What I Did This Weekend - In Pictures!

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Shelf job is "finished" - it can be extended downwards at a later date, if necessary, without disturbing the storage above.

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Where the "planks" join is pinned with a bit of threaded bar as a dowel - if that becomes an issue, then they can be plated.

The far end has a diagonal tie and a strut - it all seems sound enough.

I can secrete a load of stuff up there shortly.
 

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
Shelf job is "finished" - it can be extended downwards at a later date, if necessary, without disturbing the storage above.

View attachment 9690

Where the "planks" join is pinned with a bit of threaded bar as a dowel - if that becomes an issue, then they can be plated.

The far end has a diagonal tie and a strut - it all seems sound enough.

I can secrete a load of stuff up there shortly.
Can you come and sort out my garage?
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Being essentially stuck on the premises here - I have only been through the gate twice since last Wednesday's doctor/Lidl trip and that was to put the bin out and bring it back in - I have started the bench replacement job.

The existing benches are a bit low and rather 'bitty' leading to them being mostly used as shelves.

The idea is to replace them with a higher, flat plywood 'counter top', running right across the back of the Shed - and to keep that (largely) clear for work.

Battens are attached to the walls, with notches in place to take a subframe that can be fitted from underneath, at a later stage.

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The Shed is a bit over sixteen feet wide and so two full sheets will be fitted (eventually), with a bit of infill at the other end, as required.

The tops are 18mm plywood.

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I'll finish off this side (to a large extent, anyway), then demolish the other existing bench. It was nice to find that the 'join' in the existing benches was in the 'right place' to allow it to be done in two stages.

There might be a drop to a windowsill level shelf/bench in the future, I'm not sure yet, but the option is there.

The old cupboard under the new top will move 'somewhere' and there will be a shelf under the top, along the wall, to about half-depth, to save my knees. There is a temporary prop there 'for now', to save the free end from inadvertent overloading, until the subframe is in place.
 

EasMid

Well-Known Forumite
Just off the roundabout on the left on Milford road? I think it was where the”layby” is now & it went when they put the roundabouts in. (IIRC)
Remembered to have a look when passing today. The pill box is actually still there. It’s just past the lay-by & closer to the road than I remembered. I remembered it as being nearer the roundabout so assumed it had gone as part of the junction improvements years ago. It’s pretty well camouflaged nowadays.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Remembered to have a look when passing today. The pill box is actually still there. It’s just past the lay-by & closer to the road than I remembered. I remembered it as being nearer the roundabout so assumed it had gone as part of the junction improvements years ago. It’s pretty well camouflaged nowadays.
A scouting trip was planned, had 'normality' returned sufficiently.

I remember it being plainly visible to passing traffic in the 70s.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
The weather here has become a lot more civilised over the last 36 hours, so the bench job was pursued.

The components of the brackets were prefabricated a while ago.

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With just one bracket in place, it was happy with my whole weight hanging off the front edge, so it should be OK with four, and the wall at the right-hand end. It'll be nice to be able to sit right up to it, but I might make a removable prop, if that seems to be necessary later.

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There will probably be a half-deep shelf along the back underneath it at some point.
 

littleme

250,000th poster!
The weather here has become a lot more civilised over the last 36 hours, so the bench job was pursued.

The components of the brackets were prefabricated a while ago.

View attachment 9786


With just one bracket in place, it was happy with my whole weight hanging off the front edge, so it should be OK with four, and the wall at the right-hand end. It'll be nice to be able to sit right up to it, but I might make a removable prop, if that seems to be necessary later.

View attachment 9787

View attachment 9788

There will probably be a half-deep shelf along the back underneath it at some point.
More clocks & barometers!
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
The weather here today was quite nice, only 5°C, but no wind - so, I got carried away outside.

The random flower beds from last year look like a lot of the stuff will have overwintered OK, but there's a lot of dead upper growth and seed-heads to dispose of.

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So, I scythed it all down with a hedge trimmer - this will have shaken a lot of the seeds out for some new growth.

