# Building a shed in Finland



## DennisCA

I'm building a 5x5 meter shed because my workshop is full and we need more storage.

I started on the foundations for my new shed last July.

Cad preview of what it will look like:
















The cat donesn't seem to be afraid of heavy machinery, as soon as there was a lull in activity they'd be right in there, curious about everything, weird cats.....






And this is it done, earth dug out and moved around, replaced with gravel that's been compacted and leveled. Still need to get insulation that will sit under the concrete "foot" and underground drainage pipes that will circle the foundation and lead away water towards a ditch off picture. The next step is building concrete forms:






One of the twins (David) had a swell time with all the big machines, got to run the compactor for a time as well.











Some screenshots from the cad showing the general build. It's just going to be an uninsulated shed for storing things that don't need to be in the warmth. It will also serve as a place for more tools, I hope to store my anvil and a forge or two permanently by the door.


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## DennisCA

This is going to be a budget build so I am working slowly and by myself mostly now that the major earth works are done. 

These are the drainage pipes, they will go around the foundation. I will need to make the concrete "foot" before I finalize their positions but it's rather simple, they will ring the foundation and carry away water away from the shed into the woods near a ditch. 





Then I started building the concrete forms. Since I will be doing this myself, I am making the form one quarter of the completed size and casting it in four portions. I will provide for a step to make it a lap joint.











Then I cast the first segment, it's pretty intense work and I have a back that's been a bit problematic, I could barely get up out of bed the next day. But walking around helps and then it lets go. I really worked out my back this summer and I think it got better by the end.






I went through the following two segments and I was going to cast the last part of the foundation but I noticed I saw the sun through my cement mixers bowl. It's getting worn out, it's a pretty old but durable 3 phase mixer. I replaced the bearings for the mixer bowl a few years ago so I am not gonna give up on it just yet.... I used tig and silicon bronze to work on this thin metal without blowing through. 






Here is a picture of the finished foundation:





Next step is to start laying down LECA blocks. I have them ordered but around this time my vacation was over and I had no more time of energy left to start doing it. Once spring is here I will get on it. I hope.


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## DennisCA

And the next update happened a few weeks ago, I got lucky and some people where clearing away trees on the lot across the road. I caught them before leaving and they agreed to take down some trees for me. I'm building this shed with roof beams, three of them, instead of rafters. It's illegal to build rafters here without testing them, so everyone buys rafter. But using this older style of construction is fine. So I am hoping to get three 8x8 inch beams at least out of the material taken down.


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## DennisCA

I then started moving some of the logs and debarking them


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## Jameshow

Wow good work I do love Scandinavian countries! 

Cheers James


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## Cabinetman

Very good work! you Finns don’t seem to mind getting stuck in to a job at all. Wonderful setting as well.


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## shed9

I'm loving this. I've started my own new 'delayed' build due to space although I'm making the new building the workshop (despite being smaller) and using the old one for storage. My foundation is down and just prepping the metalwork. Similar setting to yourself - middle of nowhere in a forest with lots of land. Will be watching this one. Are you milling the logs yourself?


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## DennisCA

Yes I'll be using a chainsaw and axe to prep the logs into beams. I might also use the electric hand plane for final fitting. Right now I wish we'd have some warmer weather, had a week of real warm weather and thought spring was coming early. then a snowstorm blew in and last night it was -25C in the morning and today -13C. I want the snow to melt away so I can work on the logs. Though I guess the higher priority this spring is the leca blocks. I got them last autumn and they've just been sitting there. 

Got more blocks than I need, wondering if I should make the foundation higher and shorten the studs to compensate. House might look weird with too tall a foundation but the panelling can always just go down over it to hide that.


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## DennisCA

I'm hearing they are expecting some radical price hikes for building materials in Finland, worst possible timing for me. 

And my dad said last night that he's tearing the greenhouse down. It's 16 m by 100 meters long (~50 by 330 feet google says). They had another one but it was removed last year. Been standing empty since they retired. Used to grow tomatoes in one, cucumbers in the other.
















Anyway he says I can get as much wood as I want from here. It's all impregnated though, most of it is 4x4 or thicker. There's probably enough 4x4 material there to allow me to replace almost every 2x4 wit a 4x4 post... Those bent beams are hella thick and quite straight for a good portion of the length. I am tempted to replace all the standing 2x4s studs with 4x4s though it'd be a deviation from the approved plans. And I am not sure impregnated is suitable except as the lowest portion that will sit against the foundation. But it's held up this greenhouse for decades.


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## Jameshow

Use the timber any chemicals would have gone in your salad and killed you by now! 

I presume your going to vapour barrier / board it on the inside so that will stop any chemicals coming into the workshop. 

Cheers James


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## DennisCA

No it'll be an unheated and uninsulated shed (already have a heated workshop), so all the timber will be accessible. All I am planning to do is nail up wooden panelling. This is more a storage shed and perhaps a smithy.


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## MARK.B.

Looks great so far, use the recycled timber from the green house


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## DennisCA

Forgot I had a thread here. I've finished the brick laying part of the foundation and applied render to the inside, outside left.





















And I am working on the roof beams:















Some of my tools





Restored this old hewing axe I found for this work, derust, sharpen and new handle:


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## Limburger

Very nice job so far, love the wood work. Folowing!


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## Stanleymonkey

Please tell me that cat is not called Render!!


