Holding the Fort - Part 1 of many...

I've been over at Leynhac working with Jane and Mike on their house: for many more details see their Facebook page.

Today we took down an interesting chimney. The interesting bit was that it came through the roof and the attic, and then ran through the middle of the next room down, but didn't emerge through the ceiling of the room below that - just an odd sheet of plasterboard to show where there once had been a chimney from a kitchen stove. Oh, and some scorched beams.

As I didn't fancy walking on the roof (it's a very long drop to the ground), we took out a few of the roofing tiles. These are "mechanical tiles" (by contrast to the handmade curved roman tiles?) and they interlock on all four sides. Regrettably, many manufacturers made sure that their tiles couldn't be used with ones made by the competition, so we were scratching around to find ones to fit.



After that it was the difficult bit of chipping away the slapped on cement - some of it was surprisingly hard. These pictures were taken by Mike through a skylight in the roof just across from the chimney.



The view from inside the roof isn't quite as pretty as a picture:



though you can see the chimney stack going on down to the room below.

Eventually we had quite a big gap in the roof where the chimney had been -


and it was time to re-instate the batten that had been cut when the chimney went in, and try to replace the tiles. The edge of the roof where it meets the house next door - and up against the chimney - needed a bit of new cement



and we were able to put all the tiles back in from the inside of the roof. 

The grey tile that looks as if it shouldn't be there had a load of cement stuck to it. I removed this as best I could with my angle grinder, but it doesn't match the lichen-covered roof yet. But at least it was the right profile, and with luck the roof is watertight. 

Of course it came on to rain just as we finished, so I am hoping the new cement doesn't wash away.

Scraping the barrel

The Chausson lorry arrived on Friday with seven and a half cubic metres of concrete on board - according to the delivery note that was 17.6 tonnes. I'm not sure we really scraped out the inside, but there wasn't a lot still inside when it left. 

We started pouring it into the centre section of the hangar:



At first it was possible to drag the concrete back towards the other end of the hangar with a rake and a shovel -



and of course with a lot of Gary's help too. After pouring in a certain quantity down the sides of the pit, we struggled to get the reinforcing grille into place:



Once it was there we kept tripping over it or catching it with the end of the rake, and eventually we ended up using the wheelbarrows to get the last of the cement to the back. But the next day it had all set and looked pretty good:



There's something of a slope down from the pit to the right at the back: a combination of wanting to get the edge of the pit as level as possible, and not having had quite enough concrete the last time to get the level there as high as it should have been. But concrete's not cheap: these two loads came to a touch over €2,000.

We also struggled to set in the drain at the front of the hangar, and in the end we found that we were short of just a tiny bit of concrete - if we'd had the drain a little closer in we'd have had enough. So there's a small area on the left that will have to be done later..



The last picture shows a small amount of the shuttering removed, with the wooden bar at the top keeping a space for the planks that will eventually go over the top when the pit is not in use. The electricity conduit just shows, too: we'll eventually have lights and a socket for power tools inside the pit.



On Tuesday I'll get some more sand and cement and try to finish off the last parts of the floor - weather permitting, anyway.

A coffin for a giant

I've finally got the pit ready for the concrete. It took a while....

The bottom is almost flat, but isn't yet concreted over. Down there I've done the bottom 60cm of the pit in hand-mixed concrete, and a bit higher at each end. 



I used the boards sold by chausson as "coffrage" to do the lower sections, but they were badly warped and I decided I didn't want curved walls for the upper parts. So the structure you can see is made almost entirely out of OSB (oriented strata board), and as it isn't quite as rigid as thick plywood, it's been substantially braced all over.

Here's a general view:



The concrete has been ordered for the coming Friday, and before then I have to add a couple of square-section bits of wood to the top edge (to give a ledge for the boards that will cover the pit) and cut and bend some of the reinforcing grille  to make the whole thing as strong as possible.

