We are building a biomass boiler facility, which consists of a boiler room, an adjoining chip/pellet store, and a log store.
The idea is that we shall get in saw mill waste (slab wood), or any other timber, dry this on site in the log store, and subsequently burn it as it is, or alternatively, chip it into the chip store, and then burn the chips.
In order to get started we are now burning wood pellets which we buy in. This will be on a temporary basis, as pellets are much more expensive than either logs or wood chip.
The first timbers were cut in the middle of February 2008: posts and wall plate. The posts carry the wall plate which in turn carries the tie beams, on top of which the rafters will sit. All of this forms a fairly complicated joint that goes by the name of the English Tying Joint. More on this later.
The wall plate had to be made up out of two pieces, as the saw mill could not supply the full length required in one piece at a reasonable price. Therefore we had to resort to a scarf. The top of the timber as photographed will be the bottom; the difference in the depth will disappear into the roof space of the log store.
At the same time Martyn, our builder, was cladding the chip/pellet store. Eventually the whole building will get this, or a very similar, finish. In this photo the first of two layers of boards has been fitted. The second overlaps the first in a hit-and-miss pattern. The blue tarpaulin in the background covers the top of the western gable of the future log store. At present this is a single skin block wall, which is too porous to keep out the rain. In the end this will also be getting a timber rainscreen cladding.
