We have had a fantastic week of weather here with temperatures reaching a dizzy 16 degrees. Not only that, with the birds singing and evenings drawing out till at least six thirty before the evening cloaks out the last of the light.
It has not come too soon though. We have, although nowhere near as bad as the UK, had our fair share of rain so it has certainly lifted the spirits. Mind you, to put it into perspective, it is still only January, so we could get a blast of Siberia at any time. The only consolation is we know that it is nearer now to spring.
The kitchen is 99.9% finished now (why is it, it seems just as long to finish off all of the little snags as completing a major task?).
The kitchen island unit
I had some good luck last week. Donna and I went looking for fence posts at a wood yard in Monpazier - we are just about to bring back Donna's horse to Jean Blanc after buying a second to keep him company - We successfully got the posts and whilst I was there - I am always looking for opportunities - noticed that the chap who was processing the chestnut fence posts was using a band saw rather than a circular saw.
I had bought a mixed load of wood quite some time ago which was proving to be difficult to process with my machinery. The Oak is as hard as nails and very heavy too and I didn't want to damage my equipment.
I asked the owner of the yard if he would consider cutting the large pieces (200mm wide by 100mm thick and 2 metres long) down to centre. The plan was to use the oak as the work surface for an island unit that I wanted to make for the kitchen.
To my amazement, he not only agreed but said, if I would help him clean up the area around the saw, he would do it for nothing!
This was not the time to look a gift horse in the mouth so I agreed to return, that afternoon, at 4 pm with my wood.
I loaded about eight pieces into the van and set off to the yard once more. It was pouring with rain but it was nice to be out for the day and as everything in the yard was under the cover of a massive roof it meant we could work in the dry.
I had to wait a little while when I arrived because the owner was loading all of the little cuts (produced when the chestnut fence posts are pointed) into a flat bed truck. The guys Mother had arrived, apparently, she uses all of these off cuts in her wood burning stove (something the tax man would be interested in in jolly old UK).
We moved the truck around to where the band saw was located and cleared all of the debris from the little carriage that ran past the band saw blade. It looked as though it had not seen the light of day for years with the track itself not visible at all.
To my amazement, and something that made me start to feel a little embarrassed, the owner started to dismantle the fittings of the saw - the bed and guides had a modification to allow it to be used for the pointing - so that the guides could be re-fitted. Not only that, and this made me feel a lot more uncomfortable because the agreement for doing it as a trade off, he fitted a new blade too.
The track was now clear of saw dust, off cuts and general debris that had been allowed to accumulate and then we blew all of the old 'rubbish' from the cogs and threads of the adjustment and regulation wheels and handles.
All in all, it took about two hours to restore the machinery to a workable status by which time it was dark outside. The rain continued to lash down but by this time I was completely fascinated by what we were doing.
I found it difficult to believe that the owner had gone to all this trouble to help me. I had considered that I would have to pay someone up to 50 euros but yet I was getting it for free and it actually added more value to wood.
Now it was time to start cutting the wood. A bit of tweaking and adjusting and then we clamped in a large piece of Oak. Basically, the saw is static and the wood is passed through the blade by the means of a carriage. The wood is clamped into position and then you adjust the alignment by winding the log in or out. This lets you cut off as little or as much as is needed in the for of a plank.
At the end, I said my 'thankyou's' and was just about to consider giving my new friend a few euros as a a token of my appreciation - after all, he had given up a lot of time and now been able to do his normal work, so that I could benefit - and I think he noticed me putting my had in my pocket. He waved his hand in front of me, almost with a look of being insulted, and gestured toward the now clean work area and said that it had been a fair trade off. I also think he was very pleased to have had a buddy for the afternoon who was genuinely interested in wood.
It didn't prove as easy as first thought. The wood had been in the old workshop in Monflanquin - believed to be an undertakers - for at least forty years. It was extremely hard which even made this massive cast iron, belt driven band saw struggle.
We worked it out that it was a question of speed that was the problem. The 'green (just cut, and therefore soft) chestnut was easy but the heart of the oak had sort of carbonised so it was literally as hard as iron. We had no choice but to slow right down.
It took over an hour to cut the eight pieces down the centre!
The result was sixteen pieces of much more manageable pieces of wood. As you can see from the photo, I have now processed these (slowly) into even small pieces of one sided and two square edged faced pieces of wood so that they can be glued together to form the top of the kitchen island unit.
I have caused myself a little extra work and a possible problem. Once the wood is positioned onto the frame (more about this in a minute), it means that it cannot lay evenly due to the variations in thickness of the wood (the underside is still in an as cut state with the twists and bumps that it had developed as it rested and dried in the workshop in Monflanquin.
I will have to use packers underneath on the frame to keep it rigid and maybe a beading of a consistent width around the border (although I would rather have the natural edge). The hardest challenge will be around the sink (this has to be cut into the surface) which may reveal a range of thickness's - watch this space.
The frame is challenging too. Remember, I am making this all up as I go along! I had limited experience with wood when I arrived so everything new is a massive learning curve.
I now have windows, doors, and some furniture under my belt which I am extremely pleased with but this is the largest piece of furniture that I have attempted. It will also be very prominent so I really want to make a good thrash at it.
I spent nearly all Friday afternoon frowning and telling myself that I could not do it and it was beyond me! This feeling of failure just made me angry with myself which is not a good emotion to be competing with when using a machinery that could cut your nails, right up to the elbows, in a jiffy.
The legs were easy to prepare. I had acquired four old fence posts in the bundle of wood. They were 100mm by 80mm square and I thought would make perfect legs for the unit.
I cut them to size, making sure that they were square at both ends and then planed and sanded as much of the old paint off as possible. I do not want them perfect because I want to create an old authentic farmhouse look.
I then retired for the day. It was Henner's fourteenth birthday (would you believe it, he was Ten we we got here) and we had friends coming round for supper. So, with the 'tomorrow is a another day' attitude I closed the workshop up.
The following day, the sun shone, the clouds were non existent and the opportunity as great as ever and I walked back into my workshop with renewed enthusiasm and a clearer head.
Just before, I had referred to a couple of websites that had free plans for units just to consult on acceptable techniques. It made me feel that I was capable of the job that lay before me. Just take your time and do not rush. If it takes a month then so be it.
I made the ends with the facility for two drawers in each and then glued it all together. (earlier in the day, my now good friend Thierry had brought back the two very long (2m) clamps for me to use (I do not have anything as long).
By late last night (either side of a BBQ and bonfire for all of Henry's mates - now an annual tradition) I had glued both ends ready for today where I hope to have the sides glued to that I have effectively got a table frame that I can start to add the partitions, shelving and holder for the sink during the week.
It was really exciting yesterday and I even overlooked the football (apart from an hourly update) because the adrenaline was in full flow. After all, this is what I wanted to do and I was getting the chance to do it.
It was 10 pm last night that I eventually finished so both ends should be strong enough for today.
I am back off to the workshop now and post some pictures of the prepared oak as well as the frame later today.
