Roselea

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  • Final 4 Legs with Pieces Welded On!

    This afternoon, we unloaded the 3 heavy legs and loaded the remaining 4 lighter legs onto the trolley and transferred them into the workshop. The Foot plates and Top plates were welded on and then the collection of sticking out tabs were welded half way up the legs in the appropriate positions to achieve the necessary connections between the legs (just like what we had done on the first 3 legs).

    Last-4-legs-brackets-welded

    Last-4-legs-brackets-welded

    Last-4-legs-top-plates-welded

    Last-4-legs-top-plates-welded

    Last-4-legs-base-plate-welded

    Last-4-legs-base-plate-welded


    The final job is to paint them tomorrow and we will be all finished! Then the fun job of assembly will begin …. wish us luck!!

  • 3 Big Fat Legs All Completed!

    Today, we tackled the heavy duty legs (number 1, 4 and 7), each measuring 160mm by 80mm by 5.4metres tall and with a wall thickness is 8mm!! (Each weighs about 150 kg or 24 stones)

    We managed to man handled them onto our large trolley and trundle it into our workshop, with half the length still sticking out the doors.

    First-3-legs-on-trolley

    First-3-legs-on-trolley

    We labelled each one with their number and then sliced off 10mm of number 4 leg to compensate for the concrete being slightly higher at that point. Next, we welded the 10mm thick bottom plates on the ends as shown in the picture below

    Base-plates-welded-to-first-3-legs

    Base-plates-welded-to-first-3-legs

    Then we had to push the trolley out and make a 3 point turn to get the other ends into the workshop and weld the 10mm thick plates on the other end of the legs.

    Top-plates-welded-to-first-3-legs

    Top-plates-welded-to-first-3-legs

    Next came the fiddly job of placing steel tabs sticking out half way up the legs to hold cross struts (between leg 1 and 2 plus leg 7 and 6) and a lintel (between leg 1 and leg 7). Leg 4 had also more steel tabs welded on all 4 faces of its leg (for tie down steel strips upon the 1st floor boards to anchor this leg).

    Restraint-brackets-to-welded-first-3-legs

    Restraint-brackets-to-welded-first-3-legs

    Finally, we painted the 3 legs with the rust proof primer under our painting tent outside in the dark. That those 3 leg done, now we have just the remaining 4 lighter duty legs to do and we will be all finished!

  • Brackets Painted and Preparations starts on Legs

     The 6 steel brackets were hung up in our painting tent this morning and painted this afternoon.

    Shaun-painting-brackets

    Shaun-painting-brackets

    Plus also the preparations for making the Steel Legs, all 7 of them, started today. First of all, we measured the height of the concrete floor inside the house at where the legs will be standing. The results of the laser level check-up were that 6 of them were within plus or minus 3mm and the 7th position was 15mm higher. This means that we will shorten that particular leg by 10mm and leave the other  6 legs alone as they are all within working tolerance.

    Then the foot and top plates were orientated and marked out so they can be welded flat onto the ends of each of the 7 legs the right way around and that the bolt holes will line up with the I Beams.

    It will probably take another week to weld the final pieces of steel onto the 7 legs and have them painted too. Then we will be ready to assemble them all together into the massive rectangular box framework situated in the middle of our roof and house.

  • Ridge and Valley Support’s Construction Completed

    The task of the last two weeks (interrupted by a bought of illness), has been to cut and weld together pieces of 3mm thick steel plates into brackets. These are designed to allow the ends of main wooden box rafters (the Hip Ridge, Valleys and extension Ridges) to be securely anchored to the steel I beam central structure.

    There are 6 of these brackets of which 3 just support a hip rafter at the corners of the building and the other 3 support multiple rafters converging together.

    42 pieces of steel had to be cut to create a jigsaw of parts to be drilled and welded together to form the six individual brackets.

    Rafter-Brackets 1,3 & 4

    Rafter-Brackets 1,3 & 4

    Rafter-Brackets 1,3 & 4

    Rafter-Brackets 1,3 & 4

    Rafter-Brackets 2&5

    Rafter-Brackets 2&5

    Rafter-Bracket 6

    Rafter-Bracket 6

    Rafter-Bracket 6

    Rafter-Bracket 6


    Rafter-Bracket 6

    Rafter-Bracket 6

    Rafter-Bracket 6

    Rafter-Bracket 6


    Just a coat of the metal paint to protect against short term rusting and this fiddly and complex task will be done.

