Girlfriend's Storage Unit for Chelsea Flower Show. (Pics).

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Mreagleeyes

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Hello all.
The Girlfriend is once again showing a garden at Chelsea this year and I was asked to make an outdoor storage unit.

Here's the Girlfriend's web page.
http://www.kategouldgardens.com/
And here is the RHS link
http://www.rhs.org.uk/Shows-Events/RHS-Chelsea-Flower-Show/2010/Gardens/A-to-Z/A-Joy-Forever

So here is what I have been doing this week.

I used the 4mm Ply backing board to mark out the idea and give the Good lady an idea of what and how it would look.
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First things first. The Alcohol.
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Once we where happy I put pencil to paper and got the cutting sheet sorted. I had to change the bottom draw section height as I was using 150mm wide boards.
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The Timber. 'Movingui', I never knew it existed. Works exactly like Iroko.
I didn't have any say in sourcing the timber, originally we where going to use IPE decking but thankfully the timber didn't have an FSC certificate so the contracted garden builders came up with this stuff.
Needed 42m and got 17m and the supplier said that I could wait a week for the rest. Not good but workable, I therefore decided to make the back section of the piece using 25mm WR MDF.
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I won't bore you with the construction. domino'd, glued and clamped.
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Getting a visual on how the logs will look. The garden has a fire place so we went for some fire wood in the unit.
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The initial idea was to have some steel draw handles and we could not make up our minds. So came up with this. Two cuts with the Festool T55 saw and the 800mm guide and it was done.
Whilst working it out a friend stopped by and suggested after I mentioned that water would sit in the channel that it would be good to turn the door through 180 Degrees so the handle was on the bottom.
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Constructed unit with the MDF frame in the background.
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220mm Wide MDF Frame to be attached to the Timber front frame. I used Dominos' and glue and as many clamps as I could get my hands on.
A note on this. The MDF was 25mm in thickness but the timber was 25.25mm. So over four lengths this became a 1mm difference in thickness. I over came this by ever so slightly shaving of a few micro mm. If I hadn't done this then the dominos' would not have lined up.
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Working out the Draw runners.
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The BBC won't allow advertising, though we all know they do. So I had to take the paint label from a can of Beer and see how it looked. 320 grit, wire wool and sweat created this horrid sight. Always use a full can or as I discovered once I nearly finished the first one that it just collapsed.
We have decided to just get another 5 bottles of Champagne.
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Had some time on my hands whilst things where gluing so had a look at creating a tool storage shelf in one of the lower draws.
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Preparing the Tool shelf and discovered this. Strange how things make you laugh when your alone in a workshop all day.
Note drill bit marks in the MDF. Not good, but sanded out.
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£45 of tools from John Lewis & I bet the Judges never even open the draw. But you never know.
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Another visual. No draw runners fitted yet but had to see how it was looking.
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Finished. Not a great picture but gives you an idea. The Unit is 2340 mm Length X 370 mm Depth X 595 mm Height.
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Left side. I finished the piece with 320 grit and ever so slightly bevelled the edges by hand to remove the sharp edges.
Because of the time scale on this piece there was no time for some fancy detail work.
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Right side. The far right draw proved a pain. It would just not go in right and all the angles where showing a true 90 degrees. Went to bed on the problem and in the morning just took an ever so slight shaving along the left hand side face and removed the problem. Not the best solution but as I have said time was very much against me.
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Packaged and ready for delivery to site tomorrow morning. Thought I would try and put a smile on peoples face's with the Alligator thing. The unit will sit in place and rather than just have a ply cover thought I would 'Jazz' it up a bit.
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A mock delivery note.
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Hope she sees the funny side.
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Alligators must breath after all.
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Carry Handles in top Left corner. Just a piece of 2x2 that runs through the front and back face.
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That's it so far. I'm delivering the piece tomorrow morning and hoping that all goes well.
If your going to Chelsea then stop in and say Hello. The garden is called 'A Joy Forever'. The unit I give about a month though!!!.
Thanks.
 
Lovely Job mate.

Best of look with the show. I love the aligator thing lol.
 
Oh yeah. I'll second the request for in-situ pics.

Great piece of work. It's got me thinking (inspired) of how to lay out a telly stand I've been thinking of for a while.

Eoin
 
I like your sense of humour and your use of masking tape to determine the dimensions! :D
 
That looks really nice, and a serious amount of work. Based on photo 13, I'm not sure we want to see what sort of tool will go on your tool shelf! :D
 
Delivered to site yesterday morning. Weight wise she comes in about 60kg, not heavy just a pain to move, hence the carry handles.
Unfortunately she won't be going to RHS Tatton, Chelsea is her heaven and the best show. Isn't 'Tatton' a planet from Star Wars?.

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More to follow once the garden is finished.
Cheers guys.
 
Patrick, have they actually told you off about the advertising thing? I worked with the crew between 2001-2005 and I don't recall ever hearing gossip about this sort of thing.

It's a great atmos at the show, especially when the weather it kind. Titchmarsh is every bit as gay as he seems (and a bit more) :lol:
 
wizer":1gxx9bfd said:
Titchmarsh is every bit as gay as he seems (and a bit more) :lol:

When I was on the Isle of Wight he was opening the new cafe at the botanical gardens. He was the mayor of the island, he had a space in the carpark coned off and reserved for him. It didn't stop the local traffic warden giving him a ticket because he hadn't paid and displayed! Quality! You should have seen his face!
 
Just checked the RHS website and the garden got a Silver Gilt - so congrats - the judges must have liked the work !!!
 
Thanks. I'm afraid she won't be happy. She got a Silver Gilt the first time & then two Golds.
If anyone has the Stella supplement from Saturday Telegraph there was a double page spread on her.
I'm going up this afternoon so will post some pictures.
 
TrimTheKing":168zkgwq said:
Nice work mate.

Will she be going to Tatton at all? I won't get to Chelsea but generally try and take a trip to RHS Tatton.

He would have to modify it for Tatton:

Drawer for flat cap
drinks area to take Newcastle broon bottles
And a whippet kennel
 
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