'Ain't That a Frame!'

At last I had the wood and the templates for the weatherboards, after thinking that I would never find a piece of timber of the dimensions required. Slightly thicker than the original boards fitted, I'm not going to complain, just compromise. Equipped with a jigsaw and an investment in some new blades, for the execution of the curves and decorative scalloped edge. Thanks to my dad's steady hand and patience, he produced 2 new weatherboards, cutting them out of an inch deep hardwood and painstakingly cutting the shape of 44 scallops on the under edge. Once fitted, it will frame the waggon nicely.

From template, to finished weatherboards, to fitting on the waggon. Before the fitting though, they needed to be treated, primed, undercoated and a coat of gloss on the backs to protect them. Once the paint was dry, they were ready to attach and are now fitted. The fronts can now be painted too, when the screw holes are filled and sanded - the prep work is never ending !

There Will Be Clamps

After the initial shape of the weatherboards were cut out they needed sanding down with a belt sander on both sides and stamping on the backs (for identification). The scalloped edges were sanded using a drum sander on the drill, then all the edges rounded off. Armed with 2 large 'F' clamps, to assist with the fitting, the weatherboards were secured. Self- threading screws were placed around every 2 scallops, then 2 longer screws on each end to make them more secure. Now in place and once painted, the roof area will be finished. In all, this area has been a bigger job than was initially thought, with a lot of repairs needed, which were discovered along the way.

With the roof in hand now, attention can turn back to the main body's remaining repairs and priming. However the much cooler weather of late has had me back inside the waggon, stripping the interior. Hoping for some warmer weather soon so that I can look at ordering the paints – undercoats and top coat enamels.