# A year in the life of..



## EddieJ (14 Sep 2011)

I've been taking a quick review this evening of some of the projects that I have completed over the last year, both paid and unpaid. It isn't a bad amount considering that other than for one job, all work is completed by me, with no outside help. 

In no particular order other than the last photos, which are of my current project. 











































































































The only job that I needed a hand/lift on
















Other 'home' projects.
































Current project at home.. An outside loo.






Mike G... Notice the clean lines these days, with no dowel showing on the front elevations. 






The current 'paid' project.


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## Paul Chapman (14 Sep 2011)

Very nice work.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## munkypuzel (14 Sep 2011)

I absolutely love this kind of work =D>


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## mailee (15 Sep 2011)

I am in awe of your work and am amazed that you had no help on them! :shock: How on earth do you manage it? Some brilliant work by the way.


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## softtop (15 Sep 2011)

Beautiful stuff - thanks for sharing.


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## EddieJ (15 Sep 2011)

mailee":3ma96d1a said:


> I am amazed that you had no help on them! :shock: How on earth do you manage it?



It just takes practice. :wink: I was struggling today to fit the very long jack rafters, commons are easy, but long jacks are always a problem. I suddenly realized purely by chance that they can be held and fitted with just one hand. All that it took was a little bit of thinking about and a couple of mins setting up a bit of kit.  

This is how the current project looks after today. I still have the collars, purlins and diagonal bracing to fit, but it's getting there.


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## twothumbs (15 Sep 2011)

Very impressed by all your good work. You should be proud. Long may it continue. Good luck.


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## goldeneyedmonkey (15 Sep 2011)

Top-man, your work looks excellent .


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## DeanN (15 Sep 2011)

A very impressive portfolio for a year.

I also noticed you've an elaborate looking water recycling/collection system in one of your photo's. This is something I've been meaning to do for a while - I've bought an IBC, but haven't done anything with it yet.


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## EddieJ (15 Sep 2011)

Thanks to all for teh positive comments.  



DeanN":95ihms4b said:


> I also noticed you've an elaborate looking water recycling/collection system in one of your photo's. This is something I've been meaning to do for a while - I've bought an IBC, but haven't done anything with it yet.



My IBC system would be great, but sadly it currently only gets fed by one very minor gutter. I need to address that problem before next year, as it meant that we had no water when it was badly needed in May.

The six tanks are all linked together at the top, and the first tank acts as a sump, so isn't connected at the bottom in te same way as the others are. The remaining five tanks gravity feed into an animal water trough. It works very well, but really I would love to pressurize the system to enable faster filling and also allow a hose pipe to be used to better effect. All these jobs!!! :shock: 











I also made a store using the front section of a luton lorry body. I still need to make some doors for it at some stage though.





Another handy device that I made up, was three fold up/out runner bean frames. They can simply be folded out when in use, and then taken down and put away for the winter.






And on the theme of recycling. I also came up with this very simple idea for tomato supports.


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## DeanN (15 Sep 2011)

Thanks for the extra photos - it looks a great system, with scope to develop it further (when time allows). Do you filter the water before it hits the IBC's?

The tomato supports are brilliant.


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## adidat (15 Sep 2011)

lots of great ideas there, especially the water storage

adidat


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## jimmy rivers (15 Sep 2011)

Beautiful timber framing. Love the box bed veggie garden looks like a great place to unwind after a hard days graft.

A very inspiration post =D>


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## DTR (16 Sep 2011)

Very impressive, thanks for posting


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## xy mosian (16 Sep 2011)

Now if that were my last years work I'd be mightily chuffed. I hope you are. Well done.
xy


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## bexupnorth (16 Sep 2011)

Eddie, I'm viewing this at work (yeah I know!) and can only see about 3 photo's, even then I'm in awe. Top quality and a lot of it. Your garden looks amazing too, are you really as organised as you look!

thanks for sharing,

Ade.


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## EddieJ (16 Sep 2011)

bexupnorth":27ch05uf said:


> are you really as organised as you look!
> Ade.



Only when it comes to things that interest me.  

I have zero interest in anything that isn't practical, and see paper work/accounts etc as a pointless interruption to my life. If it wasn't for my quarterly VAT return, I would just have a pile of receipts to give the accountant at the end of the year.

When it comes to anything practical, I try and give it 100% but find fault in everything that I do. I've yet to stand back and be happy with anything that I have ever done. I've been close, but haven't got there yet.


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## Shrubby (16 Sep 2011)

Handsome work on the framing Eddie !
I gave my parents some 200L poly drums to harvest rainwater, they have usefull roof area but would struggle to fit an IBC near the house. I'll show them your setup for inspiration
Matt


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## Smithy (18 Sep 2011)

What an inspirational post. I love the timber framing and the garden looks fantastic. I showed my wife and said look at this chaps great work. Her reply was " look what he has done in a year". Now I will have to try and up the workrate. I don't know how you do it.