Mark and I both (separately) calculated how much concrete we'd need. I came out with a figure of seven cubic metres, Mark with eight (but he reckoned there'd be a bit over. As the biggest lorry is only seven and a half cubic metres, that's what is coming.

Le tourne-bille de Jean-Pierre

Our next-door neighbour is a forester, and his ancient log-rolling tool (tourne-bille) had seen better days. It needed both a new handle and some welding to the metal-work.

I volunteered to have a go. Here's the welding - not a terribly professional job, but then I'm not a terrible professional....



This holds the metal ring onto the top of the shaft. As it's under some stress, I added a second metal strap around at the back:



The handle was in pieces and only held together by the big metal collar:



That's the old pieces and the top of the tool as repaired.

Here's the whole tool:



The handle is in fact a pruning from the ash trees in the hedge between our garden and Jean-Pierre's field, so it is actually his own wood. I just hope that ash is strong enough for this kind of tool. It's a lot heavier, for sure.

 

I treated the handle with xylophene to kill the woodworm, which is why it looks a little damp. When it's dry I will sand it down again to give a comfortable grip.

I'm sure I don't need to explain how you use it... or do I?

In the hole and still digging

I've been hacking away at the rock in my pit at intervals over the last few days, and it is now just about possible to see the difference. Before, it looked like this:

 

And now it looks like this:



Oh, really not that much difference then - the camera cannot lie.

I've mostly been using the hammer drill, and cleaning carefully after each pass. That way it's possible to see which way the grain of the rock goes, and so break it away more easily. The rock layers are of course distinctly twisted and the rock is full of hard lumps.Occasionally and at the edge I've resorted to the angle-grinder, as otherwise the hole will get to be a very irregular shape, and I'd rather it stayed reasonably rectangular. Mikey has been helping with a hose to cool the disc and keep the dust down.

It's still very hard work though ....

Filling in the corner

Mikey and I spent a busy afternoon with the concrete mixer doing the final 0.7 m3 of concrete in the corner. We used six and a half bags of cement, so that suggests a 35kg bag will do about a tenth of a cubic metre.



The new concrete looks - and is - a bit wet, but I don't suppose it will make a lot of difference to the strength. In any event, it is a corner where nothing very heavy is likely to go.

We've been working on and off in the pit, and it is gradually going a bit further down. The tools of choice - as illustrated - are a big angle grinder and diamond disk, and a hammer-action drill. A bigger drill would be nice - and would probably work a lot better. The drill flakes off the stone but it's seldom a big piece that comes out.




I tried using a big masonry drill to break into the stone, but this wasn't successful: the stone was simply too hard. Next time with Mikey I plan to have him dribbling a hose directly onto the cutting disc, as cutting with a dry disc produces immense clouds of horrible dust. Unfortunately the water doesn't drain away into the rock very quickly - there's a bit of rainwater at the bottom in the picture. I'll have to find a way to deal with that - it may simply be a bucket. Once the new floor is done in the centre, there shouldn't be too much rainwater getting in.

We've already moved a couple of the old vehicles back into the hangar, and it is a lot better having them on the new concrete than on the old dusty floor.



To do the bit of concrete I had to move the red 2CV out, and annoyingly we've had a lot of rain. It won't be able to go back in until I find a way of either moving, or using, the sand and gravel left over.

Warm work ...

Mikey and I - with a bit of help from another friend - managed to deal with the lorry-load of concrete that arrived yesterday morning. When it arrived it was raining, which is better than sunshine when you are laying concrete.

 


Eight and a half cubic metres wasn't, as it turned out, quite enough to do both sides as we had planned. But that's the maximum amount that you can get in the bigger mixer-lorry, so we had to manage as well as we could.

 

On this side, where quite a lot had to go to the back to bring up the level, we filled barrows and wheeled it to the back. Caro and Mikey are dealing with the bits we've splashed over the edge. There's nothing like a clean working area.

We needed to work quickly as the concrete seems to set ("go off", as they say) very quickly, and we had to get it as level as possible before it became too hard to work.



