( Having split this page I don’t know for certain if you landed here or have read the other pages first. So, it is probably best to give you a quick summary. )
The project is to build a 12th scale lighthouse with a Gothic twist.
It’s not meant to be authentic although many of the details will come close to that.
This is something to keep me busy over the C-19 lockdown and may figure in my storytelling at a later date.
You join us I would say roughly two thirds of the way through the build.
Still a lot to do.
25th May MMXX
After a long break doing other things, it's time to get back on with the lighthouse I reckon.
I've got a list of jobs to do and most of the low hanging fruit has already been picked of course.
I need to start working on some of the details, including the main story line. There might be a slight clue in this picture...
28th May MMXXI
Moving from one floor to the next was always going to be a challenge when space is so tight in a lighthouse.
Stairs would just take up far too much useful space so I went for a simple ladder well such as was used on the last but one Eddystone light.
Installing a ladder, made from pine and bamboo skewers, from the ground floor to the operations room proved more challenging that I had anticipated though.
The original plan was to leave the floors loose so they could be slipped into place with the ladder in place.
That worked fine but then I discovered that one of the fitted pieces of furniture could not be replaced with the ladder in place. Darn.
The solution in the end was to divide the ladder and create a hidden joint so that the ladder can be inserted with the floors already in place. Fiddly but possible. Job done.
You can also see in this picture the last major bit of furniture for the Galley. The Welsh Dresser on the back wall.
Starting from a cheap bare wood piece again, fettled up, stained and waxed.
Now we can really see how "snug" everything is.
30th May MMXXI
Page Three
You can visit Page One here or Page Two Here.
There comes a stage in most builds I guess when needful but unexciting jobs start to pile up on the bench. I’m looking at a few of those now.
I bought these candle sticks quite some time ago and they need to go into the build soon in order to hide the wiring but converting them to take the bulbs and holders has not been one of my priority jobs.
Simple enough really. Just two sizes of drill, one for the holder and one for the wiring through the base. Only took a few minutes really. The wiring will go through the surface they rest on and into the circuit, out of sight, from there.
One will go into the bed cabinet today but the other two will wait in store until the furniture they rest on is built.
31st May MMXXI
One of the big logistical challenges in a lighthouse would be lifting heavy equipment from the base to the top of the tower.
Building a winch was always going to be part of the plan but I put it off in order to have a careful think about how it would work.
In the end I decided on a simple floor mounted winch and a moveable beam for the crane.
I used pieces from an old defunct clock to provide the gears (Fully working of course. ) and I will wind it with some of my precious linen cod line, bought on a trip to Norway some years back.
1st June MMXXI
Following on from yesterday, here is the winch in more or less it's final position and I've mounted the jib arm and lifting tackle.
The winch is not fixed yet because I need to see how it will fit around the work bench that I've not built yet.
The beam retracts back into the room allowing the door to be closed of course.
