Mother Courage Construction Journal - Day 1

7th January 2012

The first job of the build was to unload the materials, lay them out and create a plan of action. 

With the help of Richard and Ginge we were hoping to get the build done by tomorrow afternoon as there was a greater manpower. 

Materials

Materials

Step one - building the smallest of the three tombstones. Using recycled 6 x 1 from In Extremis Richard created the basic box frame with two centres.  

Ginge and Ricky hard at work.
Because the flat is smaller compared to the other two it doesn't need to have vertical and horizontal internals.  

Cladding the box with 4mm ply

This is the base for the flat made from 18mm ply

In effect just a box really.

This is me doing some drillint

Hurrah! Two sides to the base. This tombstone is static so it doesn't need casters or extra support

Putting a lid on the box

Using the Festool to cut the ply down

Attaching the base to the flat

Attaching the base to the flat

Kie tells Richard that it needs to have a sloped effect. So Richard sticks some ply on it. 

Ta dah!

Fixing it in

Both sides of the flat's base. The angled side is the front.

Richard trengthens it

Rich and Ginge clad the base

Cladding the base

Finished

Richard clad the top of the base then cut holes in for the ladder that we previously build for In ExtremisI

The Ladder can be removed

But it is quite secure!

Ginge working on the casters for the kinetic bases

he uses counter sunk hex head screws to keep them in tight

We work out a way of fixing them to the base

Something like this. (I'm making rips in the background)

Meanwhile Rich and Fitch work on the middle sized tombstone flat - this time having to add vertical formers to keep it strong and square.

Richard uses the Festool to cut down the cladding

hurrah! One wheel on the base

All four wheels on and we've even worked out how to join them together.

The day was very productive, one flat is done and now that we know what the processes are we can work at a higher pace. Ginge and I have planned to make one more base then move onto the cart whilst Richard and Fitch make the flats. 

Having Ginge around is great, it means that the productivity is higher and the banter levels are doubled.