Mike


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## bexupnorth (19 Sep 2011)

> Her reply was " look what he has done in a year".



Women, they do seem to have a different frame of reference don't they :lol:


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## EddieJ (19 Sep 2011)

Mike, you slipped up big time showing your wife.  Mine never knows where I am working or what I am doing.  

Despite the really rubbish rain this weekend, I managed to get a bit more brick done up to sole plate height. The problem is now that I have done it, I'm wondering whether just to continue up with bricks. With three windows to go in, there isn't really that much brickwork, and it may make a nice contrast with the garage.












I also managed to get the skeleton frame finished at work today. I've spent way to much time talking the client, and not enough time working!!


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## Benchwayze (20 Sep 2011)

Oh to have the scope, both in imagination and in places to build it!
Lovely work. 
John 

PS. 
Someone once told me there's a special list of contractors that the super rich use... I am beginning to believe you're on it Eddie! :mrgreen: 

John


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## devonwoody (20 Sep 2011)

I enjoyed looking through this post and now I have trouble with the other half and her new requirements. Forunately I only have a small plot.


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## kalvt22 (22 Sep 2011)

I'm impressed. It's been years since I did any oak framing and then I never liked liting the stuff on my own! how long does it take you to frame and roof a double garge type structure?


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## EddieJ (23 Sep 2011)

Just the internal partition to ply line and clad, and then for my part, this one is just about finished.











Kalvt22, I have slowed up a fair bit over the last two or three years, but a bog stock 2 bay frame with rear catslide as below, takes me approx 5 days to make, two days to erect and one day to fit the weather boarding. My problem is that I aim to be milimetre perfect with my joints, and this does sometimes create hassle on site and slow things up a bit if the wood is wet or has just naturally twisted.


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## billybuntus (23 Sep 2011)

I hope your on a decent rate. Your work looks first class.


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## John. B (24 Sep 2011)

Eddie,
For your water tank problem you could do what a friend of mine has done at his allotment .
He has water tanks that look identical to yours. He fitted a lightweight V-shaped frame on top of the tanks
with cheap clear corrugated roofing leading at the bottom into a gutter which then emptied into the tanks.
Is that understandable? :?

John. B


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## EddieJ (28 Sep 2011)

Thanks John.B That's a nice simple idea. I rather like that.  

Apart the gutters and garage door, the frame is now finished.


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## EddieJ (13 Oct 2011)

Another very basic project out of the way.


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## devonwoody (14 Oct 2011)

Nice buildings and quality work.


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## mn pete (17 Oct 2011)

Stunning work all around! This was a fun post to look through.


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## EddieJ (24 Oct 2011)

mn pete":18byyve2 said:


> Stunning work all around! This was a fun post to look through.




Thanks.  

I've just started to make a new advertising board for myself from 50mm air dried oak slab wood.

Ignore the horizontal board, this was just to give me some thoughts about the actual sign design.


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## EddieJ (11 Nov 2011)

Possibly the last frame that I am ever going to make. I've had enough.

A simple 4m x 4m shed with rear aisles. Just the window and door to make.


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## DTR (11 Nov 2011)

EddieJ":3uptrjat said:


> Possibly the last frame that I am ever going to make. I've had enough.



Why is that? :shock:


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## devonwoody (12 Nov 2011)

EddieJ, I was self employed for 33 years and when tired etc. I took a holiday, does not have to be exotic or long distance.

You are a skilled craftsman but we all need to take a break, employ someone for a period through this spell perhaps?


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## EddieJ (19 Nov 2011)

Thanks for the replies and kind advice.  

I'm still set on packing it in, but may have something just as interesting lined up in which I can still remain self employed and still play with wood every day.  I just won't have all of the endless rubbish of waste of time enquiries and the pointless cut throat pricing of jobs that you aren't ever going to get any way.

Anyway on a more positive note...

I got my backside into gear this morning and started to build the frame for my outside loo.
To keep cost down, I opted to use 100mm x 75mm larch for the main frame. I don't tend to use larch much, which is a shame as it is a very underrated wood. The only downside of it is that it quickly clogs and polishes the belt on the belt sander. The window frames were also cheap as chips.  











That was most the morning taken care of, and I even found time to put the sign up that I made up to advertise my hobby.


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## EddieJ (28 Nov 2011)

The latest Sunday morning project is going quite nicely and I reckon that another two or three Sunday mornings should see it finished.











I also had time today to do a bit more to the outside loo.


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## EddieJ (3 Dec 2011)

The outside loo is getting there slowly, despite the poxy wet horrid weather.











I also found time to yesterday to knock up a quick 'feature' bird bath/bird table using some oak off cuts.











Edit.. Added 08/12/11











Start again!


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