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## DennisCA

The cats name is Oskar









Oh and the other cat is Sooty. They're littermates.


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## Spectric

DennisCA said:


> No it'll be an unheated and uninsulated shed (already have a heated workshop), so all the timber will be accessible. All I am planning to do is nail up wooden panelling. This is more a storage shed and perhaps a smithy.


So that will be a really cold place in winter, I know how cold it can get in Finland and although it was a dry cold it still freezes the bits that don't get frozen here in the Uk.


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## pe2dave

DennisCA said:


> Forgot I had a thread here. I've finished the brick laying part of the foundation and applied render to the inside, outside left.
> 
> 
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> 
> And I am working on the roof beams:
> 
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> Some of my tools
> 
> 
> Restored this old hewing axe I found for this work, derust, sharpen and new handle:



Just how easy / hard is it using a hewing axe (for the intended use) please?


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## DennisCA

This was my first time but I have some axe woodworking experience which maybe helped in that it might be a bit easier to hit where I want to. Still I miss a lot too, but I could tell I was getting better with time. It is however really taxing, your back and your arms, at times my arms felt like wet noodles that were shaking when I was done. Might do two sides in one day, but I'd spend more time trying to refine the surfaces afterwards.


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## George of the Wood

Any further updates? Absolutely fascinating axe work. Can't wait to see the roof beams being installed.


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## DennisCA

Ehh, it's a slow burning project and I have so much else to do as well. I have rendered all the walls and I have gotten some impregnated 4x4s that will be attached to the foundation.

What I need to do next is get a truck load or two of gravel and fill the inside and outside. I also need to buy lumber, which I am loath to do with the current prices. And I heard the lumber price is falling in the US which is what's driven our prices up, so I am waiting to see if it drops soon.


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## DennisCA

Progress has been slow, been doing other things. And I fear buying lumber to start on the walls. I just need to fill up with gravel outside and inside and I could, theoretically, start framing the walls, once I buy the lumber.... 

Here's 12 cubic meters of gravel to help. I wanted him to tip it into the foundation but apparently he wasn't able to, he also buried the paved corridor we made for our robot mower. Fortunately the mower was not buried.


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## Cabinetman

Love the way you’re doing the hand hewn timber on this, just curious why you didn’t cast/pour the concrete for the foundations in situ ?


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## DennisCA

It would have been more expensive, and I really hate mixing concrete now.


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## DennisCA

Ah h**l that was A LOT OF WORK ! Thankfully my SO helped with the digging. Still not entirely done but we cleared the path for Elvis at least.





Took a break in the day for some well deserved ice cream.


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## DennisCA

I finished hewing another log, so now I have the two main load bearing beams done. I think I will do a minimum of work to the top beam, it can remain mostly round as long as I get the size relatively consistent, so mostly I need to hew down one end ti make it consistent.






Ordered a load of lumber, enough to frame the walls to start with.






Foundation is basically done I guess, I need to use the last of the gravel pile to even it up but eh, I'm so sick of shoveling gravel...


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## DennisCA

I've cut to length 39 pieces 2x4 (47x100mm sawn actual dimension) for the studs, they are 195 cm long or around 6'5", with the height of the foundation and the bottom and top plates factored in I should havbe a height of around 255cm (varies with the gravel floor) or around 8'4". This is the max length I could get out of a stud when cutting it into two.





I have a lot of stuff atm in my shop. And in general too much stuff. Will be so nice once the shed is done, I have so much i can move out there which does not required to be in a heated environment.

Really nice to have a sliding table saw with a lot of capacity for long stock, set once and keep cutting until the studs are all the same length.





Now I have to notch the tops of all the studs because the top plate will be an L shape like this, for increased strength:






Once the walls are up I might still nail on another layer of 2x4 on top.


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## DennisCA

Notching all the studs, first a cross cut on the table saw





Then a ripping operation on the band saw





And done, repeat 40 more times!





Then after all that I can start assembling the walls





Raising the 1st wall (by myself I might add)





And the 2nd wall, now it should be stable enough to let it be for a while.





And that's enough for tonight, I am really beat after working all day in this heat.


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## Inspector

I always enjoy seeing people's ways of building from other countries. I don't recall ever seeing that top plate/stud detail before. 

Pete


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## DennisCA

And the last wall is up, it was the most complicated to build with the door construction. I ended up raising it the two parts separately, then putting up the long top plate to affix it into one piece. Then for the door I used two standing 2x8s for extra support, also extra studs under the 2x8s, this because the door will have two of the planned roof beams over it.


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## DennisCA

Last roof beam is done, this will be the top beam and it's 6x7 inches, it's the smallest, the others are 7x8". But it will have the smallest load on it.






Every log was faster to hew than the one before it. I was starting to get the proper swing and aiming accuracy more and more. Eventually I started getting the proper hewing pattern with a relatively sdmooth surface and diagonal cut lines running along the hewn face. Part of the trick was to, as I swung the axe downwards, to pull it towards me as well to create a slicing motion. And the axe needs to really sharp, like shave hair sharp.






Also I improvised a tool from some old squares to make a nice tool for checking I was maintaining the correct size on the log.






I managed to keep the final height on the top beam consistent to 1 - 2 16hs of an inch.


