RE: bat day May 16 Re: Work day May 10th

[Kathie Brosemer <kathie@cleannorth.org>]

Thanks, Neil, this is a big relief.

Work location:  either Imagination Station or Tim's workshop.  We need to 
decide immediately so I can recruit.

IS advantages are lots of tables, CN tools and electricity, put things away 
at our leisure.  Disadvantages we have to bring extra tools from home, if 
we fail to predict tool needs we'll be delayed.

Tim's shop advantages are a table saw, lots of outdoor space for paint 
drying if weather is good, lots of tools if we've forgotten anything or if 
surprises develop.  Disadvantage is few worktables (bring from IS?).

Either way, Tim is willing to do some precutting on the table saw on Friday 
night, if you bring the hardwood to him, Neil.

Work party is 9 am Saturday.  I will get the paint and brushes, and a roll 
of newsprint to lay out painted boards on.  Send any shopping list items 
for my Canadian Tire run.  CN has a cordless drill.  Tim has a cordless 
drill to bring, and two staplers and lots of staples.

I will recruit volunteers through a member's E-news as soon as we've 
decided on location.  Who among this list already knows he/she will or will 
not be there?

My 2 cents on design:  get Thayer to cut baffles and strips, don't do the 
router thing.  It's worth the extra $.

k

--On Wednesday, May 07, 2003 4:40 PM -0700 Neil McLean <aurora@bellnet.ca> 
wrote:

> Apologies for the delay in returning. It was only yesterday afternoon
> that I was able to meet with Jim Boniferro, who has taken over from
> Domtar the hardwood mill on Third Line and Peoples road. He has agreed to
> give us a pile of wood, so to speak.
>
> I have completed for your consideration a draft of the bat house assembly
> operations.
> I look forward to your replies.
>
> Material list for a bat house.
> Given Outside dimensions
> 12" (+-) wide
> 13" (+-) tall on front
> 19" (+-) tall on back
> 8-12" Deep - variable, depends on the width of the Hardwood boards that I
> will be getting from Boniferro Mill works (gratis).
>
> 11" x 11" x 1/4" mahogany underlay Baffles  (5 or 6 per house - depends on
> depth)
> 11" x 1" x 1/4" mahogany underlay Baffle spacers. 2" vertical on the top,
> and then a horizontal strip along the bottom and notched
> Sides will be 1" rough hardwood and will need drill holes in order to
> accept screws.
> The hardwood boards form the backbone onto which the front and back boards
> (really rough spruce)  and the roof board will be screwed.
> I believe the hardwood will give the house added durability. (And besides,
> its free and it's a good use of material that was likely on the way to the
> chipper)
> Front and back will be 1" rough spruce. Drill holes needed to prevent
> splitting.
> Roofs will be 1" hardwood, spruce or plywood (whatever is best given what
> we have) and covered on both sides (top and bottom) with a couple of
> layers of tar paper.
>
> 12 or 14 13/4"  #7 or #8 screws. 2" screws may be better. ??
> 1/4"staples to apply the tar paper - of which I have some to donate.
>
> Thayers' lumber is supplying the underlay (at cost), and
> the rough spruce boards 1" x 6" X 30"   -below cost.
>
> I will get Thayer's to cut the underlay into the sizes we want and the
> strips. This may cost $30 but saves our eyes,ears and fingers from
> possible injury.
> As for the spruce boards, there is still some room to vary on how best to
> cut them and that will be best determined after we have picked up the
> hardwood and know the dimensions we'll be working with there.
>
> I will pick up the materials on Friday to deliver to the work
> location -wherever that is....
> Also, picking up from Boniferro MW on Friday. This will be a little more
> involved as I will have to pick through pallets of random sized wood.
> But it should take a couple of hours or so. Not a problem.
>
> What we want at the end of the work bee.
> Minimum 5 completed houses - more as we feel fit.
> Remainder out of 50 as kits.
>
> The kits will be ready to assemble with a screw driver, a staple gun and
> custom rake. The rake is bunch of sharp nails poking through a piece of
> wood. We use the rake to roughen the surface of the baffles. To save our
> hands from slivers, I suggest we roughen the baffles just prior to final
> assembly.
> The outside surfaces of the assembled house should be finished with black
> paint - except the landing strip which is on the inside back.
>
> This is how I see Saturday morning.
>
> 1 or 2  wood sizing lines. 1 person/line
> To cut spruce and hardwood pieces to length
>
> 2 Pre finish assembly lines  1 person/line
> to collect all the parts into a single kits and to drill holes where
> needed to apply the baffle spacers and the baffle blocks to the sideboard
> insides
>
> 3 or 4  painting lines - 1 person/line
> to paint the pieces.
>
> As the first two lines have finished, they can move to painting.
>
> I think the bottle neck is the painting. I think two coats may be needed.
>
> For those kits that we assemble on Saturday, it will be easier to paint
> them after they are assembled.
>
>
> Kit assembly instructions.
>
> 1. Lay the sideboards up on end so the back is laying on the table
> surface. 2. Apply the front boards to the sideboards. Ensure tar paper in
> place prior.
> The tar paper will act as a caulking.
> 3. Flip the assembly on to the front
> 4. Rake the baffles to roughen the surfaces
> 5. Slide the baffles into place.
> 6. Apply the backboards. Ensure tar paper in place prior.
> 7. Apply the roof. Ensure tar paper in place prior.
>
> There are more details to be sure, but we won't know them exactly until
> the board configuration is confirmed.
>
>
> An important part of the design is inside the width, which must be wide
> enough to allow the baffles to slide into place, but not so wide that the
> spacers cannot keep the baffles in place.
>
> There are variations we can play with. For example, if we wanted to spend
> the time with the router, instead of applying the spacers, we could route
> grooves on the inside of the side boards. I like the design, but I think
> that its's a lot of work for the router. If someone is willing to do the
> router work, then great! If so, we would change the inside width to 10 1/2
> and assume 1/4"+ groove depths. It's a cleaner design, but I did not want
> to assume the router duty, nor impose it on someone else.
>
> A table saw would be nice to have. Indeed given a 1/4" dado blade, we
> wouldn't need the router.
> I have a reasonably good circular saw for cutting the boards. A couple of
> saw horses would be handy.
> We'll need as well:
> 	Coffee (if I get my roaster finished, I bring some fresh)
> surfaces for setting up the assembly lines and for placing the wet painted
> pieces.
> paint, thinner and brushes.
> 5/32" drill bits and electric drill/s.
> 	music
> 	cover in case of rain - at last look 60% chance
> http://weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/forecast/city_e.html?yam
>
> Cheers
>
> Neil
> Pointe aux Pins
> 705-256-1493
> 705-779-3252 home