Philou

@The Stationmaster Hallo Mike, or should that be bonsoir? I have now reached the beam and gone beyond (no photo tonight). I was pondering on that very same question as my head flirted with the underside of the beam (thanks to @DonB for the hard-hat suggestion - I do have several!). I'll need to take some photos and make a sketch of how it all hangs together up there. Basically, the beam is attached to a huuuuuge post at the edge of my new frame (visible in the last photos on the previous page) but the post does not coincide with the ridge. There are a pair of beams attached to the post at an angle and lodged in the wall, also seen in the photos. These two beams hold a queen (?) post that supports the ridge. Joining the top of the queen post and back to the wall is another huuuuuge beam that supports the purlins holding up the rest of the roof. The only way I can see to remove the double beam would be to remove the purlins (they're jointed on the other big beam) and replace them with an RSJ of an appropriate dimension - the span is of the order of 7.0m - and cut short and raise the double beam to rest on the RSJ and amend the rest of the existing wood work accordingly. We're now talking BIG engineering works and I expect a fair bit of cash. I've reroofed the barn twice already - but the question of a rail room in the space wasn't really being considered at the time - if only I knew then what I know now, eh? Works in progress for tomorrow will be: Baking my Christmas cake (it's famous in the village now, especially the one of two years ago that weighed in at 5kg (11 lbs)), and doing my Christmas cards, otherwise I shall miss the deadlines. In the afternoon, I shall go back to the barn. Also a quick back-of-fag packet calculations shows I'm going to be a couple of planks short (I know, I know, I'm already short of a few ). it's the ones I used in the stairs. I shall have to re-order. Cheers for now and photos tomorrow, Philip

Hello chums, A little update today. Progress was quite good but I didn't achieve the goal I'd set myself for today. I had set out to finish at the mid way point this evening, but I ran out of puff on the last-but-one. Nearly there - it'll happen tomorrow instead. Here are two photos showing progress so far: I'm not far from that big beam that I mentioned earlier. It seems to be about 1.25m above floor level - it's going to give me a headache! Cheers everyone, Philip

@JeffP Thanks for the info too - I'm seeing my doctor next week as I need to renew my script. My medication is free - as in free - due to raised blood pressure so he can add that at no charge. I was also thinking about your rusting of steel problem - I'm almost certain it'll be down to the large quantities of lime that the French use/used in plastering and jointwork. Our house was constructed using a lime/earth mix in the 1820s, but it's now crumbling to dust. I've raked the joints out and replaced it with a lime/coarse white crushed stone mix. It seems to hold up - but I wouldn't use for anything structural . On to today's business - despite my failed start this morning, I managed to lay 4 additional strips this pm and 2 more will see me the other side of the stairwell. I should have that done before lunch tomorrow. No photos as there's not much to show. I'll post some tomorrow evening. Cheers, Philip

@The Stationmaster Ooh, I haven't heard of that one. I'll make a point of asking at our local pharmacy - they're pretty good. Thanks for the info.

Thanks chaps for the thumbs-up. It's very encouraging. It's non-starter this morning as we were invited to an 86th birthday party across the road - despite not over-doing the food and drink, I get a lot of reflux about an hour after going to bed. It keeps me awake for hours and unfortunately the likes of Gaviscon has no effect. It's the non-return valve that doesn't do its job. I didn't really want to squish my stomach further, so after lunch things will have settled down and I'll be up there. Cheers, Philip

