From fish staircase to a human staircase

With it snowing here yesterday, it reminded me of the much heavier snowfall, we had suddenly, in March 18. Early last year I was asked by a company called Fishtek, if I could profile some oak sleepers, to be installed in a river as fish stairs. I must be honest, I thought they were pulling my leg; I had never heard of fish stairs. But it is true; Fishtek's whole business is fish access systems!

The job mainly consisted of profiling and drilling oak sleepers (lots of them!), to be installed in the Calder valley in West Yorkshire. The water levels are much lower than they were historically, so the idea is that the 'fish stairs' deepen the channel allowing the fish to go hither and thither.

The arrangements were that the sleepers would be delivered to the workshop, I would process them, then they would be picked up again, to be installed in the Calder by Fishtek's engineers. When I discovered that they were planning to have them delivered on a 28-tonner, I told them I would pick them up from their yard. Then the snow hit.

Prizing the sleepers apart, which were frozen together.

So while Devon went into late hibernation, Jon beavers away processing a load of fish stairs.

 Until the roads were becoming impassable. Time to head for home.

So whereas most vehicles without 4wd were getting stranded by the roadside, my van made it through, largely down to the weight of the fish stairs in the back.

Fish access. Jon access!

It was good timing; I was able to break through the ice to stop my fish suffocating.

And later in the day, to see the only visit ever in our garden, from a fieldfare.

And here they are, installed in the river.

Last summer then saw a fair bit of window repair.

Some small-scale timber-framing.

All the usual window/door making and installing. Full service from manufacture to installation (unless it means standing in a freezing cold river with waders on).

And then recently we were asked to make and fit some human stairs.

Fabricated in the workshop. We had to build this on site, because access was tight. It went really well. We were very happy with the finish, as was a very satisfied customer.

Onwards and upwards (for fish and man alike).

Topping-out!

So, the installation of the noticeboard corresponded, with a week of hot days. There could really not be a more pleasant site, overlooking the Deer Park, fields and woodland on Dartington Hall estate.

The noticeboard is going adjacent to these lovely gates, made by my friend Jeremy of Properedges.com.

The noticeboard is based upon Dartington Church lych gate. However, unlike the lych gate there are no supporting banks to the side. So we are going for a double-whammy of earthfast or concretefast post and feet morticed into the posts. It's larch so the posts and bottom of the feet have been charred to help prevent rot.

It's erection day.

The accomodation is compact and bijou, but then it is a noticeboard!

As the last cedar shingle was nailed to the roof, these oak leaves landed on the ridge. That's what I call a topping-out ceremony!

Deer Park (Short)Noticeboard

At extremely short notice, we have been asked to create a noticeboard for the grand opening of the new Dartington Hall deer park. When is it we ask? 9 days time is the answer.
Best crack on then!

By all means try this at home, but please wear more sensible footwear!

Pulling the plate square. Ratchet straps are where it's at, this week.

 

Moving on

We recently moved house. The new place has a lot more space and the workshop is getting crowded. A great opportunity to empty one and fill up the other, with all the lovely things that I make. It's great to see my settle in a domestic setting at last.

The doors here are narrow and there's enough renovation to do without widening them, so there was only one thing for it; drill out a few pegs. Even when drilled, they didn't want to come out, a testament to the strength of the drawbore joint!

Although the settle has settled, so to speak, I am holding it together with ratchet straps for now; you never know when wanderlust is going to take hold.

We have an ash and elm hedge out the back with a few maybe thirty year old trees in it. I am loathe to cut down an ash, with chalara dieback about to devastate the UK ash population, but one was leaning precariously over my daughters' new bedroom. Down it came! Lots of lovely bowl material.

I was recently asked to replace some window frames. Although probably only a hundred years old, the houses they belong to are within the curtilage of a grade 1 listed building. The conservation officer's interest was focused on the steel windows that the wooden frame contains.

What is far more interesting, is the construction of the wooden frame and the dormer itself. On closer inspection we realised that the window frame was the main part of the dormer's framing. Replacement was out of the question without a huge amount of disruption to the tenants and the roofing process, which was already in full swing. What at first appeared to be fascia, was actually a cap to protect the rafters.

So repair was the best option. On cutting back the oak cill on the first window, the construction was exposed. Pegs and wedges.

Worth preserving, so a new oak cill was cut to fit around these original features, the stiles had new pieces of timber scarfed in and the new cill planted over this work. This way, in a hundred years time, maybe someone else will still be able to see how these dormers were constructed, two hundred years previously.

On other windows the cills were still reasonably intact, so thin oak caps were fixed on and new 'rafter caps' installed.

And then the roofers installed new lead. New fascias on the side, and ready for painting.

Dartington Hall estate has opened a new deer park, surrounded by a restored stone wall, which dates back to the 9th century!

A new noticeboard is needed for the deer park. We are basing it on Dartington church lych gate. The original is oak, but we are re-creating it in larch.