Update No. 3.
FRONT & REAR FRAME DRY ASSEMBLIES
With over 200 mortices to make throughout the project, I decided to set up the small bench morticer from my old workshop when I was making furniture professionally. I mainly used this machine as a pillar drill and not a morticer, which meant all the chisels have had little use and are still razor sharp.
Here it is set up in the garden on a small table as a sit down job - perfect.
Before moving on with the joints, I've now glued up all 4 tapered posts which I showed in the previous update as a dry assembly. I wasn't sure whether to paint the joint dividers black or leave them in the natural oak. I've gone with the black as per drawings and painted them before glue assembly. I'm very pleased with the result.
The pair on the left with the mortices are for the rear frame and the pair on the right with no mortices are for the porch.
Moving on with the frames, and first up is the front frame with all of the joints made and ready for a trial run of dry assembly. Please note; the joints will look much neater when they are glued/cramped and the frames have been cleaned up with a sharp block plane and 400g sand paper.
I'm using mortice & tenon joints throughout the project. On a full size scale, these joints would have one, two or three hardwood pins (predominantly oak) through the complete joint, known as 'draw-bore pins' or pegs. This old traditional method is designed to permanently pull the joint firmly together. I will be drilling 2mm pins through all of the joints at a later stage, which will be more authentic than structural.
Below is a 2mm hardwood dowel I shall be using as the draw-bore pins throughout the build.
The ground & first floor of the front frame.
The roof truss.
The complete frame excluding the braces and narrow studs.
Standing in position on its base.
And here is the rear frame - again, the joints will look much neater when they are all glued and the frames are sand paper finished.
The ground floor.
The ground & first floor.
I'm using a king post and split collar arrangement. In a full size project, this joint would normally include a loose spline connecting the split collar through the mortice of the king post with a series of draw-bore pins, but I am opting for a slightly easier method by using stub tenons on the connection of the king post and split collar.
The complete frame excluding the braces and narrow studs.
Amazingly, the frame stood unaided as a dry assembly.
I'm signing off this instalment with the installation of a new back drop for better photos during the various stages of the build, and of course, the final photos of Project Merlin standing in all its spendour.
The plan was to suspend the back drop from the beams of the dining room ceiling as and when I need it - and this is exactly what I've done.
Here is the dining room with the adjoining workshop door of hats - The Man Cave.
Here are the hooks screw fixed into the beams. The one furthest away is just about visible.
And here is the back drop in place, ready to pull down and dress over the dining table to form a photography studio.
Then back in the bag with the pole, ready for storage until it's required to come out for a photo shoot.
That's it folks!
Report back soon with the outline of the build really taking shape - and in the new photography studio with some splendid photos - hopefully!!
Cheers.
