The giant stills for NEBs Pub are getting more colourful every day. There's one last glaze to go on the woodgrain and then a last coat of burgundy on the steel leaving only the signs to get their colours. They sure are looking great!
It's a GIANT ship!
We've been busy in the shop fabricating the framework for the ship for Hazelnut Inn. We'e built many tall ships in the past but this one is significantly different. This one has to be watertight and finished on the interior as people will be staying in the room. This means that how things fit together is critical. Tolerances are tight. The challenge is to tightly adhere to the engineer's specifications while still staying true to the artistic design. A ship is different than most structures as there are very few straight or level lines and yet it must be totally symmetrical, which is the real challenge. Each piece of steel is unique and needs to be carefully fit with complex angles on both ends. One by one the pieces are measured, cut and fit and then fully welded into place. As a full assembly it is much too large to go out of our shop doors in one piece and so it is built in sections which will unbolt and then easily bolt together once more when it is reassembled on site. This also means we have to build flashings into the frame sections to ensure it is all watertight when we are done. There is a lot of consultation between Peter and I as we go forward and we are both enjoying the experience!
Day one of construction
The carpenters arrived first thing this morning to start banging together the forms for the footings for Hazelnut Inn. The site quickly changed as they laid them into place. In the late afternoon the contractor brought a small excavator onsite to dig the lower footings and the three ponds. At this point most of the construction will be on the same elevation but that will quickly change as the concrete is poured and the backfilling and grading begins. The plain side of our house next door will soon be completely hidden from view and the front yard landscapes will be blended together seamlessly. This is going to be a whole lot of fun!