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The shreddings were then scattered back onto the plots - this will have winnowed a few more seeds out and the next wet day will plant them for me - although, there's a few weeds to come out, so I may tread a few of the seeds in myself...

I also 'shaved' a few more borders, too, and added their debris in - this will introduce a few new varieties, hopefully. These plots will provide replacements, should gaps develop elsewhere - I hope.

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All the material visible in the first picture, and about the same again, is still there in this last picture.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
It was even dry enough, though still a bit boggy, to run the tiller through the fallow beds, to stir in all the stuff I've scattered on there since I got here.

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Whilst trimming the borders, I discovered that the snowdrops have multiplied considerably since this time last year - they may be divided, after they've done their bit for this year.

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Thehooperman

Well-Known Forumite
The weather here today was quite nice, only 5°C, but no wind - so, I got carried away outside.

The random flower beds from last year look like a lot of the stuff will have overwintered OK, but there's a lot of dead upper growth and seed-heads to dispose of.

View attachment 9824

So, I scythed it all down with a hedge trimmer - this will have shaken a lot of the seeds out for some new growth.

View attachment 9825

The shreddings were then scattered back onto the plots - this will have winnowed a few more seeds out and the next wet day will plant them for me - although, there's a few weeds to come out, so I may tread a few of the seeds in myself...

I also 'shaved' a few more borders, too, and added their debris in - this will introduce a few new varieties, hopefully. These plots will provide replacements, should gaps develop elsewhere - I hope.

View attachment 9826

All the material visible in the first picture, and about the same again, is still there in this last picture.

That blue bin looks a bit lonely would you like a brown one to keep it company? :)
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
That blue bin looks a bit lonely would you like a brown one to keep it company? :)
It's a water butt now - it's up in the air so the tap is at a reasonable height and the top of the bin is at the same height as two others that are fed in parallel with it, thus requiring just the one overflow arrangement.

I still have a couple more here to add to the chain at some point, but I can envisage some brown ones emigrating.

Brown would be a bit less 'strident', I'll admit - one day, I'll start some ivy around it...
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
The better weather prompted a drive to do the next stage of the new bench. I removed all the 'useful stuff' from the old one and was disappointed to find that it looked a lot better than I expected, but I'm committed, so it was dismantled.

DSC_0896.JPG


As it was dismantled, I was actually quite pleased to find that, as solid as it looked, it had quite a significant woodworm issue, so about a quarter of the component parts are now kindling for future fires.

It was such a nice day that it was rather easier to make the larger parts of the underframe outside in the sunshine.

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Then the two parts were screwed to the wall and the centre beam fitted into place. The bracing can be fitted from underneath later, as happened with the first part.

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I need to do a bit of clearing up and reorganising before I try to bring the top sheet in. The full sheet will end about six inches from the far wall, unfortunately. but I have enough from the part trimmed from the front to fit a piece in.

The idea is that the cooker will be built in next to the woodburner, then I can finally place the gas cylinder outside, where it should be.
 

littleme

250,000th poster!
The better weather prompted a drive to do the next stage of the new bench. I removed all the 'useful stuff' from the old one and was disappointed to find that it looked a lot better than I expected, but I'm committed, so it was dismantled.

View attachment 9860

As it was dismantled, I was actually quite pleased to find that, as solid as it looked, it had quite a significant woodworm issue, so about a quarter of the component parts are now kindling for future fires.

It was such a nice day that it was rather easier to make the larger parts of the underframe outside in the sunshine.

View attachment 9861

Then the two parts were screwed to the wall and the centre beam fitted into place. The bracing can be fitted from underneath later, as happened with the first part.

View attachment 9862

I need to do a bit of clearing up and reorganising before I try to bring the top sheet in. The full sheet will end about six inches from the far wall, unfortunately. but I have enough from the part trimmed from the front to fit a piece in.

The idea is that the cooker will be built in next to the woodburner, then I can finally place the gas cylinder outside, where it should be.
That's a very large box of bird seed...
 
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