Building the Octagon Pt.24 The Veranda. Pt.2.

*

The first veranda corner to the next side of the octagon towards the shed went remarkably well. The joint was perfect but the far end about an 1/8" low. I think I can live with that because changing the angle would require a minute skew to the miter. It is hard work holding nearly a meter and a half [5'] of 2x8 over your head while dangling from a ladder. So I clamped a nailing plate to the bottom of the fixed joist. This allowed me to rest the new joist while I checked for miter angles and fit on the end of the hand-mitered joists.

Perhaps I should put big red arrows on the images to show the changes? Every one of these images looks almost identical unless you are keeping up with progress. The new piece is on the right close to the shed's eves.

Yesterday evening I put some 2x8s back up as scaffolding planks while I hand sawed the next two joist on the left. It didn't feel safe on loose floorboards sitting right out on the edge of the unfinished veranda. Now I am ready to add the rim joist for the next face of the octagon to the left.

I glanced up at the gibbous moon to see a brightly lit airliner pass straight in front of it. Once I had descended to the ground again I had to walk many yards back to even see the moon over the tall, intervening hedge. It is a shared hedge on the boundary and no previous occupants have show any interest [at all] in trimming it.

I have done my best dangling from a tall ladder but it is mostly very prickly Blackthorn or Hawthorn. It really ought to be levelled to the ground but would need a huge bonfire to get rid of all the debris. Or a very large lorry to take away several loads of prickly branches. Hence the raised observatory just to be able to see over the hedge to see planets rising in the East.

The builder's straight edges which I bought for my 10" OTA have proved invaluable in marking out accurate miters on already fixed timbers. They are incredibly light yet stiff and perfectly straight.

I have been remarkably lucky with the weather. With almost continuous, warm sunshine. Now the weather is set to change to rain and wind. Which leaves me with a dilemma. Should I take down all the loose timbers and cover them in tarpaulins?

If they get wet I can't easily treat them against rot until they dry again. In changeable weather that could take time. Though the veranda support timbers are the most important surface to protect. It is here that rainwater will lie between the joists and planks. I couldn't buy the wood preservative yesterday because the shops were shut.   

I spent a warm, windy and sunny morning fitting the next veranda rim joist on the left. I also [hand] sawed off the extension of the main beam. The second one is marked off with the square and will be sawn off after lunch.

In the afternoon I followed on around and cut all the joists to length after marking with the long straight edge and a square. I am getting quite useful with a hand saw. Rubbing the blade with a tablet of cheap soap has transformed the saw. I used to use a candle to lubricate my saws but that doesn't work nearly as well. I just wish the teeth were still as sharp as when new.

The plan now is to have all the veranda floorboards running parallel with their nearest side of the octagon. This will help to ensure rain running off the roof/dome, or upper building, is shed outboard of the lower storey by aluminium flashing. The veranda will become a separate unit outside the main building's octagon structure.

It will be an interesting exercise in mitering and valuable experience in the use of my adjustable miter square. Built from quality brass, blued steel and rosewood it was bought years ago for a specific job but hardly used ever since. The floorboards inside the octagon will still run from east to west. There is no other logical way of dealing with the large trapdoor and pier aperture which lie side by side separated only by a joist. Talking of joists, I need more timbers to support the Western run of the veranda. I'll also see if I can find some 45° hangers for the joists lying under the veranda's mitered ends.

With heavy rain forecast I lifted most of the floorboards back up onto the upper rim joists. I'm hoping this will allow the structural timbers to dry more rapidly between the forecast rain and showers. Leaving the boards down guarantees they won't dry. I thought of putting a tarpaulin on top but it's a very odd structure to protect in a gale! So it would end up as a sail and probably do more harm than good. There followed a torrential cloudburst!

Click on any image for an enlargement.

*