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## DennisCA

Haven't gotten that much done yet, stuck with price issues, I was planning to use massive standing beams like 5-6" square for the roof beams, but they are so damn expensive I am reconsidering. I looked at the shed my dad built 40 years ago, he used 2x4 studs instead and had a top plate the beams rest on. His beams are only like 4x4 too.






I made an alternative design in CAD from 2x4s entirely. The roof beams are also updated since I know their final dimensions now.











I designed a wooden I-beam to go under the roof beam.






Last night I cut all the parts to length and planed them on all 4 sides so I would get to work with straight lumber.




(yeah I know it's missing a guard, gonna make a pork chop one asap)

Gluing with polyurethane glue and using clamps and wood screws. I will try and glue everything with PU glue where I can on this design.





First one done, three to go.


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## isaac3d

Oh my! I'm jealous of all that space 
I'm just about to set up my workshop in a small one car garage, once the roof has been replaced. I'll make a 2.4 x 2.4m shed on the back for some extra storage.
Maybe I should move to a country where land is cheaper... or just win the lottery! Hmmm, I'll try for the latter.


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## pe2dave

DennisCA said:


> And the next update happened a few weeks ago, I got lucky and some people where clearing away trees on the lot across the road. I caught them before leaving and they agreed to take down some trees for me. I'm building this shed with roof beams, three of them, instead of rafters. It's illegal to build rafters here without testing them, so everyone buys rafter. But using this older style of construction is fine. So I am hoping to get three 8x8 inch beams at least out of the material taken down.



Tree felling by magic! Fantastic machines.


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## clogs

I admire ur work and being self reliant......amazing place and house......
nice to see there's another cat person out there.....
I think I would have made a Wood Mizer type log saw......I know money is always tight....
BUT
with all those trees there I would imagine it would be easy to make all ur own timber....off cuts are for the wood stove......
I did see a simple home made saw...it consisted of an Air cooled VW beetle engine with a huge blade prob 1.5m dia, bolted to the flywheel with 4 carbide teeth on it......sitting on a trolley mounted to an old truck chassis.....think it was Alaska/Washington....no worries of broken band saw blades...but it was in the boony's.....
that way you only pay for the tree....and the machine would last a life time.....just saying....

I had 2 winters living in Sweden, after that I'd had enough of the cold.....hate the snow plus the rain in the UK....
right now its gotta be over 36 deg's now in the shade.....had my Siesta and going back to work....
good luck with the project and keep the pictures comming......

My new shed will be framed using steel it's cheaper than wood and also insulated steel roof n wall panels but in my defence the shortest measurement of the roof will be 7.5m.....
we only get down to minus 1C heren not that often...... the rains are tropical but just for a few weeks Jan/Feb....it's the heat that gets u plus strong sunlight......
all wood has to be stored inside in the shadows otherwise it cracks n splits for fun.....luckily no Termites.....

I'll be reporting the progress n photos on the forum of my new shed quite soon I hope.......need to get my toy's outta storage....
this will be my view each morning from the workshop.....well in the winter....the snow is our water supply for the island, lasts untill Feb....
Just to say this is what a life times worth of double shift's for me n the wife can get you.....just need another 10 years or more to enjoy it.....LOL.....Our dream finally came true.....



.....


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## Inspector

I have been looking at your centre post to the ridge beam drawing for a bit and I can't say I like it. The centre 2x4 is taking most of the weight and the two beside it much less. The interruption for the horizontal members weakens them in part because the horizontal grain is compressible while the vertical grain is not. I would suggest you leave the three vertical pieces solid and add a short 2x4 beside them for the horizontal members to sit on. I'm not an engineer so you can toss my comments aside if you like.

Pete


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## DennisCA

That does sound like a good idea to be honest, perhaps I will do that. Annoyingly I already made and laminated one of them... I wonder if I could laminate in another short, standing grain piece... or just do it all over again.


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## DennisCA

clogs said:


> I admire ur work and being self reliant......amazing place and house......
> nice to see there's another cat person out there.....
> I think I would have made a Wood Mizer type log saw......I know money is always tight....
> BUT
> with all those trees there I would imagine it would be easy to make all ur own timber....off cuts are for the wood stove......
> I did see a simple home made saw...it consisted of an Air cooled VW beetle engine with a huge blade prob 1.5m dia, bolted to the flywheel with 4 carbide teeth on it......sitting on a trolley mounted to an old truck chassis.....think it was Alaska/Washington....no worries of broken band saw blades...but it was in the boony's.....
> that way you only pay for the tree....and the machine would last a life time.....just saying....
> 
> I had 2 winters living in Sweden, after that I'd had enough of the cold.....hate the snow plus the rain in the UK....
> right now its gotta be over 36 deg's now in the shade.....had my Siesta and going back to work....
> good luck with the project and keep the pictures comming......
> 
> My new shed will be framed using steel it's cheaper than wood and also insulated steel roof n wall panels but in my defence the shortest measurement of the roof will be 7.5m.....
> we only get down to minus 1C heren not that often...... the rains are tropical but just for a few weeks Jan/Feb....it's the heat that gets u plus strong sunlight......
> all wood has to be stored inside in the shadows otherwise it cracks n splits for fun.....luckily no Termites.....
> 
> I'll be reporting the progress n photos on the forum of my new shed quite soon I hope.......need to get my toy's outta storage....
> this will be my view each morning from the workshop.....well in the winter....the snow is our water supply for the island, lasts untill Feb....
> Just to say this is what a life times worth of double shift's for me n the wife can get you.....just need another 10 years or more to enjoy it.....LOL.....Our dream finally came true.....
> View attachment 114863
> .....



