Today is the twenty third of June. Two days away from the Den’s birthday it has been a relaxed month since the last post. Work has been done on the back wall which is now finished (although do not have a photo of the finished product yet). I have also built an extension onto the woodshed. More details below.
The back wall has, after what feels like an eternity, is finally done. The cordwood and cob process of the cabin is done. The wall looks very good and I am happy with my choice. It should keep the heat from the fireplace in. This wall although beautiful was a huge amount of work. It has taken 8 huge mixes of cob and a very large stack of sweet chestnut logs. As much as I did not enjoy hauling the sand and clay for the cob, I do think however that I will use this method again for buildings. Perhaps a toilet block with a mass heater.
The new building which has been named the timber store was built for several reasons. The first of which is to store the large logs for chainsaw carving, oak and sweet chestnut logs which will be turned into owls, mushrooms and other such products can be stored here out of the sun. The second is that I am fed up of milling logs out in the open on the floor. So the shed was designed to be long with a high enough roof that I can set up some benches in there. I can then put the logs up at a comfortable height and mill away.
The shed is built out of alder (Alnus sp..), willow (Salix sp…) and blackthorn (Prunus sp…). This creates a nice contrast between orange, white and brown. The poles are set 2ft into the ground. These posts are peeled and charred to keep fungi and boring insects at bay. The frame is a simple post crossbeam and rafter set up. Braces reduce any shaking within the building. This shed took me a day to collect the materials, a day to prep all the poles and then an evening to assemble and put everything up.
This new building should provide a dry, good space to mill planks and carve up some mushrooms. More updates to follow shortly as progress on the walls and roof moves forward. Thanks for reading. Any comments or questions please drop them below.
The Den workshop 