Hello, 'tis me again with an update. Despite a slightly delayed start due to some minor household chores needing attending, I did get off to good start. The first piece of the day was the banana-wood from yesterday. Using a chock (or block) firmly screwed to a joist and a couple of wedges that took but a few minutes to cut using the chop-saw, I was able to straighten it out - bit of a bash with my trusty timmy mallet and bingo! Screwed down tight and almost perfect. Only pausing for lunch, I was able to carry on until I had a safe area of flooring from which I can now work. it means that the scaffolding can come down to be re-erected on the new floor - probably next week. I had a look at the walls from close up (first time ever) and they will need a bit of work to seal them prior to insulating. I was also able to measure up (again first time) the minimum headroom under the eaves - about 1550mm that for me, won't be too bad. What I did espy that perturbed me a little, is a huge supporting beam that holds up the purlins of the main roof. It is lower than it at first seemed from ground level. I can't do anything about it - it's there and I'll have to put a foam cushion along it to prevent low bridge type collisions. I shall have a better idea of clearances once I get the flooring underneath it. Here are a few photos. Firstly, wedging of the banana-wood that I have had to do to nearly all the planks so far: Then a couple of shots of the floor so far - from which I can now work safely. The biggest time-loser will be going back to ground floor, cutting to length and then raising the cut planks onto the new joists: You'll see that I have arrived at the stairwell which for me is a milestone. If I can work around it tomorrow, it'll be job well done. Cheers everyone and keep safe and don't get blown away overnight. Apparently there's a storm over Blighty coming our way tomorrow. Philip

@JeffP Pah! Magnolia twig? We bought the whole tree costing €20. Died 2 years later. I don't think Mrs Philou has green fingers, more like the blackspot when it comes to gardening .

@JeffP Crikey! That is bad! I'm not sure what the soil pH is around here - not much grows in our garden due to the heavy green clay (Marl?) that we have in abundance. In the same garden 20m further away, the soil is much better due to the gentle babbling brook (open sewer more like from time-to-time). Similar to @Andy Hayter, our soil must be more alkaline as we can't get azaleas nor rhododendrons to last more than about 2 seasons. Today's update: I had that moment whilst having breakfast, as I had taken measurements in the barn during the afternoon and I calculated that I cannot get my longer stairs in place due to the scaffolding being in the same space - I did think that it would just over-fly it, but computer says no. I've also started to tap into my strategic reserve of wood for the burner that is in the barn - I need to burn it anyway as wood (unless it's oak) will not keep any length of time. However, I can't get more 'fresh' wood to replace the stock as my planks are now occupying some of the space within which I need to manoeuvre the trailer to get it out of the barn. I can't now take the stairs that are assembled in the dining area as I can't erect them in situ and if I leave the parts unassembled I'm sure they'll start to warp. Having flicked my eyelashes and spoken in my bestest pleading voice, Mrs Philou has agreed that I can leave both stairs in the dining area - but only until Christmas Eve eve as family will be coming Boxing Day. Good-oh, I now use up my strategic reserve to clear the space to take the smaller stairs (I didn't mention that above, did I), and I can also make a start on the flooring - which is why the scaffolding has been kept in place. Once the planks are up, I can get the trailer out. I have a 10 supply - provided the temperature stays as it is at the moment. Later this morning, I made a start on the flooring. Twasn't easy as walking on the scaffolding meant I had to keep my head ducked down so as not to collide with the new joists - felt like Quasimodo but without the bells, the bells nor Esmeralda. Anyway, the first piece was duly cut to length, all 4.9m worth and manhandled up onto the new joists (wasn't too hard) - slid it into position and cut an additional piece to make up the first complete length. Using a long aluminium straight edge I just couldn't get the two pieces to align along their length - not a simple task when working from underneath. I got another ladder and placed it such that I could get more of a bird's eye view and lo! it was a piece of banana wood. It was curved horizontally! I went for lunch ! So, after lunch, I chose another piece, this time near-straight and cut it to length and manhandled it up into place - much better. Screwed it every so often and then cut a third and corresponding fourth piece to lay the second strip. That didn't quite go to plan as it showed that none of my so-called PSE is very SE. Eventually having unscrewed what I had already laid and using a cramp, I was able to rectify both strips so that I now have a reasonable straight setting out line from which I should be able to start laying the floor in earnest tomorrow. It took three and half hours to lay 4 pieces of wood - totally unlike yesterday's progress! Using a chock and wedge I shall use up the bendy piece during tomorrow's session - done it before. No photos to show today but hopefully some tomorrow. Cheers everyone and keep well, Philip