Unfortunately, despite all the trees I don't have access to any of it, and what little is on my land I want to keep and not cut down. So I would have little use of a log saw. 

I like having both cold and hot seasons, though I prefer the warmer seasons for sure...


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## DennisCA

New design for the center post. I haven't drawn it in, but I am planning to add some more wide boards on the inside of the posts that go down into the studs to provide a little more racking resistance. Once the posts are up I'll also add some diagonal stiffeners to help with that.


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## clogs

Dennis, as your a cat person and your house is similar.....and it's a wood forum......
saw this and thought of you....yeah, yeah I know ur busy.....
but what a cat 


entrance.....


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## DennisCA

It's quite clever, helps prevents drafts into the house. Our cat flap does left in a good draft in winter, I've thought about building a box with another cat flap on it that goes against the door in winter time. The draft does help when making a fire though.


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## DennisCA

All the posts are now assembled. Still attaching some plates to stiffen it up in the direction of the gables.







Double studs under the side beams as well





This is how I move the beams, I really like this solution, didn't need to buy anything at all, I already had this and it works as well.











The ridge beam, still gonna do some work on it before getting it up on the roof.


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## rob1693

We all find ways and means lol I know how i struggled on my own setting up 4.5 metre 7x 2 ridge before attaching rafters it was very heath robinson


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## DennisCA

Phew! That was a few tricky operations and I'm not done yet. Getting the ridge beam in place.

First I made a kind of ladder so I could move the beam a little a time 





It worked well enough until the last stage, that one was the heaviest. I am not sure if I can do this with the side beams as they are heavier. I need to consider that a bit.





Then I had to get it up the next step and lifting from a ladder is really difficult, wasn't gonna work. I made some diagonal braces instead and I greased them up with waxilit which is a dry wax based lubricant I put on cast iron tables, like the table saw. This made it a lot easier to slide the beam sideways.






I was using a ratcheting winch but apparently it was not in any of my photos. I ratcheted it a bit and then I screwed in a step for it to rest on. 





Then I had to remove the winch and go to the other side and ratchet it up all the way on that side. Then go back again and do it one final time.





But I still got the center post left... That's gonna be even worse. 





But I got it figured out, gonna attach the winch to a 2x4 which will be attached to the center post and winch it up. I am gonna need to get another winch however so I can do it on both sides...

It's just one of these winches:


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## clogs

Dennis
can I ask what the white tent is on a swivel....my guess is to protect the electrics....?
It's coming along nicley...please take care with that lifting please.....


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## Inspector

You'll probably have it up by the time you read this but if you attach a 2x to the side of the post that is taller by a couple feet or so, put a roller on top and the winch lower on the side of the 2x such that the cable/strap runs up over the roller and down to the ridge beam. With it the winching should be easy and you can stop and put a block under the ridge beam as needed and clamp it to the post so you can take the winch and roller to the other end to lift it some on that end. Two winches would make things much easier. You could use two heavy duty ratcheting tie down straps at one end and leave the winch at the other end. 
Happy lifting
Pete


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## DennisCA

Yeah Ialready went and bought a 2nd winch, tomorrow I'll see about getting it done. My plan was very similar to yours, take a 2x4 that is longer than the post and use that to winch it up in the manner you describe, but using two winches at once.


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## DennisCA

clogs said:


> Dennis
> can I ask what the white tent is on a swivel....my guess is to protect the electrics....?
> It's coming along nicley...please take care with that lifting please.....



Nothing electric, it's a horse fly trap


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## DennisCA

OK it stopped raining for a while so I got the beam up! No time for taking photos while I was lifting it into place, but here's just after it lifted into place. It worked really well. I also made a groove on the top of the board that I used as a crane, rounded it over, sanded it smooth so the strap could slide easily and not get damaged, and also so the strap could not move sideways and fall off.











Then I used a hammer to nudge it into place and I screwed it in place, then I added some diagonal bracing as well:


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## DennisCA

And I got another beam up, almost all the way, just need to get it up the next incline.






I didn't lift this one step by step, instead I used the winches again, attached them to the frame and hoisted them up, went quite well, easier than the other method.

I could've sworn I took pictures mid lift but alas seems I got nothing. Only this of the cat getting in the way again






Tomorrow is the end of my vacation, back to work again. That'll slow down progress a lot, as well as sap my energy for this work afterwards, but I got a lot done during this month.


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## clogs

I have a cat that s just like ur's, really nosey....hahaha.....he's the best works cat I've ever had.....under the car or on the bench he's always around.....we found him n sister next to a refuse bin at few days old.....


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## pe2dave

Is the winch for a strap or wire? The pulley idea seems good for a wire.
Fascinating sequence.


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## DennisCA

I am using strap winches, wire might be better but it's what I got.

All this lifting made me wanna make my own block and tackle some day.


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## pe2dave

DennisCA said:


> I am using strap winches, wire might be better but it's what I got.
> 
> All this lifting made me wanna make my own block and tackle some day.


I made one for lifting, using rope and triple pullys. It is missing the ratchet though, essential for what you are doing perhaps?


