Firstly I finished off a few tasks that I had been a bit tentative about on the previous Saturday.

I fixed lengths of 45 mm x 1m pine against the hanging beams top and bottom to support the template stringer.

For the upper piece I needed to rip a piece of 45 x 90 mm down to 45 x 40 mm so that it did not under hang.

I screwed everything together with copious bugle head screws.

The top support piece will need some additional help further down the line.

I also took the first template I had created, traced it on to a fresh piece of particle board, added a few millimetres at each end and cut it out manually using a hand saw.

This sat rather well on the two support pieces at either end.

Next job is the first half of this section of the staircase.

I also had a few odd jobs to complete that day.

The side double door has lost its protective plastic - so I replaced that.

Also, the reticulation controller that I set up had its control cable just lying on the ground - I hung this up above using a few zip ties.

The controller box appears to have stopped working and may need to be replaced.

Wednesday

I have damaged my table saw through neglect.

I let it fill up with sawdust (I did not notice that the extraction was not working) and this caused the pin in the elevation shaft to snap off.

I cleaned out all the sawdust and retrieved any parts that I could but once reassembled the action was no longer smooth.

I suspected that I had lost a spacer out of the assembly and this proved to be the case.

I stripped the machine right down and took it to Hare and Forbes on appointment.

They were very good and had it repaired that afternoon.

I picked it up the following morning.

When I received it back - it was flipped upside down and at that point I had a revelation - once upside down - all the mechanism was very visible and easy to work on.

I still have a few hour's work to reassemble the machine.

Friday

I calculated the tread dimensions and cut the template for the lower undercroft staircase.

I also worked out the positions to install the support battens for each end.

Unfortunately I have run out of 45 x 90 timber so this will have to wait until I have been to Bunnings on Saturday.

Jim visited and helped me install the steel cross beam just above the staircase window at the street level.

It was 6.30 pm before I could start putting away tools and having my dinner - so I was home very late.

However, I now know the lengths of 45 x 240 timber that I need for each section of the stair case.

Saturday

Armed with the dimensions that I had obtained on Friday, I headed to Bunnings to obtain some 6 m lengths of 45 x 240 H3 pine.

This is very expensive ($200 per length) and also 45 x 90 seems to be up around $9/m (around $6 /m last time I bought any).

This meant that I needed to be very particular about any defects in the timbers that I purchased.

I had to pull out at least 10 lengths before I could find 3 lengths that were in tolerable condition.

Some was bowed, some was cupped and some had large knots in critical positions.

The timbers were very heavy and awkward to manipulate and I kept holding up vehicles moving in the covered area.

Eventually I managed to select 3 good pieces but I was totally buggered by now.

I went and paid for them and then started cutting them to the rough final lengths that I need.

For the very first stage of the undercroft stair case I needed 3 x 2m.

The next stage needed 3 x 2.2 m - so I ended up with a potential wastage of 1.6 m on some lengths.

However, I have a used for these in the street level landing - so not a loss in the long run.

So now I also have a single 2.2 m length allocated to the street level stair case and any further pieces - I may just buy 2.4 m lengths.