  • New Replacement Flood Light Created and Mounted

    A week ago we put up one of the 300W LED floodlights. We made a timber bracket and mounted it above the pole above the camera. The bracket snapped in the high winds a few days ago, bringing it crashing down, luckily the light was not damaged.

    The old one was made of 63mm CLS wood but during very strong winds, it split up the middle of the wood, so we decided that we had to replace it with a metal construction instead. Using 25mm square steel tubes, we welded together a new rigid framework.

    We then cut and folded thin steel sheet, only 0.6mm thick, into flanges to bolt directly onto the lamp unit so it will block the glare from intruding over into our neighbours. One of these flanges, the largest piece, was polished to a semi-mirror finish to reflect as much of the light downwards and not be lost up into the sky.

    We then spray painted all the metal work with black protection, except (of course) the mirror was sprayed with a clear varnish.

    Then using 2 ladders, both tightly tied down to support us going up and give us confident to handle the fairly heavy flood light unit, and bolt it into place at the top of the camera pole. The electric was all connected and pinned down neat and tidy, and all works just fine.

    Installing-first-floodlight

    Installing-first-floodlight

    Shaun-helps-install-floodlight

    Shaun-helps-install-floodlight

    The-first-floodlight

    The-first-floodlight


    The final test was in the dark later on, with the ground being well illuminated and the neighbours in the shadow and didn’t get an eye sore glare from the powerful 21,000 lumens lamp!!

    First-floodlight-illuminates-site-1

    First-floodlight-illuminates-site-1

    First-floodlight-illuminates-site-2

    First-floodlight-illuminates-site-2


     

  • Last 4 Cross Struts Painted

    The last 4 steel cross strut members were painted this afternoon.

    Beam-restraints-painted

    Beam-restraints-painted

    The next job is to weld and make joist brackets to anchor the hip ridge and valley box beams of the roof. These brackets will be bolted onto the steel I Beam structure.

  • Steel “Cross” pieces Cleaned and Painted

    Today was the job of cleaning and painting the newly formed Cross steel framework pieces. All 9 were washed in hot soapy water to remove all the dirt and oil and 5 of them were painted with the metal primer protection paint. All this was done inside our workshop as it was a wet day outside!

    The last 4 will be done tomorrow, and then they can be moved outside, to make  room in our workshop to carry on with the preparations work on the remaining steel pieces.

  • Welding Commences on Roof Superstructure!

     Today, the first major welding task was done, putting together the 9 pieces of steel framework that will fix the two long side of the box shaped superstructure (the steel I beam pieces) to prevent lateral twisting, as well as providing a fixing for the ridge beam right at the top of the roof that holds the glazing units, plus a fixing point for the ceiling in the upper floor rooms.

    Beam-restraint-diagram

    Beam-restraint-diagram

    In the morning the plates and flanges were welded to the upright parts using a jig so measurements only need to be done once. Then after lunch the parts were assembled and welded into the complete restraint on another jig.

    Beam-Restraint-welded-on-jig

    Beam-Restraint-welded-on-jig

    Beam-restraint-x-9

    Beam-restraint-x-9


    On Monday, these 9 cross pieces will be cleaned and primed so that they will survive a relatively short time being exposed to the weather and prevent rust etc.

  • Platform for Scaffolding Tower

    Yesterday, We constructed the 1st platform for our scaffolding tower units, using 18mm OSB boards, made into 3 sections to straddle across the top of the scaffold sides, using 89mm CLS timber as the main structural supports. Also, kick boards were made to hook into around the edges of the platform to prevent both accidental “missteps” while working on the platform but also to prevent losing equipment and trugs that may get bumped into and fall off the top of the tower!

    Scaffold-platform

    Scaffold-platform

    Today was the final job of painting the pieces with the waxy solution that will help keep the platform weather resistant and keep its structural integrity longer while being exposed to the weather and sunshine.

  • Work Continues on Steel Preparations

     This afternoon, more holes were drilled into the I beams, this time, the webbing received dozens of 5mm holes for wood screws to hold more timber in place.

    The I beams need turning over and these long chunky steel objects, especially the bigger ones, are very heavy indeed and we couldn’t do it without a handy tool that effectively acts as an extended lever!

    Tomorrow, we will work in the workshop as the weather forecast is for heavy rain all day!!