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## DennisCA

Yeah a ratchet is required for this work, but in general sense it would be interesting to make some, could come in handy in other situations. Or a ratchet could be a separate device for lifting.


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## pe2dave

DennisCA said:


> Yeah a ratchet is required for this work, but in general sense it would be interesting to make some, could come in handy in other situations. Or a ratchet could be a separate device for lifting.


(Real) health and safety? Get it wrong and it's your life?
I'd suggest a decent bought ratchet - perhaps attached to the 'tail' of a free (marine equipment) rope and pully system?


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## DennisCA

I'm talking about making a block and tackle because it would be a fun project to do sometime in the future, for perhaps no real use at all other than it'd be cool.


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## pe2dave

DennisCA said:


> I'm talking about making a block and tackle because it would be a fun project to do sometime in the future, for perhaps no real use at all other than it'd be cool.


<grin/> OK, cool as a cabin / workshop perhaps? I can not disagree! Enjoy.


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## DennisCA

OK I just got the impression people might be thinking I wanted to make said equipment in order to lift the beams into place for this project. But it has no direct relation to this project, it was just an off the cuff remark. I felt I needed to be clear on that so we didn't start a health and safety derail.

The two winches I got are sufficient to complete the heavy lifting with, the first side beam is in place since last night too. Just one left.


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## DennisCA

OK things slowed down because I am back at work since last week, I did get the last beam in place however before sunday ended.

Next I made some scaffolding. 











And after that I put up one side of the rafters.






I used the scaffolding so I could adjust the rafters, I only nailed them in place with a single nail at the bottom first. Then I used an axe and a chisel to adjust the beams so the rafters all sit evenly across. I used a taught line that I had going above the rafters from edge to edge, that gave me a reference to work from.











In some places I used "shims" (a bit thick for a shim perhaps) which are also nailed and glued with PU glue. It was better I felt to shim some, or I would have had to lower all the other rafters and they where all sitting evenly and nice already.


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## DennisCA

OK I am working of the roof now. Been having rain on and off recently and one incredible downpour. Really puts a crimp in working outdoors.







The material I have is not long enough to make one single purlin and the first attempt I made to extend it was kinda clumsly, so instead I decided to use my pantorouter, once set up it's quite fast to make a box joint, with polyurethane glue that should be stronger than the wood. One thing to keep in mind is try and get the joints at different places.


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## pe2dave

The 'pantorouter' looks quite ingenious! 
Are you following a hand made example?


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## DennisCA

You haven't heard of the pantorouter? I built it from plans I bought at woodgears.ca - bought the plans in 2017 and promptly never built it. 

Good thing I finally shaped up in 2020 and built it, the plans had gotten updated then too and everyone who buys the plans gets the updates free. 

I made a template that you cannot see on the photo that is 2x the real size and also takes in the size of the follower. It's a bit tricky but once the template is done, then it's forever ready. Just a bunch of plywood pieces glued & screwed together.

Can make all sorts of crazy shapes if you want to, like a tenon and mortise in the shape of your name if you really wanted to go crazy with it.


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## pe2dave

Based on Pantograph? 
Twice real size for your joinery? The joint does look good.
Saw this (and a C13 precursor) which impressed me. 
I hope yours lasts as well as the C13 one  
Building is coming on nicely. Think you will finish it before winter?


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## DennisCA

The pantograph is the central mechanism yeah, here's a video from the creator


The cool thing about the 2x factor is that it means any errors in your template are also reduced by 2x.

I plan to have the roof finished and then I will put up sheeting (bitumen impregnated, cheap and will last a winter or longer), that's how far I believe I can get before winter. Then I will have time to breathe and figure out how to source the material for the paneling. It's real expensive.


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## pe2dave

An excellent video @DennisCA - worthwhile for the techniques used, if not the entire design. 
Thank you.


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## DennisCA

Fiance just sent this picture. Got the roof materials and sheet materials for the walls. I am in a hurry to get everything up because the material is developing black mold. I am wondering if I need to prioritize the roof or the walls. 






The plastic I got now is keeping the inside relatively dry but I have no eaves for the gables yet so they are still exposed and get wet. So I could put on the roof first and the gables would be better protected. Or I put up the walls first, they are water proof bitumen impregnated sheets so they would also protect the walls from rain and splashing.

I want to treat the structure with mold killer, preferrably something that soaks into the wood and prevents it coming back. I am not sure what to use, there is copper sulfate, iron vitriol (used on wooden paneling a lot here) and commercial solutions, pine tar also kills mold well, but it makes the surface sticky until it dries, which at this time of year is never. There are also some silicate based stuff.

I suppose if I want to clean off the existing mold I should go for the roof first so I can scrub the wood with mold cleaning agent, would be harder with the sheeting in place. So I am leaning towards the roof first.


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## pe2dave

Logically get the roof on first? If needed you could hang polythene down the sides to give some protection.
I've no experience with black mold.


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## clogs

Dennis,
I was always tought get the roof done first ....after that nothing matters.....
plus thanks for the Pantorouter vid......might never make one tho.....
2 things from the vid...
1, how much do I miss my bandsaw...
2, glad there are people out there with the time to make utube vids......


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## DennisCA

Put up the roof panels today, still gotta work on the "drop lists" or edge panels or what one calls them. Got the back up but I found I need to take them down and adjust. I will get that as ready as possible before it's time to attach the ridge panel. I am not sure, I might need to return it, test fits make it look pretty narrow, I might need a wider model.


