21. Someting to say.

At last I have something to say so here is an update.

I seems that I have not done very much but, I have finished (but for a corner or two) the second layer of ply to the sides, and I have started the second layer to the bottom, and I have sourced a gearbox on Ebay which I had to get from Anglesea, that is in North Wales for my foreign readers.

Not quite true as I had the box picked up by a courier, it went to Milton Keynes central depot where they weighed it and from there they would not deliver it! I thought, in my naivety, that it would weigh about 10-12 kilos but it turns out to weigh 45 kilos! So an 80 mile trip to Milton Keynes to collect it and a morning gone … it looks a bit scruffy but it is a Borg Warner Velvet drive 71C 1-1 ratio, for which I paid £250, a new one is £1800! I am advised that there is a small oil leak from one of the O rings, but my biggest concern is that it came off a boat with a 27HP engine. So the poor thing is now going to have to cope with 185HP!!!! I am told that this is the gearbox I need so please keep fingers crossed. The first thing is to have it cleaned then Colin, who is supplying my engine, will probably do the ring and service it. And on that very note the engine is due to arrive in two weeks time.  So here you are, Sam, some pictures.

I also had to drive to Ipswich to collect some clamps/cramps and timber that I sent back from New Zealand. Ipswich is a 266 mile round trip and all I can say is that they have better roads than us over in Buckinghamshire! Amongst that timber is a very nice piece of Zebrano, and African timber that I bought over six years ago and that had been languishing in my NZ garage. Please see picture. There is also some Australian ‘Black Bean’ timber that is lovely, dark like Walnut but does not bleach in the sun (I hope).  I shall try to incorporate them both in the Greyfalcon.

I aslo bought the Sapele that I need for the final coat of timber on the bottom and sides. As it needs to be cut down to 6mm, I have found a local company that has a re-sawing service so I shall get them to cut it all into 65mm X 3000mm X 8mm so that I can finish it adding a bevel that I need to fit it. (basically so that I can tuck one board under that last board, which will mean no visible fixings).

So, add to that a small coffee table I made for my neice’s new apartment and starting the five yearly painting of the house windows not to mentiopn that the dog, Wagner, has not been very well and I have not been a slouch, honest!