Monday, August 27, 2018

Castle Tower Roof Supports....




Not Much To See.....

It was one of Those weekends, Dear Readers, when it seemed that I could not get organized and very little got accomplished in my Mini Worlds. I am reluctant to let myself drift away from my current Castle Obsession before I actually complete the basic structure, especially when there is so little still to be done to reach that goal. The top of each Tower needs the roof supports attached to the top of each wall, and once that is done I will be able to declare the "shell" complete! (Mind you, there are lengthy lists of trims, walls, stairs, windows and doors, not to mention floors fireplaces lights and so on still to be done.... but those can all come later.) So I decided to simply cut and attach one support beam at a time and see how far I got! I forgot to take a good shot of the Top Tower room before I had added the support beam along the right hand wall... so what you see above is after it was drilled glued and screwed in place.


Once again, I had to separate the Tower
 from the Great Hall portion of the Castle
 in order to be able to drill and screw the supports.

The exterior view with the screws in place....

The entire room.... with only the beam on the right hand wall.
This would have been easier to do right at the beginning
 of construction of the Castle.... but I somehow skipped this step!

It was a slow but not too challenging process.... 
the hardest part was getting my drill angles right
 while working on the back (this Tower Top is as tall as I am!)

Here you can see they have all been added!

And the interior stairwell wall has had a notch cut out to fit around the beam...

And you can almost see where those stairs come up inside the wall....
 (sorry it is so dark....!)

And the Lord's Council Chamber....
 ready to add the wires for torches and the fireplace fire!

But that was as far as I got, Dear Readers.
I ran out of the right size wood for the beams
 so the Lady's Chamber is still waiting.
 


 And then I remembered that the floor support beam
 where the stairs will come up on this Tower
 will also need to be cut away....
 just like with the Lord's Tower!

This is where the stairs go from the Solar up to the Lady's Chamber.... 
the stairs have not yet been built... 
I tried to shine a light in there but the beam is barely visible and
the floor has not even been cut away where the stairs will pass!
So I guess I will be doing some undoing to get this done!

But I did get the weekly lilac blossom done!

Number Twenty-three!

Wow! Even I am starting to be impressed with this collection!
 
So you can See, Dear Readers,
There isn't much to see...
But a couple of Castle Tower roof supports....
And a blossom!


28 comments:

  1. I love waking up to one of your updates, even if there is not much to see as you say.
    Step by step you are getting closer to getting the shell done and every little beam matters.
    And blossom number 23 is joining the ranks. That will be one awesome lilac tree!

    Hugs,

    Véronique

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    1. Thank you, Veronique! Yes, the step by step process is my favorite one! :) I am slow and not really steady, but I just keep going! The lilac bush is going to be amazing!!! :):)

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  2. wonderful source of light!
    hugs

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  3. Every time I see this castle, I am still amazed to see the massive and sturdy construction of it. Wow, it contains so many secret places/angles and you have thought of all sort of things, like stairs, rooms, fireplaces and so on. It is a complex but wonderful castle! You say that you've managed so little, but I think that many small things together will make together one big old castle ;).
    And what to say about your twenty third blossom..? You can be proud of yourself for your persistence, Betsy, well done!!
    Hugs, Ilona

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    1. Hi Ilona! I have to confess that I am more amazed by this Castle as I work on it more! LOL! It is HUGE! I have so far to go... but as you say each little part adds up to a Big Old Castle! I am happy to be making progress on it again! :):)

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  4. It's only after beginning to follow the progress one can appreciate how much thought and planning goes into building a magnificent miniature castle. The lilac blossoms are gorgeous!
    Hugs, Drora

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    1. Hi Drora! I am a bit amazed myself... it is a very large project and I have such big dreams for it! But as I work on it my skills improve and I think it will be fabulous when it is eventually done! At the very least... it is fun to build! :)

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  5. Hello Betsey,
    I am in admiration at how strong and sturdy your build for the castle is. This will be an amazing heirloom and will definitely stand the test of time. The staircases and passages add so much character and realness to your project. I really love your designs, both in the house plan stage and your decorating. Keep up the incredibly inspirational work.
    Big hug
    Giac

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    1. Thank you Giac! I admire the scale of Your Manor... and I chose to make this Castle feel like a Large Castle.... so now I just have to do all that building! LOL! Fortunately, I love to build and make things so I am having fun! The details are so important to me... and some of them are an after-thought (this always happens to me..!) But I am trying to make it really feel like a Medieval Castle which is the era I love the most. It will take time... but at least I am making progress again! :):)

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  6. See that seems like a lot of progress to me, considering that you need to deal with something that's already constructed. I'm in awe, because that would make me crazy.

    And you still got a lilac blossom done.

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    1. Thank you Sheila! I am really needing to remind myself that this can't all be done at once! LOL! There are always parts I think of after I have built something... I am trying to make a better over-all plan especially where the lights are concerned... so that I can at least get wires in place and a coat of primer on everything! But then I have to remind myself not to jump too far ahead.... ! This is a Long term project!! :):)

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  7. Sometimes, little things take large amounts of time. At least you made progress, and running out of wood - a good reason there wasn't more. Plus, if we're counting weeks by lilacs, you've almost been making them for six months! I'd say that's progress to be proud of!