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## pe2dave

That will keep a lot of rain off the wood work.Need a ridge covering too?


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## DennisCA

I started putting up the sheeting today, can't really proceed with the ridge plate just yet so I might as well do this until I get on to that stage of the project.
















Didn't get everything up but most of it. I will be laying a puzzle with the smaller bits for the stuff high up later on. Ideally you should use as large sheets as possible, but it's not an ideal situation I am working from. At least now I think the structure is mostly protected.


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## pe2dave

You do work quickly!


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## DennisCA

Slowed down a lot because I had to wait for the ridge plate to be made. I also made a ladder that hooks over the ridge, which I used to get up there and screw it in place.






A few screws left but I have to move the whole scaffold so I can reach it safely.


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## clogs

nearly ready for winter......good show....


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## MARK.B.

Looking great,liking your work ethic ,need a scaffold- just knock one up from a few off cuts-need a roof ladder and hey presto one appears.3 questions for you the first two are related, Ice cream in Finland and i think i saw a swimming pool in one picture, does is get warm enough for both on a regular basis?. The third one is you say you bought impregnated 2x4 timbers and i was wondering when they will give birth and what size would you expect the little timbers to be


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## DennisCA

Sure we have one, maybe two months on a hot year. In june temperatures begin to climb to 20-25C and in July we've had several days over 30C. Once august hit though temperature plummets sharply and we're happy for a day over 20C. Last morning it was 2C and today a warmer 10C. Soon we'll have regular night frosts.

The impregnated stuff was bitumen sheets and that I guess is a direct translation of what we call stuff that's been treated with something, like timber. Bitumen treated sheets perhaps?


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## DennisCA

Progress again after winter! Finally got some facade boards, 200 meters of mixed 125x22mm and 150x22mm. That's 5 and 6 inch wide boards by 7/8". It's not enough but what I was able to get at the local sawmill, 1€/m.

Good thing I bought a trailer. And yes it's well balanced, removed the trailer from the car and with a little force I was able to balance it with one hand.






Unloaded, this weekend I'll start putting them up.





I will be mixing 125 and 150 widths randomly for a more living appearance. That's how they used to do it, boards placed vertically with a rib covering the joins. This is called a "lockläkt" facade, some examples:










I wil be using a matching color to my other buildings though.


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## davethebb

Dennis, I have just read your full thread. What a great project. I like the way you think things through - I have a bad back and like you have to be very careful in what I do and also consider the amount of work each day. I am mid-way through my build and find I spend more time working out the easiest way of doing things (re my back) than sometimes doing the task. The cladding will look great.


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## DennisCA

I bought a full sheet today of 19mm MDF (plywood was too expensive, 75€ for a 15mm sheet, 18mm construction was out of stock) and I am going to be doing some prep work, since I have a lot of cutting to be doing I decided it was time to finally buy a miter saw. And I found a decent one, an ELU PS-174:




Yeah I'm not one to buy new tools for the most part...

So that's what I am gonna do with the MDF, a basic miter saw stand so I get some support for the boards I will be cutting up. MDF is not very weather resistant though, but it can be oiled to help with that. And of course today it finally rained and a lot and I don't have a cover for my trailer so I had to buy a tarp and wrap it up, then be very quick getting it in the shop. Some drops got on it, fortunately the rain stopped almost completely once home, so I hope no damage done. So I'll be doing this before doing any facade work.


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## Jameshow

DennisCA said:


> I bought a full sheet today of 19mm MDF (plywood was too expensive, 75€ for a 15mm sheet, 18mm construction was out of stock) and I am going to be doing some prep work, since I have a lot of cutting to be doing I decided it was time to finally buy a miter saw. And I found a decent one, an ELU PS-174:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah I'm not one to buy new tools for the most part...
> 
> So that's what I am gonna do with the MDF, a basic miter saw stand so I get some support for the boards I will be cutting up. MDF is not very weather resistant though, but it can be oiled to help with that. And of course today it finally rained and a lot and I don't have a cover for my trailer so I had to buy a tarp and wrap it up, then be very quick getting it in the shop. Some drops got on it, fortunately the rain stopped almost completely once home, so I hope no damage done. So I'll be doing this before doing any facade work.


Is it a quiet induction motor saw??


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## DennisCA

It's supposed to use brushes, it's the forefather to the Dewalt 777 since Elu was bought by DW in the 90s, but when I was using it I was asking myself, is this really a brushed motor? It's as silent as an induction motor....


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## DennisCA

Got this far on the stand, going for a mobile stand with wings


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## Droogs

Better give it a few good coats of Red Bull then


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## DennisCA

More intermission stuff, I haven't had a lot of time going forward on this project this week. I've mostly painted the main stand a few times with polyurethane to give it better water resistance and cut up parts for the wings so I can start assembling it soon and hopefully use it over the weekend. 

It's spring so we're working on gardening stuff as well as getting next years firewood ready.

On tuesday a guy dumped 2 cubic meters of dirt on our back lawn, gonna try and grow strawberries in raised beds instead of in the ground.