But it all looked very good when we'd finished.These pictures of Mikey's below were taken through the metal grille that we had put across the entrance: we have people staying with a very large dog - a leonburger - and we didn't want very large pawprints all over it.




At the back on the left there's a small gap, but I think if I get out Tony's concrete mixer and fetch a couple of trailer-loads of sand and gravel, I should be able to get that bit done one morning. The small length of blue conduit is there so I can have an electrical feed to the pit, for lights or tools. Always better than trailing leads over the floor and tripping over them.

We were in the end quite pleased with how we managed to get it "level" - that's to say, with a slight fall towards the open end of the barn, and a similar slight fall to the drain at the back.



Mikey's camera has given a bit of distortion to the pictures as far as the depth of the hangar is concerned. It isn't really quite that far from front to back. The pit is only a little off-centre between front and back, not right at the back as it appears.

The next job will be to get on with removing the bedrock from the pit, and having a last load of concrete to finish it all off properly. With what we have it will be possible to put the various cars back in there within a few days. 

"He that diggeth a pit ...."

..... we'll hope not, anyway 

Ecclesiastes 10 verses 8 to 12:

[8] He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.
[9] Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.
[10] If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.
[11] Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better.
[12] The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.

Some very sensible advice there ..... somewhere!

The idea of getting part of the pit dug before the concrete arrives next Monday was simply that earth is cheaper than readymix concrete. I need quite a few cubic metres of earth to bring the level up at the back of the barn before putting concrete on top of it. Using concrete to make it level is the expensive option.



The pathetically small amount of spoil that's been dug out so far can just be seen at the back right of the picture. What we dug through was a layer of earth that has drifted in over the years, and then below that a made up floor, stones pounded down into clay, possibly with some other material added (ash? lime?) to make a reasonably solid floor. Below that there's a bit more earth, and then ....



... and then I think it's the bedrock. If I can borrow a digger it might be able to claw some of this up - the stone isn't really hard. Or at least sometimes it's not really hard. Plan B is to extend the pit so it's closer to the back wall of the hangar, where I expect there's a better depth available before I find the mountain again.

Hangar finally cleared

After a couple of days of very dusty work I have emptied almost everything out of the hangar. The "almost" is a small stack of roofing tiles in the far corner. I dimly remember that these are either seconds that don't fit the roof properly, or a different pattern that don't fit at all. They may end up going under the concrete.



About a third of the wood I cut up for firewood, maybe a bit more could be saved for possible re-use (though that might include re-use as firewood too), and the rest went onto the bonfire as being too full of woodworm for any practical purposes. 

The wood that is being saved has gone up onto the platform:






I would guess that this is the first time the hangar has been clear like this for a good fifty years. The main problem with what is left is that up against the back wall there is a thick layer of disintegrating firewood and similar material, which won't make a very good base for the concrete.

       

Hitting the Hangar

The hangar is about to get a concrete floor - at last. Working on any of the vehicles currently presents a major difficulty. If you drop anything small, there's an evens chance that you'll never find it again in the dust on the floor. Add to that the chickens' frequent dustbaths, which spread the dust all over everything in the hangar, and you can see why the job needs to be done.

First, though, it has to be emptied completely. I took all the cars out (this had to wait until I had done the electronic ignition on the H-van) and moved quite a bit from the left hand corner before I took the first pictures:



One of the things that had been sitting in the corner for several years was the old and ricketty steps that used to give access to the platform. I dug it out and fixed it in the middle of the wall, as I knew I'd be up and down all day when sorting out the timber.



The next picture is as things are today, after quite a lot of sorting. The wood goes one of three ways. Stuff that is solid and potentially useable goes up to the platform. Wood that is reasonably thick and not too much eaten by wood-worm gets chopped up with the circular saw. Anything else - pine boards that you can break across your knee, for example - goes straight to the bonfire. 