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    1. Hi Jodi! The more I work on this Castle the bigger it feels! LOL! I know that sounds silly.... but I have been so into the tinier projects recently... and this one is HUGE in comparison! So I just need to remind myself to not expect so much. Getting the structural parts mostly done is making it much more solid feeling which then allows me to envision the interiors and exteriors with more precision. I am really glad I am making progress on it! As for the lilacs.... the one a week program makes them "easy" in comparison! LOL! It definitely shows the marching of Time in a visceral way! Wow, nearly half a year gone by already! :)

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  8. More forward motion on your Castle Betsy, as well as on you lilac blooms.
    Inch by inch, stone by stone, and bud by bud you are making it all come together it a marvelously magical way!

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    1. Thank you Elizabeth! The inch by inch method is my favorite mode of anything! LOL! I am becoming so aware of the Size of this project as I get the shell completed.... It is getting bigger every day! LOL! I know I have a long way to go, and getting the framework completed is such an important part... it really feels good to be getting this done! :):)

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  9. Hi, Betsy - I love this steady progress that's accomplished step by step by step. All those small steps are adding up to one huge, successful endeavor. The Castle is an amazing structure. I'm not sure, even now, that I've quite realized its true size! There seems to be some hard work ahead, but how exciting to watch the wonderful results of your labor! (That applies to your twenty-third lilac blossom as well!)
    Marjorie

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    1. Hi Marjorie! I am really enjoying getting the framework finally built! It has been in "half-way there" condition for so long I was forgetting what was where! LOL! I am more impressed with the size of the project the more I work on it.... my ambitions do sometimes run away with me! But I am having fun with the building.... and revisiting the what needs to be done next lists... and planning more progress! There is tons still to do, so it is fortunate I really do love to build! :):)

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  10. Any progress is good progress (I always tell myself) and your progress is excellent. I love all the little staircases and passages hidden from sight.

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    1. Hi Irene! I love your motto! I am keeping with that theme here for as long as it takes! LOL! The staircases in the walls are one of my favorite parts of this build.... I really wanted that layer of realism for this castle! :):)

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  11. Pretty soon you'll have a lilac bush!
    Stick with it - that castle is a huge project; the lilac bush is a tiny but also huge project.
    Lots of love,
    Mom

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    1. Hi Mom! Did you ever know me not to make a tiny project into a huge one?!! LOL!

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  12. I admire your progress and patience. I would love to shrink and explore this amazing castle and all its secret passages. Great work with the Lilac.
    Hugs Maria

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    1. Hi Maria! I often feel that way myself with this project! I am sure that is why I am building it... so I can have my own "Castle" even if it is just a mini one! With the lights off at night and the dollhouse lights on it is pure magic! :)

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  13. In my opinion there was in fact a lot to see… lots of progress and fantastic work, development on this stunning and impressive build (Did I ever mention before that this is a GREAT project in every possible meaning??? *wink*) and stunning details to discover at your fantastic pictures (And did I ever mention before that I always admire your ability to always keep in mind every single detail???). I really like the fact that the castle project will keep you busy for a long time still (and I'm not going to remind you of other projects longing for your attention and tales that need to be continued… *tweet*). It's always a pleasure and very fascinating to follow your progress. And not to forget: Deep bow for still being on schedule with the lilacs - welcome to No. 23! Just one more and you'd have enough to fill a German Advent calendar… but oops… I didn't want to frighten you by reminding you that C is coming nearer… and of course my lips are sealed when it comes to H which is even nearer… ;O)

    Hugs
    Birgit

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    1. Dear Birgit, how could I guess that you were Not going to frighten me with tales of Halloween being nearer than I can imagine...?!!! Yes, in my world it is Panic season! LOL! Especially since I have a travel to my relatives in the West scheduled for next week... and that makes for an even shorter amount of Time to get anything ready !!! Yikes! Yes, there is no getting around it.... panic on the horizon! :) As for the building projects... those are the easy ones to just keep moving forward on, step by step and happily piling up weekly lilac blossoms, with never a glance at the calendar pages which are flipping over every time I turn around! (That is my idea of happiness, btw) But here we are already in Halloween count-down and the Castle has been gutted and all the Cast of Characters are off on Dream Vacations.....! WHO Knows what will happen next....? Not I! LOL! But I imagine I will think of something... and I am certain one or two of your little gifts will make an appearance or two along the way...! So Stay tuned! :):):)

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  14. This is a huge project and it is really starting to come together. I love all the curved doors and windows.

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    1. Hi Sam! I am glad to see you here again! Yes, this is a HUGE project! lOL! It is no wonder it is taking me so long! :) I am glad you like the arched windows... I wanted it to have the Early Medieval design of the Romanesque arches rather than the later Gothic ones... I am loving how it looks now that I can see the facade with all those windows! :)

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