Allo @JeffP, I'm using a mix of steel screws, either zinc plated or bichromate (the yellow ones). The ones in use at the moment are made by EssVe and comes in an Essbox and are Essdrive self driving. looking at the box, they are possibly German in origin. These I bought from my local builders' merchant. I do also use stainless steel ones but these have to date been reserved for external work - mainly the decking. As with you, zinc plated steel does not do too well outside. I don't think the barn will cause me too much by way of problems especially if I manage to completely seal the walls. The main doors are in no great shape and there is plenty of air flow. The only damp that seems to get in at the moment is when there is fog or mist. Cheers, Philip

Good afternoon one and all, A good start to the day, despite the rain and wind. This was the dining area at 10:30 this morning: Twenty minutes later, it was like this, one stringer and the treads and risers indoors: Another half an hour passed by and things were underway: Taraaa!!! Three and half hours from start to finish, I have a completedsecond set of stairs: Now what to do? I have to take it apart completely (keeping a tread and riser as a pair) so as to plane off the risers as all bar one is a little proud - that was down to me ripping the planks to size the other day. I shan't re-assemble in the house as it'll be simpler to do that in-situ in the barn. Off to have a cuppa and nurse my shoulder muscles as they're grumbling. Dismantling can wait until the morning. As the timber is all screwed down there ought to be minimal warping and it'll allow some of the wetter pieces to start to dry out overnight. Toodle pip, Philip

............... and here is the result (couple of screws excepted on Thursday), finished this morning: Cheers, Philip

Hello chums, A little update. It has been a quite fruitful couple of days - from a box of bits and assorted lengths of wood - I now have one completed stair case. I put the last screw in this morning. This afternoon has been one of drilling, counter-sinking and sanding the rest of the treads and risers ready to assemble the BIG stairs tomorrow. I had a practice on 7 treads and tomorrow will be 13. I only stopped Thursday evening because Mr Screwdriver was tired and he wanted a little rest and a drink of electrickery. I am really happy (and amazed) that it all went together without any hassle. The only thing I noticed that the due to the house being much drier than the barn, the last treads that were unscrewed started to warp and not in the direction that I thought they would. Therefore, I have to do the whole of the other stairs in one session. The biggest problem about building inside the house is I have to get the completed items out and into the barn. I can tell you that the short stairs is a 3-man lift!! We shall need to be 5 to get the big one out. What will probably happen is that I shall part-disassemble them by removing the majority of the treads and risers and then re-assemble once in the barn. Just think it as a dry run in the house. I shan't be able to leave them in bits as I don't want the parts to start warping. A couple of photos: This was Wednesday's work, glueing and screwing the blocks onto the pair of long stringers: Come Thursday, I was busy having a dry run with the treads and risers. One advantage of working indoors, I get to keep my slippers on! For Thursday evening's finale, you'll have to read the next post due to the size limitation on uploading photos.

Our pipes are supposed to be brazed (or seeing as we're in France 'braised' - mmmm), as in our village it's very ferrigineuse - full of iron that reacts with the soft solder. I use a form of silver solder that seems to have held good to date. You can leave a glass of water out for a couple of days and it will cloud and eventually turn a nasty rust colour. We don't drink it!! Today was a day of progress and Mrs Philou took pity on me and let me work indoors. I screwed and glued the first set of blocks onto the stringers - so one pair of stringers are now ready to take the risers and treads - I haven't quite worked out how to do that yet. I may sub-assemble a tread to a riser and then screw the pair to the blocks on one side and so on and then present the other stringer to the now bigger sub-assembly. All I do know is that it will be heavy! As Mrs Philou was still being sympathetic I was able to then bring the longer stringers in and mark them out too. To these I can then screw and glue the remaining blocks tomorrow. Steady as she goes. Cheers everyone, Philip

