Current shed project

[Jake]

You understand why a car port was important

It's actually in the paint shop right now... and I may well relocate it in the garage when it comes back and put the other car under the car port.
Also used to have a blue IX FQ-320 from new but stupidly sold it in 2017 after 12 years ownership. You on MLR by any chance? Haven't been on there for years, myself but used to be an active and prolific contributor - some might even say rampant?...

Sweet, mine needs paint badly, lives on a London street and looks like it. Yes a member (same handle ish) but never very active (still look in but it's all but dead now). A mine of information still there though. Ah yes, some Pork involved too, if I recall correctly.

 

[Hypnotic Chimera]

Sweet, mine needs paint badly, lives on a London street and looks like it. Yes a member (same handle) but never very active (still look in but it's all but dead now). A mine of information still there though. Ah yes, some Pork involved too, if I recall correctly.

Good memory. We still also have one of those too.

 

[Jake]

Anyway, very nice shed build thread!

 

[duke]

Nice job, especially with the rear triangular roof lines !

 

[Hypnotic Chimera]

The six "spars"/"legs" of the window laid out showing how they fit together - I've basically contrived to fudge up half-lap joints without cutting any half-lap joints...

The protruding legs around the outside were deliberate - I'll flush them off at a later stage - I just didn't want any recessing into the frame - which I managed to do with one of the joins on the prototype - and the reason I wrote "293++ CUT LONG" on the plans shown in a previous post.


One more stage prior to glue-up - cut out the recesses in the inside face to fit the acrylic glass.

Marked out a 5mm rebate for glass.

 

[Hypnotic Chimera]

Routing out the rebates achieved with a flush cut trim bit.

Managed to set the router depth accurately enough to just remove the waste from the inside layer of timber

Just a few places that needed to be cleaned up manually with a sharp chisel

Instead of rebates, the centre horizontal spar has 5 mm deep slots. These were cut on the table saw and came nicely:

This time I contrived to place the stock into the table saw and lift it out again without cutting full length, so the slots aren't obvious when the window is open.

 

[Hypnotic Chimera]

Glue-up underway - corners first - best efforts to ensure it turns out square!

Darkness was approaching so I pressed on to beat the twilight and didn't have opportunity for any more photos, and forgot to snap the clamped up frame...


Success!

It's flat, and it's square, and it appears to have taken the desired dimensions:

And there's only a small hint of the slots in the centre spar on the outside edges...

Unlike the prototype front window

 

[Silken]

You have certainly put a lot of thought into your carport and shed. Squeezing the shed in at the back, very efficient use of space. My only thoughts is with putting timber posts in the ground, even treated they will rot eventually, so the choice is concrete pad with treaded bar nut large washer and nut then the wood post drilled out and placed on top of the treaded bar up off the ground or as you have done. I guess it comes down to how long you want the structure to last.

A very nice job, it really does look good, and whichever car ends up in it will be very happy I'm sure.

 

[Hypnotic Chimera]

You have certainly put a lot of thought into your carport and shed. Squeezing the shed in at the back, very efficient use of space. My only thoughts is with putting timber posts in the ground, even treated they will rot eventually, so the choice is concrete pad with treaded bar nut large washer and nut then the wood post drilled out and placed on top of the treaded bar up off the ground or as you have done. I guess it comes down to how long you want the structure to last.

A very nice job, it really does look good, and whichever car ends up in it will be very happy I'm sure.

Thanks for the kind words.

I agree that the posts will rot "eventually" and should that happen I'm prepared with a plan to support the structure temporarily while chopping out the errant post and replacing it.
This was a concern from the outset - and the very reason why I lined the bottom of the post hole with postcrete prior to placing the posts in - that way the very bottom of the posts aren't exposed to bare earth/groundwater. Another thing I hope will help longevity is the brick layer at ground level - which means water can't pool around the base of the post in any recess, or within the gravel top layer that would have been there without the cemented-in brick footing.

 

[Chubber]

A Versailles Orangery it ain't, what it is is an effective, fit for purpose strong looking job that fulfills the 'mission statement' exactly. (Listen to me! I heard that phrase recently and have been wanting to use it...)

Nice job.

 

[Hypnotic Chimera]

A Versailles Orangery it ain't, what it is is an effective, fit for purpose strong looking job that fulfills the 'mission statement' exactly. (Listen to me! I heard that phrase recently and have been wanting to use it...)

Nice job.

