'Rot on the Near Side!'

Another unwanted discovery and another challenge to tackle - the removal of the near side waistband, due to some small inter rib carvings having become rotten, revealed a not so great looking piece of wood hidden behind it. Dotted with rot, falling away and a slither of filler which appears to have been applied to the whole running length looks like a chisel clean up and some serious multitool work to gouge out the bad and piece in the good.

I had hoped to be spared anymore fixing and piecing of the main body and structure - but it was not to be. No point in getting down hearted though, as unexpected as it is, just need to get on with it. There are some good sections at least, so I don't need to replace the whole piece. The removed waistbands (came in 2 sections) will need to be cleaned up too, removing the filler that's been there for quite a long time.

A Tale of Two Halves

It's not all doom and gloom however, after many weeks of phoning, messaging and emailing, I finally found a piece of hardwood big enough to cut 2 new weatherboards out of, replacing the old ones. Even better, the chap who was supplying it, offered to deliver it for me as well. So a big and special thank you to David Hoyle, from Hoyle Hardwoods, for his excellent service and for putting an end to my hardwood weatherboard quest.

Weatherboard templates were made ready during the week, for front and back. The wood was delivered on a foggy Saturday morn. Hopefully, they will be cut out by the end of the week, courtesy of my dad. Then shaped, sanded and primed, the weatherboards will finish off the roof area. Happy Days!