Hello chums, it's me again, Sunday was definitely a 'meh' day. My get up and go had gotten up and gone without me. It was snowing - not a lot - but the typical UK sort of 'it's the wrong snow' - wet and sticky. As the temperature was positive I knew it wouldn't settle but it just didn't encourage me in any way to go out of doors and into the barn. I did a bit of this and that around the house and a bit of train porn - RMWeb and RM that had arrived earlier in the week. Today, Mrs Philou had her evil way of me and we went to town to get a length of pipe for our new wood-burner and an adapter between it and the existing pipework. They had some of the right size on Thursday but none today as I picked up the wrong ones initially. Now I'm going to have a whinge about French pipework - so some may wish to avert their eyes and skip the next paragraph: The French have as many pipes as they have cheeses - in fact so many that when De Gaulle came to power in 1958 he was said to have said 'How can you govern a country that has 300 cheeses!' Well consider this: In copperwork if you go to Castorama (which is part of the B&Q group) you can buy 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, and 24mm copper but not 15mm. You can also buy in brass and iron threaded elbows and connectors in 3/8", 1/2" and 5/8" sizes that will thread directly to UK BSP threads but you can't use 15mm olives. Now, when I went to get my bit of black enamelled steel tube for the burner outlet I was faced with the choice of 100, 110, 125, 130, 139, 150 and 180mm tube. I picked up 130 and I actually needed 139 which is apparently not stocked everywhere - bit of a bar steward size as I have found out. I did come back with a garden hand pressurised spray. Mrs Philou was miffed as she seemed to think it was too much at €60. The last one I bought over 10 years ago was well over £20 in B&Q! I needed one to treat all the new wood work that I'm putting in place and this one is toxic substance resistant. What's more, I shall need it annually for the decking - so ya boo. It was mighty cold in the barn, something I shall have to keep an eye upon when the room is ready, but I did do some wood working in the afternoon by marking out some of the stringers ready to take the 'glue' blocks. The 'glue' blocks I drilled and countersunk ready for screwing onto the stringers tomorrow. I had to leave after a couple of hours as the cold floor was causing cramp in my toes despite two pairs of woollen socks! Anyway a couple of photos: My treads and risers that I cut a few days ago: One of the resident engineers inspecting my box full of glue blocks: Marking out of the stringers. A drawing office set-square can be very useful. The adjustable square is set at 42°: The 'glue' blocks set up in a temporary jig - didn't half make it easier and quicker for drilling and countersinking. I had to remind myself a few times that though they are identical in shape, they are to be laid left-handed and right-handed hence the saw-tooth being different: One thing I have observed, is that the planed wood is still awfully wet despite seasoning in the dry for a fortnight. I just hope it won't shrink too much once laid out! Now that I'm underway, I mustn't lose the old mojo ...... Cheers everyone, Philip

Going to town didn't happen as we had a bit snow and it looked as if it was going to last - in the end it stopped after a short while and the sun came out - still cold though! I did some cutting of wood using the off-cuts that I had from ripping the planks yesterday ans pent the afternoon making what would have been called glue blocks to go behind the treads and risers. Mrs Philou's brother called yesterday and usually I don't listen much to him as for various reasons I think he's a fool, but for once I did take note when he mentioned that screwing horizontally into the treads could make them split. I decided I would do 'glue' blocks screwed to the rails and then screw vertically down through the treads into them. I can also screw the risers into them as well. Better be over-engineered than not enough. The proper way of course would have been to rout the shape of each tread and riser in the stringers and work from there. I'm lucky if I can cut anything square-ish let alone be left in charge of a router! Tomorrow's foray will be to mark out each tread and riser on the stringers and then start screwing the blocks in place - joy. Speak again soon, Philip

Well, despite the sleet and the low temperature, I set myself up as best as possible in the barn and I managed to cut all my risers. I did find that the time saved using the chop saw wasn't much (marking out, sliding into place, adjusting a bit backwards then forwards (bit of 'left hand up a bit, down a bit' springs to mind) making sure the table was square (which it wasn't and it took some doing) etc., but it did save the effort sawing. All cut'n'ready to go tomorrow - though I think Mrs Philou has other plans drawn up to go to town . More tomorrow. Cheers, Philip

@JeffP I agree, when everything goes well it gives a certain buzz - and even if things are not quite as they should be, as long it's all going in the right direction ......... Before lunch I had cut all 20 treads and this afternoon I shall rip some of the planks to make the risers - this I should (for a value of 'should') completely do before nightfall (see below). Funny how things turn up - my daughter's MiL (in the post above) arrived with a newish chop saw. Took pity on me as she heard me hand-sawing away this morning and went to get my SiL's saw. What a good egg! Trouble was I was on tread No. 18 when she arrived . Still I can use it to do the risers - and it was a kind thought. Buqqer, just looked out the window and it's now sleeting !! Toodle pip - more tonight, Philip As a PS, I did the whole of the ground floor in oak T&G - all secret nailed, only 65m²! The barn floor will be simply screwed as its PSE and may be subject to shrinkage.