Thank you Chubber, appreciate the sentiment.
In my first year of my Engineering Degree I learned that the "perfect" engineering solution is the one that lasts without failure until the day it was designed to last until. And then the next day all of the components would fail at the same time with no single component failing first.

You're right it's no Versailles Orangery and it's a bit agricultural and rustic in places, but that's OK, it's mostly fit for purpose, and that's all I'm asking of myself.

 

[Hypnotic Chimera]

Bit more window progress... With it all glued up next step to clean up rebates and outer edges.

Recently acquired a Suizan flush cut japanese pull saw.
Amazing bit of kit.

 

[Hypnotic Chimera]

On to the glazing. Using 4mm thick acrylic perspex. First measure up the cavities, all nice and consistent with max 1mm deviation between the four panes.
Initially cut a scabby old piece of thin ply to check fitment and clearances.

Once checked - on to cutting the perspex on the sliding mitre

 

[Hypnotic Chimera]

Saxton blade 255mm 80T - cuts the perspex well

All four panes in place.

Happy with the clearances

 

[Hypnotic Chimera]

Progress check.

It's getting there...

Both windows got a couple of coats of protection today - with Decking Protector.

One window fully complete, with an added "locking pin" so that the window stay can be locked both in the closed and the open positions. More planned for tomorrow

 

[Hypnotic Chimera]

Window number two taking shape.

Spacing out and then driving the veneer pins in was a bit of a repetitive monotonous task. Three pins per rail and three rails per pane. Not a massive number, but laborious nonetheless. Much more fun was milling the rails on the table saw...

After the glazing - onto the three top hinges - routing/chiselling out the recesses - marking and pre-drilling the hinge screw pilot holes

 

[Hypnotic Chimera]

Fitting the side window into the frame was a tricky, multi-step affair. Different steps than the front frame - because the front was easy to access both inside and out with just a few paces. I didn't fancy a 20 metre trek every time going from inside to outside for the side window, so did it all, bar marking the hinges location, from the inside.

> pre-cut a 3mm spacer strip on table saw and fit that into the upper frame as a spacer so the hinge barrels don't snag on the frame;
> offer the window up into the frame and mark where the hinges will be on the spacer;
> remove hinges from window and screw into frame - on the pre-fitted 3mm spacer - the front edge of the spacer provides a perfect guide for the hinge line so that all three hinges line up parallel and on a single axis;
> using a metal spring-jawed small quick-release nylon strap - suspend the window outside the window cavity - in the fully open position - horizontal to the ground - in around the right place to fit a single screw - then fine tune the position on the strop to fit another screw in a different hinge - which then brings all of the hinges and screw holes into line so the remaining screws can be fitted.
> after that the internal beading can be cut, fettled and screwed into the frame, along with the window stay and pins.

Pretty pleased with how these turned out.

Not perfect, but strong enough, secure enough, water-tight enough. Neither window gets any direct rain anyway, with the side window only getting as few indirect splashes from the tree branches.

Much of today was spent deliberating and pontificating about how I'm going to build a worktop area in this part of the shed. The idea is to have the worktop at around 100cm (I'm tall) - with the drawers and tall table still in about the same position. I know the size of the worktop, but the thought process was slow to formulate on how I'm going to put it together.

With the intended height of the worktop - not far below windowsill level, there'll be plenty of storage space underneath.

I just need to be able to wheel out the table saw (Evolution Rage 5-S visible stored folded up under the side window)

 

[Hypnotic Chimera]

Almost at the culmination of this stage of build.

The back wall is in.
The windows are in.
The rear shelving is in.
And finally the worktop counter (I hesitate to call it a "workbench") is nearing completion

Worktop progress pics...

The single corner support leg base is fixed to an under-floor joist for maximum support. Ultimate width was chosen to allow table saw access:

I knew this was in the right place from previous pencil markings and presence of floor screws

The plan was to use a long front support beam that sat on top of the freestanding support leg and a second leg at the side of the shed

Then fix the cross-supports from the front beam onto the front shed wall verticals or onto braces fixed between the verticals

Making sure all was as level and uniform as possible

 

[Hypnotic Chimera]

At which point I was almost out of screws

A pre-emptive order the previous day meant that the A to Z delivery saved the day

Which allowed the fun to continue

 

[Hypnotic Chimera]

Concentrated on getting an accurate and consistent level across the worktop

Frame pretty much complete:

Re-purposing some old Ikea shelf boards for the worktop

Which needed rebates cut into them to make them fit properly