80 holes to drill

Thursday on the canopy.

Wednesday the team spent the whole day drilling, and Thursday was much the same. There are approximately 80 holes to drill, and a slightly smaller number of rivets to fit. The difference is accounted for by a handful of places that can only be secured by bolts.

 

 

 

It's the fascia boards that need most of the holes, on average about a dozen at each end.

On Thursday we had secured a second mag drill, so John was able to work on one end...

 

 

... while Neal was on the other.

 

 

Mid morning we received a surprise visitor - former Broadway gang member and avid blog reader Phil.

As Phil had a fair knowledge of our gastronomical inclinations, he came equipped with a goody bag:

Danish pastry, chocolate biscuits, a chocolate and cream cake...

Phil was made very welcome indeed! Thank you Phil, hope to see you again soon, when the job permits.

After his departure - Phil is still of working age, so cannot attend mid week, when we are mostly active - we decided to use the natural break to get some chairs and sit on our very own balcony in the sun.

Although the outside temperature was only about 4 degrees, it felt like 8 in the sun, and very luxurious.

 

Then it was back to work.

It took a long time, and we've gone through 3 broken broaches now, but eventually we had this end done, with no fewer than 20 holes, all ready for rivets now.

In the afternoon we stopped drilling due to various missing bits we need (John will pick them up when passing Toddington next), and Neal decided to finish off the end of one of the fascia boards.

Here he is cutting an aperture, ready for fitting a piece of angle.

The length of angle was then spot welded on to the end (the spot welds will not be visible once complete).

This picture shows the just fitted angle in place, while Neal is drilling two more holes for rivets, which will then be seen to secure that angle (and not the spot welds).

As the sun began to set and the sky began to turn golden, here is an overall view of all the steelwork we have fitted. (and made!)

We have got around another 20 holes to drill, principally at the ends of the purlins, and to secure the extension pieces on the end of them. Those will then hold the end boarding.

Our last picture on Thursday shows the golden glow of the setting sun at Broadway - enjoy the light !

Friday on the canopy.

We are pushing on relentlessly, with the aim of getting ahead of ourselves so that we have a reserve of days. You never know what the weather might throw at us. 

We've been lucky with the weather. Despite the cold, there has been sun, and just imagine what it might have been - heavy rain and stormy winds! It was minus 3 this morning on arrival, but in view of what could have been, we didn't complain.

A fascia board end, at minus 3 degrees C.

While John was in the workshop at Toddington preparing the extension brackets for the ends of the purlins, Neal made a bracket to finish off the ridge purlin.

In the picture you can see him cut a shape out of a length of angle. That will go on the end at right angles (see below) and will serve to attach the boarding for the end.

Welding, under a glorious sky.

Neal actually made two of these little pieces, and tack welded them on, back to back, pointing downwards.

A hole will be drilled at the top, so that we can pop a rivet in and make that the real fixing point.

The extension pieces will reach out as far as the little pencil mark on the supporting woodwork of the footbridge steps roof. It's only a thin line, so we've marked it with an arrow for you.

 

 

 

With the ridge purlin bracket finished, Neal turned his attentions to the second corner bracket, which keeps the canopy square. All these pieces were made at Toddington two or three years ago, and are now coming together.

The corner bracket was also tack welded, and then holes were drilled for rivets. Bolts (picture) will hold everything in place until the riveting day.

In the picture the broach has just come out the other side, propelling the little piece of waste in its middle.

This is the other end of the same bracket, in the process of having two holes drilled.

Our broach wasn't long enough to go through 3 layers of steel and an air gap in the middle, so the corner bracket had to come off again here and be drilled separately.

That job was also completed.

The last job before lunch was drilling holes in the end of the Malvern side purlin, where the extension piece will be attached.

Yours truly then had to excuse himself for a medical appointment, but progress was that far advanced that we can afford to take Saturday and Sunday off (we just worked a 5 day week, solid!) and go for the actual riveting on Monday. We've done this before of course at Broadway, so the team is well practised. We're nonetheless giving ourselves two days for the job.

See you next week then.