Hello chaps, I was up at 6:45 bouncing around just like Tigger - until I opened the shutters and found Mr Frost had passed by during the night - it was cold!! Anyway, a slow start to the day ensued with a warming cup or two of coffee and dawn broke with clear skies. Good-ho, thought I and went to attend to my ablutions at I was ready at 8:45 to be met with a heavy grey sky that looked decidedly snow-laden - it went downhill from there . My daughter's mother-in-law called in (she's moved into the village) needing a mobile phone problem that required the use of our land-line (there's no signal in the village and she hasn't a land-line, nor computer). Anyway, it was a worthwhile call to Orange as she was sorted, I having a sim card sent for a cascaded phone from Mrs Philou (I have refused until now to have one) that will cost €10 for a whole year - unlimited texts and 2hrs of calls p.m. It'll be €5 p.m. after a year which is fine as I don't have a use for a mobile (but will have when I go DCC). As a bonus - for free - we can have the latest gen WiFi booster to pass signals around the house as the walls are 500mm thick stone. Things were cheering up. I finally got out at 10:30 and set myself up with a heat wave of +2° , to then find that the chop saw was unusable as the safety guard was broken and there was no way my little pinkies were going anywhere near the rapidly spinning blade in order to move the guard up (wasn't possible to do it with the blade down). Well, out came the trusty saw and away I went. I cut 4 stringers in all, a pair for the main stairs leading into the new room and a shorter pair to get from the ground level to the mezzanine otherwise there would have been no access to the main stairs (doh!). I worked out that I could the 4 stringers and all my treads out of my 250mm wide planking and then 'sacrifice' three lengths of my 200mm wide planks to make the risers? These I need to rip down to a narrower width in any case. I shall have time as I do the floor to determine whether I need additional 200mm planks. No pictures today - it was too cold to hang about! Treads tomorrow and if time rip some planks for the risers. I doubt I'll have time to cut everything. I'll continue Saturday and then it's assembly of all the bits over the following days. More to follow. Cheers everyone, Philip

Why have I a big smile on my face? Because tomorrow is F - Day !!! The flooring has now been in stock for the last fortnight and time is up tomorrow. Someone has kindly lent me a chop saw though the blade is a tad small, I can still make reasonably accurate right angled cuts and finish them off by hand. On Monday, my builders' merchant drew up outside the house (I would have been a tad more surprised if he'd parked up in the house, mind) with 2 tonnes of all-in-one, which surprised me even more as I hadn't ordered any. 'Silly boy', he said. 'Got your 7 lengths of 250mm wide planking on board'. I now have my staircase material too - yay! The choice to make is whether to make my staircase first (which would facilitate access to the new floor area) or to start with the flooring. I think I should do the stairs first - it'll encourage me to 'get on with it'. I have the measurements and the drawing ready (all a bit theoretical due to my poor carpentry skills ). In other news, Mrs Philou bought me a cheapo belt sander from Lidl as my other one's belt drive packed-in - so it's chocks away tomorrow! Regular updates will now follow. Cheers, Philip

The club use a slitting disk on a cheap Lidl/Aldi Dremel type drill to form the sleeper shape after drilling out a starter hole at each end. You end up with what Phil (Harlequin) has shown on his photo except there is a solid web under each rail (very similar to what is under a piece of Peco track). You may choose have the web as the piece is stronger for it especially if you're going across boards diagonally - as Phil has shown. My method is similar to Phil's as I too used hardwood strip under the paxolin copper clad but these were screwed to board and the paxolin screwed to the strip. It happened to work that way for me as the hardwood was the same depth as my underlay. Here are a couple of photos: This is an end-on view showing the construction depth - plywood baseboard, hardwood strip and double sleeper width copper paxolin all screwed and then dressed with ballast and weathered. This was the main running line hence the beefed-up strip: This shows the treatment I did for the sidings/MPD yard. These are single sleeper width again screwed. There is only one used either side of the joint and when I get the layout started I shall use this latter method rather than the double width ones as it does look better aesthetically. However, where joints run diagonally across the boards then I shall use Phil's/the club's style: The main board joint is under a bridge as shown and in normal viewing conditions can't be seen anyway - the camera flash hides nothing! I looked elsewhere, but I haven't got a photo of the club style one - sorry. Cheers, Philip