And I've been cutting firewood, not done until this is filled all the way up and I got another pile in the new shed I am working on. (Noticing this firewood shed is going skewed with time, literally built from scrap with two pallets for a base and sitting on some rocks)





Maybe you firewood people have heard of using a tire (or chains, straps or something else) to prevent firewood from flying when splitting it, well I thought all those solutions sounded like they could be improved on. So I used chicken wire and some pieces of wood. Works perfectly and.


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## DennisCA

OK finally got the miter station done, been a busy busy week...





















Still need to get some casters for it, some final sanding and varnishing before it's done. Casters where out of stock at my local supplier so I am improvising until further notice...


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## RobinBHM

nice big bandsaw I spot in the background


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## pe2dave

A concern? A 'box' isn't structurally strong? Bash from a heavy piece you're about to cut
could damage it?
Consider bracing it?


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## DennisCA

I got some pieces to glue in the back to stiffen it sideways, as well as some shelves. But MDF is pretty heavy and lifting it on and off the table saw made me hold off on that,


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## morqthana

Spectric said:


> So that will be a really cold place in winter, I know how cold it can get in Finland and although it was a dry cold it still freezes the bits that don't get frozen here in the Uk.


Took a trip to Helsinki once, and whilst there we went for a walk in a forest/nature reserve about an hour's drive away from the coast.

In January.

Dear God.

It is just not possible to describe the reality of the cold to people from the UK, particularly Southern Softies like me.


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## pe2dave

Try it a little further North @morqthana - Bear Island or Greenland.
Gets quite chilly too ;-)


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## morqthana

No thanks -35°C (IIRC) was plenty bad enough.


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## SamG340

Very nice shed


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## stuart little

morqthana said:


> Took a trip to Helsinki once, and whilst there we went for a walk in a forest/nature reserve about an hour's drive away from the coast.
> 
> In January.
> 
> Dear God.
> 
> It is just not possible to describe the reality of the cold to people from the UK, particularly Southern Softies like me.


I drove up to the Arctic Circle, in late August '02, 25* c !


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## morqthana

DennisCA said:


> gonna try and grow strawberries in raised beds instead of in the ground.


Why not.






Do you get slugs & snails?


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## Inspector

Our beds are 2' high and they were happy growing in them. The neighbour has a greenhouse and is growing some in hanging baskets. He already has a bunch of green ones!

Pete


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## DennisCA

Last night was a gardening day.

First went to my parents and picked up the plants they planted from runners for us last year, must've been almost a hundred plants.





And some free water barrels too





Coffee break with some rhubarb crumble





My parents old greenhouse, it's gonna get torn down this year and the arches will go to someone else. The 2nd greenhouse was torn down last year, they will leave 4-5 of the arch segments nearest to have a smaller greenhouse / tractor storage.





Growing in the sand, nothing was grown in the sand for the 40 years they worked in it, they used hydroponics and grew tomatoes in rockwool, the sand was just the base.





Think these are potatoes, and wild dill is growing in random spots. My dad dropped some onions he hung to dry too and they started growing in the sand. Things seem to grow well in sand.





So we brought home some sand with us and mixed it into the top layer of the planter boxes we're putting the strawberry plants in:





All done:





Now finally I can move on to the shed again.

I got the miter station jigged up so I could make consistent cuts.





Then I just started nailing, just one nail in the center is what I chose to go with, based on what I've read, that way the lumber won't crack. Two nails say 1/3rd in from each side might hold the board flatter, but might also crack when it shrinks. There's also a gap between the boards, where a 50mm / 2" batten will cover the gap.






Keep going.





Until the lower portion's done.


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## morqthana

DennisCA said:


> Last night was a gardening day.
> 
> First went to my parents and picked up the plants they planted from runners for us last year, must've been almost a hundred plants.


Don't worry - there'll be at least 300 next year.


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## DennisCA

Been going slow, but this side's done now, well until it's time for the battens






Sheet metal will be covered with boards, some gaps between them to allow ventilation.






The list or moulding or whatever to call it, doesn't go all the way, but this is because it will be trimmed later when I fit boards to cover up the corners. 






I got this far and then I ran out of material, time to go buy more:


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## clogs

what will u use to protect the wood....?
do u have wood eating bugs up there.....?
I did some paneling like that but under a tiled roof....
took the time to seal/stain all sides before fitting...


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## sawtooth-9

Wow, what a post !
Thank you for documenting the project.
I stand in awe of someone who can carry on a real form of building like this.
There are so few who still have the desire, skill, and perseverance to make this both real, and yet, so basic.
Now that you have done it - you have helped others by your detailed post - but if you were teaching, I would be your first student !
You could ( and should ) extend this to building beautiful homes.
Thank you


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## pe2dave

It is going to look very smart!
(Did you miss the building lesson all about windows ;-) )


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## DennisCA

clogs said:


> what will u use to protect the wood....?
> do u have wood eating bugs up there.....?
> I did some paneling like that but under a tiled roof....
> took the time to seal/stain all sides before fitting...



Not a problem here fortunately. The traditional paint is a very old type of paint called Falu Red, which dates back to the 1500s and is still popular today. It translates to english as mud paint, but I am not sure about that. It's rust as coloration with a mix of other minerals such as copper (the iron ore from Falu has all those, hence Falu Red name) that is boiled with a starch like flour and sometimes linseed oil too. 

It's more a stain than a paint that builds a layer. Permeability prevents trapping of water however so that can be a plus.

