 |
| Drilling the top of the plank while standing on a ladder |
Well, I have finished drilling all the holes, inserted all the dowels, and managed to get all the various pieces to align.
Drilling holes on the top and bottom of the two side planks was difficult - it is hard enough to drill a straight down hole, drilling it side-wise is well nigh impossible! So I climbed on top of my ladder, and drilled the holes down that way. I am sure there is some sort of clever device for drilling side-ways, but hey I got the job done, feeling both stupid and resourceful at the same time.
Then I laid it all out - again - on the dining room floor, to make sure everything fitted together and was at right angles - it was!!!!
Later this afternoon I started to glue the pieces - and the dowels - together. One has to be careful in the order in which one glues them together. For example, if one first glues the outside frame together, one can't fit the inside planks in, because of the dowels.
Applying once again my Philosophy training, I did several thought experiments before I started the gluing. The order is as follows: (1) Top of left side plank and left part of top plank; (2) all the middle planks, left side only; All done. Once this had dried, (3) top of right side plank and right part of top plank; (4) all the middle planks, right sides; (5) finally, both sides of the bottom plank to the bottom part of both side planks. Let's hope this works out; otherwise I shall blame Platon.
Once the gluing is done and has dried, I shall add the strengthener metal plates. Then I'll under-paint and top-paint. Then hopefully the plexi-glass panels will arrive, and I will screw them onto the door frame. This, too, has been thought-experimented; the metal re-inforcers are on one side of the door, the plexi-glass panels on the other, so there is no issue with the screws of the panels getting in the way of the screws of the metal re-inforcers.
Lastly, I shall attach the hinges, and the door-handle. I am leaving this until last, because I need to inspect the door frame to see where the hinges should go, and to do that I need to open the existing door, which I am not going to do until the new door is ready - just in case the old door falls to pieces upon opening!
All that work, and only another four days of holiday left! Yet worse, the whole house is full of wood-chips and sawdust, and will need to be cleaned again ....
 |
| Drilling of the top of the plank was successful, and the side plank fits it neatly! |
 |
| The same from a distance |
 |
| Frame and doweling fit together well |
 |
| First stage of gluing complete - dining room unusable (fordining) |
 |
| This is the glue I used |
 |
| The bottom has an extra side plank to re-inforce it - the bottom plank is not yet attached |
