 95mm by 45mm timber to produce a sloping edge with a 40degrees angle. These will be the Valley rafters on either side of the dormer roof framework.
And finally, to finish off the day, we took a couple of short pieces off the ends of the newly created valley rafter and glued and screwed them in between two rafters to help support the dangling end of the valley as it comes off the roof to join onto the back of the facia board.
Q-roof-framing-started-with-two-filler-pieces
Tomorrow, we will carry on creating more pieces to form the “Q” framework, with a flat gable end which will be covered up with cement boards as usual, but with an extra sticking out portion which will interface onto the glass roof of the Conservatory (built much later on!!).
