Wednesday January 24, Wednesday February 7, Monday February 12
Rage Against The Machine
We had been waiting for ages for Greg’s fancy electronic spindle-moulder to be fixed – something was wrong with the motherboard that nobody in Australia seemed to know how to fix. After many false starts and nine months later I found out Greg had an old spindle-moulder, perfectly capable of doing the job! The extra time the weatherboards spent drying in Greg’s workshop didn’t hurt (and allowed him to finish another job) but it did make for a mad rush to get the weatherboards on and the project finished – I had a deadline to have photographs taken and enter the project into the architecture awards.
Sitting pretty: a batch of weatherboards machined and ready to go
Precision
Machining the weatherboards was the same process as before (see earlier post): dock roughly to length, thickness through the thicknesser, gauge (width) on the table saw, route the rebates on the spindle-moulder. This time Greg decided to measure each bay for the cladding on the house (section of 4, 8 or 12 boards) and cut them accurately to length at the workshop. Because some of the boards still had a slight bow, the saw at the workshop with a longer ‘fence’ allowed for the cut to be squarer. There was also the added degree of difficulty of some boards needing to be slightly wider (taller) than others – to cover up to window sills and various slight vagaries. This took a fair bit of working out. I’m only talking about 5-10mm per board (you would never pick it by looking at it), but added up over 4, 8 or 12 boards it makes quite a difference.
Finesse: Greg shaving a board for a level fit
Paint by number
Greg delivered the boards, all numbered. I then oiled each end to prevent water getting in and to try to slow down any future shrinkage. We also went to the trouble of pre-drilling each of the boards before nailing them up. This different method to the first batch of weatherboards took longer prep time but much faster installation, and we still had most of the timber cladding to go.
Section 4: oiling the ends of the boards to prevent water soaking in and minimise shrinkage
Measure, mark, drill: pre-drilling each weatherboard to make installation faster and easier
Cut and shuck
The boards needed to be fitted around the pipes protruding from the building – waste from the sink and laundry. Greg could do this basic plumbing, but for the pipes to the external hot water cylinder I needed to get a plumber down to cut and then reconnect the pipes. My usual plumber Ian was out of action with a broken collarbone so I got Reggie from the cricket club to come down. While he was on site Reggie also made the spout for the free-standing bath and connected it to the mixer.
Waste not want not: fitting the boards around the plumbing from the laundry and kitchen
Quick fix: Reggie working on the pipes, Greg working the boards
Resourceful
As Greg and I were working our way around the building, replacing the temporary corrugated iron with seasoned weatherboards, I noticed some of the original boards we had put on a year earlier had shrunk so much there was a gap appearing. Not good. I calculated we had just enough, nearly enough, boards to replace the existing weatherboard sections along the north wall. It was a struggle finding boards wide enough from the second batch of boards so we had to machine a couple of older, aged boards (you can see these greyed boards in the finished photos to be posted soon).
Easy: Greg working away at a comfortable height (for once)
Spot the difference: one odd board that was on top of the pack and has aged grey-cefully
Finishing
We also changed the corner detail from the original batch of boards – the new and improved version has a traditional timber end stop that the boards but up against (and conceal any minor height differences). I have since applied a coat of Feast Watson water repellant deck oil to the weatherboards. Again it was a struggle to find a clear oil that would protect the timber – most of the products are tinted ‘timber’ colours.
Corner: outside the bathroom
Missing piece: corner, minus the end stop
Wet & dry: oiling the boards – wet on the right, dry on the left, clear finish
Local
While the boards themselves were effectively free – coming from the trees milled onsite – it took considerable time to machine them after months of drying, and longer than usual to install. Another nice idea that was intended to save money but probably ended up costing more. But the cladding was always more than just a cost-saving initiative – it was about being resourceful, using timber that was available, very local (from the site), experimental, and referencing the local fruit-picking heritage of the area. This building is literally of the place.
Comfort: Greg nailing off the boards on the west wall
Wall of timber: the blank wall to the west
Variety: the natural differences from the timber weatherboards
Costs: plumber – $275; flashings – $245; materials – $220; labour – $4926, oil – $90
Disclaimer: Any advice contained within this blog is of a general nature only and cannot be relied upon. Details provided are in good faith and relate specifically to this project. Any author will not be held responsible for advice or information presented.