However, all my other buildings are gray-blueish with white accents. There is apparently mud paint of other colors. I would like to try that.


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## DennisCA

pe2dave said:


> It is going to look very smart!
> (Did you miss the building lesson all about windows ;-) )



I'm sure I could add some later, if I find some cheap old windows. But its just a shed so low priority.



sawtooth-9 said:


> Wow, what a post !
> Thank you for documenting the project.
> I stand in awe of someone who can carry on a real form of building like this.
> There are so few who still have the desire, skill, and perseverance to make this both real, and yet, so basic.
> Now that you have done it - you have helped others by your detailed post - but if you were teaching, I would be your first student !
> You could ( and should ) extend this to building beautiful homes.
> Thank you



Thanks for the kind words, I don't think I could do this professionally, I work far too slowly!


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## pe2dave

"Mud paint" - is that why Norwegian fjords are full of such brightly coloured houses! Same sort of colour range (with red as favourite)


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## DennisCA

Yeah that paint is popular all across the nordic countries


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## DennisCA

A late, but larger update

I have gotten some more shelving up and I also moved the old shelf that used to be in the shop over here (back wall), no point tossing it away.







I got the boards up to cover the underside of the roof in the front






Then I had to pull a **** load of boards on this wall because when I looked at it from afar I saw they where not plumb. I pulled them, removed the nails and put every board back with a water level. I kept pulilng boards after this pic was taken, probably redid 80% of the wall.







Then I started covering up the corners. I dunno what you call these in english:






Back wall mostly done, before the boards ran out. Bur I got the last batch today and it should last me to fix all that needs doing. I am just missing the battens now.






I need to cut off the beams that stick out before I can proceed, I used a sawzall on the front side but the blade was ****ty and wore out so I have ordered new blades, they got here today and are hopfully better quality. They have similar tooths as old timey tree felling saws, the type used by two people.





Then my fiance came home with a pool so I had to spend time to assemble that too:





We got a better filtration system though, the ones that come with these cheap pools are like 10x undersized for the task.

The miter station has been really handy, but since it's MDF if it starts to rain I have to pull it inside and it has rained a lot this summer.






Still it's so fast to set angles.






I developed a new procedure for cutting the boards for the upper part of the gable wall. When I did the front wall I went back and forth with a measuring tape for each board and it took forever! This time I laid the previous board down and put a spacer between the next board and extended the cut line to the new board. This way I could cut a bunch of boards and just go and nail them up.






Going a lot faster












Done in a few hours. Took me two days to do the front...







I've started doing some decorative stuff, covering all the corners and finishing the door opening. I will be redoing the top list, it can't just be nailed on the front like this. Plain mistake on my part. I will be fitting sheet metal drip board later.






Starting to paint the shed

















I am painting with dilluted paint as a primer on the fresh boards and I am doing it before the battens go up. As time goes on they will shrink and leave gaps without paint if I don't paint these first.

And I've nailed battens onto the entire lower part of the shed now and started painting those. I still need to do the upper side on both front and back.













Above you can see what it looks like when I've done a "primer" coat using paint thinned with water compared to further down where I've been over it again.







This wall I went over with a spray gun last night. I put paint in a 1.8 mm primer gun I have used on cars and stuff and dilluted it with water and it worked pretty well I gotta say. I still went over the wall with a brush afterwards but it was much quicker than doing with only a brush. I think if I had a spray gun with a 2.5 mm tip that would be the ideal for this paint. I'm planning get one of those anyway for spraying polyester filler.


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## Droogs

Lokks to be going well Dennis. Did think you could make a better door though


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## clogs

very nice job.....
what about the guttering....kourut.......
thought it would be fitted with all the rain........


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## DennisCA

It can survive without gutters, I'll be adding those the very last. There's underground drainage that also helps.

First door is up.





I screwed some wood into the door opening to butt the door up against that to get it sitting correctly, then I screwed it in place. The door frame was made from 125x22mm panel boards, I laminted two layers with the grain in opposite directions to stop the door warping. Then I fitted an outer skin of plywood, with narrower and planed boards to create details.











It's not done yet, but I wanted to put it up like this before I got heavier. I plan to add more detailing on the front such as some , also considering a third hinge. For now the door is screwed in place, but I want to make a concrete threshold under the doors later, and the lock will lock into the top of the door frame as well as into the threshold. The doors will also be painted, most likely white. Though dark grey could be interesting too.

The hinges are also temporary, I really want to forge my own hinger but there's been no time for that. I am so behind on my forging work, haven't fired up the forge all summer and now winter's nearly here.


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## pe2dave

Those hinges seem very small for a heavy door?
"Nearly there?"


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## DennisCA

I didn't want to spend loads of money on temporary hinges, they feel beefy enough to me to last until I replace them with something better.


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## DennisCA

Now I have a complete door at least






Sorry about the blurry photo, mornings are getting dark this time of year. I still gotta make some adjustments though, the door frame isn't square. Doors are, the frame on the left side has gotten twisted, the stud itself that's the issue. Will have to do some corrective planing.

And this guy is always interested in ladders


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## clogs

it's all comming along really well now....good job.....
I have to work on a gravel floor, 3 years now, drives me nuts.....
I would have concreted the floor before now to make working easier....



my new worshop build starts this winter.....at long last.....lol....
ps the pick up hiding in the back is a 128 Citroen...


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