Cabin update: Hewing, digging & milling!
We are very excited to bring you an update on the Cabin build! Read on to find out about the axe hewing, the digging of the post holes and the mobile saw mill. We also have another call out for carpentry and support team volunteers at the end of the blog - please get in touch if you would like to get involved volunteers@andovertrees.org.uk (please include your phone number!) Right, lets get started…
Hewing
On the morning of Friday 11th June the timber arrived! We originally thought that the Larch and Western Red Cedar trees, which had been felled at the nearby Harewood Forest, would need to be transported on several loads, now here they were on THE most enormous truck any of us had ever seen! So the next question was will it get through the gate?! Thanks to the phenomenal skill of the driver, the lorry passed through the main gate by the Anton Sports ground and along the gravel path before reversing back through the Andover Trees United gate into Harmony Wood. A crane was then used to lift the logs - measuring 41 cubic metres, 28.7 metric tons - into the dedicated hewing area.
On Thursday 17th June, the first of the carpenters arrived and they immediately set to work building a fully-functioning shower which was plumbed into our mains supply and had its own generator to heat the water!
Over the course of Thursday, everyone helped to set-up camp and then the hewing commenced! By the following morning, all 20 carpenters (from right across England) had arrived on site and were busy chipping away. Unfortunately, the torrential rain arrived too but this did not stop the carpenters or our amazing support team - it was a remarkable effort!
A total of 10 ATU volunteers worked alongside the carpenters to experience the axe hewing and there was a real mix of people from 20-70 year olds, men and women - it was a truly inclusive group.
On Saturday 19th June, the BBC were on site to cover the project and this footage went out on BBC South Today on Sunday evening.
The carpenters enjoyed meeting Archeologist, Chris Elmer from Southampton University, who gave a talk on the archaeological significance of Harmony Woods as a Bronze Age burial site. Project founder, Wendy Davis, also gave a talk on Andover Trees United and the last 10 years and just how important the cabin and the efforts of the carpenters and volunteers are to the overall vision of the project.
Some of the carpenters left on Saturday evening to get home for Fathers’ Day on Sunday, others on Sunday and a few on Monday when we were down to 10 carpenters to finish the last of the hewing. Some will return for Phase 2: framing & jointing (7th July - 8th August) and, those that can, will return for the raising of the frames (Phase 3) at the end of August (26th-28th).
As the (very tired) carpenters said their “goodbyes” they commented on how happy they were to be involved with such an important project and how thankful they were to all the support team; because without that support the carpenters’ work could not have been achieved.
A special thanks must go out to the 40 people who answered the call for volunteers for phase 1 of the project - you set up-tents, you were up early to cook breakfast, back again with lunch and dinner (cooked at home and onsite), you baked delicious cakes, you shopped, you kept the site looking ship-shape, you refreshed the carpenters and anything that was needed you were there even through torrential rain. You were amazing!
There are now 8, beautifully hewed, 6m posts which will create the inner posts for the cabin frame.
On Tuesday 22nd June a team of half a dozen volunteers, including corporate volunteers from the Co-op, were on-site to clear-up the wood waste. This will be used for lining paths and firewood (once dried).
Children from Appleshaw Primary School were also on site as part of a Roots & Shoots activity to discover what is living in the woods. Appleshaw Primary had taken part in a dress down day back in March to raise money for the cabin project so it was great to show the 20 children the hewed logs and talk about all the action which had taken place over the last week.
The campsite remains in place with all the facilities still functioning and our volunteer team continues to watch over the site day and night. If you would like to get involved in the camping please get in touch. Waking to the Skylarks is truly a magical experience!
Digging the post holes
Last weekend, 26th-27th June we had a team of 8 people digging the holes for the posts.
Steve, Callum, Graham, Karl, David, Harvey, Harvey’s dad & Michael dug out all 16 holes - each one 70-150cm deep and all 90cm square! They had to dig through 3-4 inches of scalping, into the clay and then into the chalk. They worked so hard, in hot weather, their effort was incredible!
The building inspector will now visit the site to approve the holes. He/She will advise if we need to go wider or deeper. When the inspector is happy, the concrete will be poured into the holes, levelled and then the steel feet, which hold the upright posts, will be bolted to the concrete.
Mobile saw mill
On Monday 28th, a huge mobile saw mill arrived on site and work began to cut the remaining braces, rafters and beams.
By the end of the week the timbers will all be milled and the carpenters will be arriving back on site on the 4th July to begin Phase 2.
Call out for volunteers!
We are looking for carpentry volunteers for the 7th July - 8th August so please get in touch asap if you would like to get involved with this experience.
We could also do with a hand keeping the camp clean and tidy. We need a couple of people to come on site between 8.30-10.30 each morning to clean-up after breakfast.
And finally, are there any local Carpenters out there who could help us spruce up our on-site caravan? It requires some slats for the bed and a couple of doors. Once this is complete, our site security team will have a more comfortable night sleep!
GET INVOLVED! Please email volunteers@andovertrees.org.uk (remember to include your phone number!)