I've started a bit of sorting on the wood still there: firewood on the left, and useable wood on the right. Much of the middle remains to be investigated, but I'd guess most of it is firewood.

Although it hardly looks different I'd guess I've moved a good ton of wood out. There's a large pile of firewood now next door.

 

Register Plate

The register plate is - almost - done now....




On the left is the big wooden beam holding up the chimney breast. The framework is filled with Rockwool Firerock panels, which is supposed to be pretty well heat-proof, and the aluminium tape is the special high-temperature stuff too. 

The frame is mortared to the rough stones of the chimney - as well as being screwed to the sides. Without the mortar there were quite substantial gaps were the stones weren't level.

The centre panel is just sheet steel: I cut the hole with a jigsaw. But the final (top) bit of the chimney is still just a bit temporary. I was short about half a meter of stainless pipe in 150mm, and I have ordered that from the builders' merchants in Aurillac. In the meantime there's a short section of 140mm pipe there instead. Later in the year I hope to put the flexible flue liner in too, but for the moment the fire will do very well as it is - in fact, what there is now is simply an improved version of what has been there for the last 50 years.

Hopefully though it will be a lot less drafty. I am waiting for a cold day so I can light the fire.


.

Chimney work

The chimney in the farmhouse has a very ill-fitting "register plate" - this is also known as a "throat plate", basically something to stop all the heat from the fire going straight up the chimney instead of out into the room. The present one is an old bit of galvanised iron, cut very roughly to the right shape, then pushed up the chimney until it jams. It has a round hole in it for the flue pipe. But as the old flue was 125mm and the new one will be 150mm, there were several good reasons to change it.

I salvaged from Pigeon house the old framework that once supported the heating oil tank - fairly substantial angle iron, possibly welded up by my father-in-law forty or more years ago when the the heating was converted to oil. I had to cut it up to get it into the car, but in any event it was the wrong size: too short for the fireplace, which is nearly 2.5m wide. I cut the old framework into two "L"-shaped pieces, on the basis that this would save me the job of making anew all four corners. I then had to extend each of the long legs of the L, by welding on extra pieces of angle - the former legs of the framework were just about the right length.

Some of my welds were better than others.....



..... I'm afraid that is one of the better ones. Best not to ask about the worse ones. Though I think I am beginning to get the hang of it. It's a bit tricky where the two pieces of metal are different thicknesses because of extensive rusting. But the new register plate framework only has to support a couple of sheets of insulation board, and as long as it stays together it'll do.

Here's the finished framework before I painted it:



I've gone over it all with a wire brush on the angle-grinder, and smoothed off the rough edges. Then I gave it a coat of black paint that is supposed to contain a rust-inhibitor - another one tomorrow and by Friday I should be able to start sticking it up the chimney. The intermediate cross-pieces were part of the original structure: I only had to cut them to length and weld them into place at one end. The middle ones - where the chimney will go, through a metal plate - were a bit short and had to be extended.

I had to get thicker wire for the MIG welder - 0.8mm - as the original wire at 0.6mm just wasn't forceful enough to penetrate the metal.

Holdfasts

I have been looking for an affordable pair of holdfasts for a while now, until I discovered that a German tool company imports these ones from the USA:



They are made by Gramercy Tools, and carry a US patent number - though what they can have found to patent about a tool that's been around for as long as these have, I don't know.

But they really do what they are supposed to. 



This picture shows them with the special tool for tightening and releasing them. Just one clout does it, instantly, and almost nothing will shake them loose. They are better than the cheap versions from Axminster, partly because they are much better made, partly because they really are designed for 3/4 inch holes (the Axminster ones are loose in that size hole), and above all because they will last for ever. Well, they will outlast me, anyway! The manufacturers say they are made out of "wire" (to distinguish them from blacksmith-forged equivalents, probably) but I'd love to see how you roll up a wire of that diameter.

Finally, here's a view of the shelves and desk, with the final shelves in place:



There won't be any spare shelf space - there is still a roomful of books back in the UK.....