Our club cut their own from copper clad paxolin board of about 30 - 40 mm length and cut to look like sleepering (left continuous under the rail). It looks just the same as a short length of Peco track as they shape it to suit their needs (straight or curved). Their method is to assemble the board, lay the track over the joint, mark and remove the necessary amount of plastic sleepering. The preformed copper clad is placed in position under the track and when happy screwed into place - not forgetting to make isolating cuts - and the track soldered to the copper clad. The track is then cut along the board joint. Electrical continuity is by DIN plugs. I did have photo but I can't locate it at the mo' - sorry. On my module (00), I just used one piece of paxolin of double sleeper width but the same length as a Peco sleeper (simple right angled joints - no curves) screwed and then soldered. Once ballasted and weathered, unless you look, I don't think you can readily see it - especially from 3' away! I'll take a photo later and post it up (someone is sleeping in the same room as the module as I write this). Cheers, Philip

Just caught up with this topic. The Trix searchlight signal must have gone through various iterations as the one I have has a base with two bulbs within it, but it's the bulbs themselves that are coloured with the light being transmitted to the head via a light tube. All in all, I found that the Trix stuff was quite well made despite scale differences, as the signal could be operated by a switch that could be linked via a bar to another one that operated a isolating section. The switches were of metal. The isolation section switch had a bulb in it (quite a big one if I recall) that would draw current through it and the train would come to a gradual stop rather than a dead stop (I'm not sure how it worked but it did). You had to be careful with the H/D 2-6-4T as it was so free running that the momentum (flywheel effect) of the motor would take it through the isolating section if at too high a speed on approach. I regret not having those switches now (still about somewhere but not here). Cheers, Philip

It arrived!!! Right on cue, just as the last of the nibbles were being munched and fizz was guzzled and yes everyone said 'we'll help' as they all buqqered off to lunch. In the end there wouldn't have been enough room in the barn for two to manoeuvre and it was just as quick for me to do it on my own. All 47 planks are now under cover and levelled. On advice I shall leave them at ground level for 8 days while they start to dry and after that, having borrowed a chop saw, I shall cut them to length and hoist them up in place, letting them rest for another few days and then fix them in place. One or two look as if they come from a banana tree but they'll straighten out using a chock or two and a sash cramp - nothing twisted though. In other news, I also have some decking delivered, so new stairs ahoy. Here we are, a photo of 52m² (approx) of flooring: I now have itchy fingers and want to get started. I'll just have to be patient . Cheers, Philip

As an add-on, I did manage to collect two trailer loads of logs (only a small trailer) and had them cut and piled-up before lunch - so pretty good going all round. Tomorrow is 11 o'clock 1 minutes silence at err 11 followed by a glass of fizz and nibbles for the whole village (I mean at least a glass each, not one between us all, c'mon this is France ) and then (fingers crossed) my wood will arrive. Now, if it's timed right, the whole village will be in the Mairie (which is next door) and when they see me and the enormous pile of wood, they might chip in and help take some into the barn. (They might not have any choice anyway as the last time he delivered, it was right across the Mairie's door!!!). Cheers, Philip

@The Stationmaster Mike, hi, and thanks for the finger crossing. Not only is it a 'bridge' (un pont) but it's 'un viaduc' (more than a three-day weekend). My builders' merchant is getting the flooring today and as he is going into the office tomorrow to do paperwork (not open to the public natch) and it suits him to do a delivery then, as Friday he's got another big delivery and couldn't guarantee me a time. As another SiL has arrived today with his very pregnant girlfriend (just hope there won't be any surprise delivery whilst they're here ), I can keep him busy tomorrow afternoon in getting the flooring in and heaved up onto the joists where I can let them stabilise. I shall update tomorrow to let you know what happens. Cheers, Philip