Shepherds Hut stove build 2

 Most common tool used: the angle grinder.  I found that the casting was generous and I have had to grind all the pieces that fit together.  Though I think I have ground the cowl down a little to far.  I am hoping that fire cement will prevent this leaking too much smoke.

I think it should have been slightly proud of the rest of the casting, but I am not sure.  I had to do a lot of work on this piece to make it fit properly.  The corners proved difficult and in the end I used a Dremal with a grinding stone to slowly grind out the corners.

If I had the money I would have been tempted to get hold of a milling machine.

The other thing with cast is it is so hard, and difficult to weld so no short cuts there!  However I did use a high temperature epoxy (JB Weld) in a few places just to hold the thing together.

The damper and the stove top, were ground into the right shape and added.  Its finally looking like a stove.  The instructions said to drill out two holes on the underside of the top and tap in two screws.  I failed in this. The holes were too shallow to hold the tap properly.  The next time I am down in Bridport Foundry I will have a look to see how the have fastened them on.

I didn't want to drill straight through as that would spoil the look of the top of the stove.  

The damper was easy, and only needed a bit of filing around the sides.

Next was the ash draw and air vent.  Nice and straight forward.  I bent a piece of steel sheet to fit, pop riveting it together and using pop rivets to hold it onto the cast front plate.  The small silver knob I drilled and tapped ready for a M6 screw.  I really like the way the writing on the cast show through.  I Cant help wondering what the No1 Stove looked like as this one is pretty small.  Ideal for a shepherds hut.  When we have stayed in shepherds huts they have been so well insulated that they invariably got too hot, I am hoping this mini stove will provide enough heat without turning the hut into a sauna within a few minutes.

Shepherds Hut stove build 1

Stove Build. 

My retirement project is building a shepherds hut, but before I get started on the main event. I am putting together a small stove from Bridport Foundry. They cast the main parts and you are left to do the drilling and fitting together of the various bits.  Airfix for adults really.  These are the parts:

The first job is to drill holes in the side pieces of the main stove.  I needed to buy Cobalt drill for this as my normal metal drills would not touch cast, and I burnt out two trying.  Live and learn.

 
These need to line up with the floor plate.  Easier said than done.  The plate that make up the four sides of the fire need quite a bit of grinding and thinning of metal to fit properly. but after a lot of work the four side fitted flush at the top.

This is important to get right or the tope of the stove will not seal properly.

Chimney Cowl.

The next bit I worked on was the chimney Cowl, which needed a rebate ground into it so it would slide into the back of the stove.

 

    You can see the amount I have ground off on the flat edge at the bottom of the picture. I have struggled to find something that will grind into the corners of the stove.  My 5 inch angle grinder is a bit unwieldly, so I tried a Dremel but only burnt through milling bits.  I have now bought a multi tool and hopefully that will enable me to get into the corners. 

 Allotment. Getting ready for Winter

Covering

The runner beans ran away with me this year, getting to the top of eight foot poles and producing so much.  But today (29th October) it was time for them to come down.  I cut them off the poles and mixed them into rotting wood chip and have covered with black plastic for the winter.  Later on if I have time I may spread some farm manure.  This should all rot down nicely for spring planting.  You can also see in the picture the Chard is still doing well and will provide winter greens for us.

Next year I shall grow less, as although I like runner beans, there comes a point when I can't face yet another meal with them in.  I also learnt the hard way this year that you have to pick them young or they go stringy very quickly.  I will also try a stringless variety rather than a heritage variety next year.

First Nuc sales

 I have always enjoyed queen rearing and building up new colonies, so I suppose it was a natural progression to start selling Nucs.  This year we have four spare nucs for sale.  The first two went without any advertising!

The first buyer left me a correx box which I managed to squeese the colony into.

I put a thick Nuc roof on top to stop the sun heating the small box too much.

Rosemarie's Quilt

Rosemarie's Quilt

My grand-daughter has out grown her first year clothes, so a quilt made up of them seemed a good idea.

First I cut a five and half inch template.  The size seemed to fit most of the clothes while preseving patterns and pictures.

Of course it has to be square!  After sewing together this should give me a five inch square.

Next was cutting out.  A lovely day to sit out in the sun and cut with the aid of a rotary cutter and cutting board.  This is by far the easiest way of cutting out.

Well what a nightmare putting it together was! Different materials and thicknesses led to lots of machine snarl ups and Brocken needles. I ended up hand quilting sections as it was too difficult for my machine.

Anyway its finished.

Hot day at Tavistock Fishery

 Hot Trout.

With the bulk of the fishing season ruined by Corvid, I have endeavoured to make up time on the lifting of restriction.

Mid August, high pressure, and hot, everything was against this being a good day. However I had promised to take Nic so she could enjoy the tranquility of the place.

It proved surprising with two fish landed three lost while playing in. A long Cast and steady retrieve with a white gold head fished a foot or so down was the killer method today.

Willow Fencing.

Willow Fencing

One of the frustrations of moving every two years is the expense of making a new garden, again and again.  I have finally hit upon a good way of forming raised beds which last about two or three years and can be easily dismantled/  (We have to return the garden to truf when we leave/)

This year I bought willow from Somerset Growers at £10.00 for 10K quick delivery time meant ti was here in a couple of days and still green enough to bend for fencing. My first attempt was not pretty, but I learnt a lot.  I am always better trying soething out first and leanrning as I go; howver the end result while not pretty was functional.

I tried a basket weaving techneque on the top but it failed and I had to improvise by wrapping withies round the top to hold it down.  I put the uprights too far apart and made the corners too sharp.  Lessons learned I tried again in the front garden.

This time I made sure the uprights were long and that they were about 10cm apart.  I put aa curve in using a hose pipe to follow.  The red T bar made putting in the withies a piece of cake.

I used two withies at a time and put a twist in after every upright this made a solid wall and looked a lot better than just the in and out I tried on my first bed.

This is after three, layers, its already looking fairly neat.

The finished article.  On the top I used a basket making finishe called 4 behind 2 in front.  There are lots of different ways to fininish but I like the siplicity of this one.

Now all I have to do is fill it with compost and fill it with plants.