A bit of a tool job.

Workshop rebuild project – part one.

Last month, in writing terms, I was pleased to announce the completion of my CLC Skerry project and it’s then almost imminent launch onto the Tamar. Almost in celebration I mused a bit about what I might do next, the kind of thing I had in mind for the next winter project – the time when I really need a project to work on – was another boatbuilding project and most likely one that would start from a kit and a complete build rather than a rescue and refurbishment : however I quickly realized that the big job I had to do was rebuild my cold and damp workshop.

I knew even then that the workshop needed a new roof and a properly laid concrete floor rather than what it had up until 2 weeks ago – a floor partially made of heavy granite blocks, some of it just bricks and the rest of it comprising several different levels of concrete screed applied over a mixed granite and earth base. In preparation for the main effort I started heaving everything outside and storing most things under or on top of my long boatbuilding bench : crucially that included all of my hand tools and my bench mounted pillar drill which took 3 of us to lift the motor head off of it’s pillar and base – how I got it mounted on my lonesome I have no idea.

Then, in one long session, I took my main workbench apart and that is now nothing more than additions to the pile of scrap timber outside the workshop : the bench was always an oddity because the working surface, while being flat and level, only meets the floor because each corner post is a different length to match up whatever piece of floor it’s mounted on – oh for a big rolling workbench on a flat floor !.

This week, when I came to work on the Skerry again (of course it’s not finished) I couldn’t find any of my hand tools as they were all in a crate somewhere else and the big pillar drill, which I really needed to help me drill bolt holes for the new trailer drawbar is in bits under the outside bench. Making some oar/rowlock risers was ok but only if I used the kitchen work table but trying to drill a new length of square section Aluminium ‘tube’ for the new drawbar was the proverbial PITA (nautical term) and it took all day – and that with newly bought drill bits, new center punches and a recently bought battery drill.

The risers aren’t my best work……..

As of the third week of my workshop floor project I am most of the way with heaving out the heavy quoin stones used for some of it and equally most of the way with smashing out the concrete parts (by hand) and have only a small section left to do when I can arrange the hire of a ‘Kangoo’ hammer. After that iv’e only got 25 square meters of soil and granite/slate to dig out – the floor being part of the old (steam) engine house which serviced the mine next door – of that only the capped shaft remains. Most of the floor now only exists as a pile of broken up concrete and i’m waiting to hear from my neighbor’s partner, who is going to be the projects builder, whether I can reuse the broken concrete as a hard core sub base for whatever has to go in before the new slab is cast.

In week three of the project I don’t have a bench that can be used and most of my tools I have made inaccessible or just very hard to find so instead iv’e had to go back to an older practice from my cruising boat owning days – making up a bag of tools small enough to go in a boat locker but with enough tools immediately on hand to do jobs such as fitting a new drawbar to a trailer or, with a bit of help from the kitchen table, making up some new rowlock risers. For my self imposed last week on Youtube iv’e been serial watching countless video clips about the ultimate edc tool bag etc etc – there being lots of them (dust collection systems are my other video obsession right now – boys and their tools eh !

A couple of hours work with a bench, a pillar drill and all of the right tools in one place……..two frustrating days without……!

Right now, at least mentally, I am designing the ultimate workshop layout and fantasizing about what tools I would like to have – this week for example I had a gander around Maunders – local country/animal feed and tool store although I came home to continue with the hard physical work of bashing away at the concrete with a new cold chisel and my big smacky hammer – I can only manage about 20 minutes per session so it’s going to take a while.

The old roof support/compression post which I am slowly working around – I will have to put a temporary one in to hold the roof up while I take the old one out.

This week…..

Several hours spent completely reorganising the outdoor build space, which had turned into a total heap as I brought out more stuff and scratched around to find somewhere for it to go – at least temporarily ended with me having an outdoor workbench and most of my ready tools in a snazzy new tradesman’s workbag just as I used to keep all of my useful tools aboard the little Liberty.

This week so far, as I write, the hardest couple of hours work was spent in hacking out two square feet of hard clay and mixed rocks to the eventual depth of the floor to be sub base so that I can temporarily set one of the large and flat rocks that iv’e heaved out so far so that I can base a temporary post to hold the roof up so that I can continue getting the old compression post out.