Just need a shelf or two ...

I put the carved panel together with the rest of the desk, and this is the result:



You might be able to see the extra fillet glued on the right hand side, to make up for the fact that the pillar next to it isn't quite straight. While finishing off these last bits I found that a few parts of the panel had flaked off some time in the (very distant) past, and had been glued back on. The glue had reached its sell-by date, so I had to re-glue them.

The hole in the middle has been filled with a small piece of newer oak, and the screw-holes with a tinted wax.



From further off it blends in well with the other wood. We treated the panel with linseed oil, which has slightly darkened the wood, but it is a very nice finish and easy to do. 

And here's a more distant shot (from halfway up the stairs) of the new arrangements:



As you can see, I have yet to go out and get the last few chestnut planks that are needed for the top two shelves over the desk on the right. But that is pretty straightforward and with a bit of luck they will be up there pretty soon.

Old Oak

I'm planning to finish off the new desk with a suitable flourish.

Sitting around in sheds and workshops for the last twenty-five years, this old piece of carving has just been gathering dust. But now I'm making a frame for it - there in the background:

This "endless knot" is one of a number of Flemish pew-ends, dating from the early 16th century. My dad recovered them from a house being demolished in SE London, but unlike the other 40 or so panels, this one had been maltreated and had been removed from its (Victorian) framing.

It has split into four pieces, and right in the middle there's a hole which shows some signs of having been there quite a while:

Perhaps for a Victorian bell-pull? Worse - and suspiciously - in each of the four corners there's a countersunk hole for a screw:

The other panels were quite nicely set into their surrounds (they formed three sides of a fully panelled room), without any evidence of screws. About the only thing to be said in favour of this one is that it doesn't appear to have been given a dark stain: the oak is still the original colour.

I've glued the splits back together as best I can, and (surprisingly difficult) cut a small piece of oak to fit the hole in the middle - the countersunk holes will either get modern woodfiller or wax. Right now it's all clamped up while the glue for its new surround sets. The surround is made from a plank I found in one of the sheds here - very dirty at first, and a wood I can't quite identify (it's not oak, though). With luck tomorrow I'll be able to get it put into place at the end of my desk.

Annoyingly where it is going to be put, the wooden pillar it will set against is not at all vertical, so I'll be cutting a small triangular fillet to go in between the panel and the post - I decided it was better than cutting a narrow sliver off the newly made surround.

Le bureau de Lessal

I've finally got around to replacing the temporary computer desk. It was only about five years old, and as it had been made of the highest quality recycled pallets and almost new recycled lino it had lasted well. But it also wasn't very convenient. This shows it just before it was replaced by the new arrangements behind it:

 

When it was actually leaning against the wall it was a bit less wobbly, but also much more of a dust and cobweb trap.

Using bits of wood left over from other jobs - there's chestnut from the shed doors, and the last four large oak planks from making the bedroom doors downstairs - I was able to make this:



The legs were supposed to have a slightly arts and crafts air - they taper towards the top. I have also tried to keep them to what I hope will be the minimum size needed for the distinctly heavy work-surface. Altogether it's two and a half square meters of 30mm thick oak, and that is quite a weight. Each board was hand-planed, and I eventually discovered that using one of my old wooden coffin planes diagonally across the surface produced the best results. It is more than twice the size of the desk it replaced, but the "L" shape wastes less space. It doesn't wobble - it's fastened to both the walls it abuts. The shelves above are a work in progress: I have run out of suitable chestnut planks. And there is a final end section to go where the side of the grey filing cabinet shows. So more later - watch this space....

And finally - with knobs on!

The cupboards in the washing machine room ("buanderie") have now been given a coat of my special formula linseed oil treatment ("denish oil") and I've put the knobs on too. I'll now think about catches for the doors - but they do seem to stay shut without any......



Perhaps I now need to something about the bit of old concrete showing where the "step up" is on the left - even if it's only a coat of paint?