3 weeks until the shortest day

Our variable weather rundown into Winter continues. Some days are calm, sunny with a maximum temp anywhere between 12° and 17°C while other days are best forgotten.

It’s good to have a project to do during the forgettable days. A good blow with rain in it tends to be difficult as the weather then comes into the shed via the door. Shutting it keeps things dry but it’s very dark inside – so Ernie helps by holding up the lights.

What with trailer building and poor weather days there hasn’t been much riding recently. I have taken a couple of laps around Longford on the Brompton and a couple of trips further afield on the trike but nothing of any distance.

It is noticeable that some paddocks are populated by Ewes who’ve recently given birth. A frosty morning, a new lamb, a tired Mum, how do they survive? Most of them do. Talking to a local farmer I found out that lambing is staggered over most of the year for a couple of reasons. The first is to allow a consistent number of animals available for processing into meat across the months – this spreads out the farm income. We had worked that out but thought this was the main reason but it isn’t. The main factor is the availability of shearers. Having sheep at different stages of fleece development throughout the year helps with timing a manageable shearing schedule. Never thought of that.

Now, as well as Mummy sheep we are seeing calves too. Why is this so? The shearing schedule can’t come into play here. More questions to be asked.

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I am an idiot !!

I commented in the last blog that the replacement saw in the saw bench is too small so I had packed up the table to allow docking.

Reader Patrick commented that the table is adjustable. I was sure it wasn’t and had more than a little correspondence with him. Eventually I did the sensible and checked the bench and, blow me down, it’s adjustable!! (Note to self : Always remember Tony – WAEFRYFM. What’s that? – see my last episode.)

I can’t explain why but I was absolutely sure this 35 year old table was not adjustable. I am old enough to know there are no absolutes.

Thanks Patrick – table raised – all good.

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The Bicycle Camper Project

It’s coming along. I want to add “nicely” but to say that feels like it would hex the project.

plus working as a support for one of the moveable light strips.

What have I got done?

I couldn’t get a larger sheet into the car and the smaller size just squeezed into the hatch. It wasn’t quite long enough so two sheets were needed and there is a bit left over; not enough for a second trailer thank goodness. It felt like things were getting somewhere when the wheels went on.

The next step is to build the framework for level 1 (of 3). Again I had to work with the lengths of wood that would fit in the car. I can get in 1.8 metre lengths and they will do the job.

Back home the saw bench sprung into action and I ripped the 42mm width lengths of Radiate Pine down to the sizes required for the build. The plans use Imperial measurements and, as a modern country, we use metric. Working with both systems means care has to be taken to make sure I’m getting the pieces measured correctly. (Remember the metric/imperial stuff up with an early Mars Rover?). The main thing to watch is the actual width of the construction as the hood must come down within the wheel span without hitting the spokes and there’s not a lot of spare room. I’d hate to build the two levels only to find the “hood” doesn’t fit.

In addition to the saw bench and scroll saw, drill and Dremel I have been using a variety of hand tools that haven’t seen much use for a while. The folding ruler I bought in the London in the early 1970s and is, of course, feet and inches. Wood chisels and mallet were bought about the same time while the bench dog is on loan from Colin.

It was also a delight to be able to pull out the Stanley plane and make some shavings. A very satisfying thing to do. Unfortunately I had to stop once the wood was the right size – didn’t want to though as it was great fun and produced lighting tinder for the Firebox stove. It’s like wood turning when the wood peels away in continuous shavings – hard to stop!

The trailer designer, Robert, is a devotee of gluing the frame together with hot glue before screwing it. I bought a lightweight 25 watt glue gun a number of years ago and it was so weak the glue had cooled and dried before you got to actually bring the two parts together. Last year, when building the first trailer, I bought a 200 watt gun which heats up more glue to a higher temperature. It is much more successful at the gluing. It seems to weld the plastic too.

I decided to follow Robert’s lead and glue then screw the frame together. As you glue the pieces are held square against a square – and the system works !!

I cut then glued up the front, back, right side and left side of level 1. After gluing I checked for the squareness of each unit by measuring across the diagonal. Each time is was within a millimetre – can’t believe it!! I tend to make parallelograms usually.

A couple of small slip ups. One was an odd measurement in the plans that I didn’t notice and one was my ripping of the wood. Both fixable. I also found that hot glue applied to the fingers is bloody hot! Don’t do it.

The wood frame is ready for fixing to the base, then for the first pieces of coreflute to be added. After clamping it all up I looked at it and thought “the entry looks a bit tight, can I actually get in it?”. If I can’t then there is no use continuing.

The answer is “Yes I can. Just!!”. I have long legs and the hip, knee, ankle assembly isn’t that flexible these days. However, by sitting as far inside as possible and grabbing one leg then the other, I can get inside.

I had better do some stretching exercises to make sure I can still get in next summer!

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’til next time ………………………..