Nearly Killing Mrs Bentley

Well the title might be a bit dramatic but it was the closet major near miss, close shave almost really really bad accident we have had and it certainly could have been fatal. 

The next stage was to create a framework out of oak that the dorma extension would sit on and would also frame the 4 meter window in the lounge. 
The wood for this had been delivered in June 2008 and had an extra year to dry inside the house. 
Mrs B and myself used levers and rollers to move the 5.5 meter 25cm x 25cm beams (4 of them) and the 1 X 4 meter, and 2 X 3 meter 30cm x 25cm into the house after they had been dropped off. It is a very satisfying, if not knackering, experience to be able to move large heavy chunks of wood just using the bare basics. 
If it was good enough for the Egyptians and the Druids to construct their special buildings it was good enough for us. 
I will admit to cheating on 4 of the beams as where they had been dropped was down a slope and just the two of us found it near impossible to move so I took the Range Rover round the back of the house and set up a rope to help pull them through into the dry. I am not sure what the Romans and Egyptians could have achieved had they had a Range Rover at their disposal, the mind boggles. 

The first job was to put in the uprights and which we managed fairly easily making sure we had heavily treated with wood preserver the part standing on the concrete to prevent damp from rotting it out. I also stood them on a tar backed foil flashing strip to further prevent water ingress. 
We got them upright by placing the bottom end close to where they needed to go against the wall. Then using brute force lifted the other end up onto a block of wood then onto a milk crate then onto a B&D Workmate then I could get my shoulder under it and could manage to lift it higher with Mrs B putting the milk crate and block of wood on top of the B&B workmate. 
Once we had it high enough to get both my hands on it at shoulder height, I remembered watching how weight lifters prepare for a big lift. Much to Mrs B’s initial confusion I began walking around slapping my hands together and staring at the wood for a while, I then let a out a huge grunt and whoosing noise before I lifted, (because that’s what weight lifters do).
Mrs B said “What are you doing?” 
I replied “Two words Mrs B, Precious MacKenzie” 
Then I just lifted pushed and walked forward as it tipped upright while Mrs B whisked away the work mate and other obstacles. 
Once upright it was easy to walk into position and strap in place. 
Once we had them both upright I drilled in some holes and fitted hardwood pegs to help stabilise and stop them from moving. I had also cargo strapped them to the block wall just to be sure there was no movement when we placed the cross beam and main beams on. 




I had done all the measurements of the height of the uprights together with the cross beam and the main beams sat cut into it. 
In the cross beam I had pre cut slots for the beams to sit in. I did this with some very careful and gentle work with the chain saw and a chisel. Fairly new oak is a joy to work with and even for a wood butcher like me, the results, if you measure carefully and cut accurately, are good.
I thought I would be reducing the strength of the cross beam by cutting into it but I found out that as soon as you place the beams in the hole and they are a snug fit the full integrity is restored. 
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We used the laser level again to make sure the beams would be level once fitted and then dug out the holes for them in the main back wall. To make sure they sat on level beds we used super treated (wood preserver and bug killer) hard wood beds with slate as shims you can see the pre-prepared holes here and see an orange line that was painted on the laser level. 




Then it was case of using the Manatu to lift up and place each of the main beams up and manoeuvre them so that they were well in to the main back wall on the pads we had provided and balance on the block wall ready for final installation after the cross beam had been fitted. 

Here is Mrs B as stevedore helping to guide the first one into place using tag lines



 

It was her first time ever being a stevedore and doing something like this and did a great job to my often shouted instructions (advice) from the cab.









In this last photo Mrs B is looking looking a tad worried after the first one is now in place. 

This new nervousness in the vicinity of the beams is to be expected as it is only minutes after I had nearly killed her in what was the worst accident / near miss that we have had on the entire build. 

I had placed the beam in about the same position it is in the above photo but it hadn’t sat quite right. I put the Manatu in "park" mode and left it  jibbed up with the slings connected, but with no weight on it, and got out of the cab and used a sledge hammer to biff the beam square which luckily it did with one bash. 
We agreed then to stop for lunch and I jumped back in the cab and reversed back up the garden……….. having forgotten to disconnect the slings which in turn pulled it from its position and sent all 3 or 400 kilos of it it, still on the slings, swinging across the back room. 
Mrs B’s screams alerted me to what was happening and I looked up in time to see her throw herself to the floor as the beam crashed into the opposite block wall and upright support which stopped Mrs B form being pulped. 
As you can imagine she was extremely (and rightly so) upset with me for making such a stupid and elementary mistake as failing to check my load before moving, and she was also in some state of shock with fear at what had almost happened. 
Out of embarrassment as much as bravado I said we had to do it again and get it into position before lunch so she had to get back in the saddle. 
Very macho and non empathetic of me, however I soon found out how much the amazing effect stress can have on a person's vocabulary and the power it gives them to put together a sentence and character assessment consisting entirely of swear words.

It would only cast her in an unsavoury light and shock those who know her if I posted the rest of the justified tirade, which called into question my parentage, manhood, intelligence, man management skills among many other deficiencies.   I tugged my forelock in respectful deference, declared my undying admiration and love and begged forgiveness for my unintentional transgressions and vowed to exercise extreme caution with the work practices. 

It gave me a needed wake up call that my wife is not an experienced rigger (even though she had the hat and gloves) nor was she used to working with cranes and heavy loads as I am. I had to be extra vigilant when we were doing this if we were to both live to see the end of it. 
I have strived to ensure since that incident that we are “safety first” gang when doing a major job. We always have a “tool box talk” about what we are going to do, and how we are going to do it, and what each of our jobs are during the operation.
That method of working has been saving lives through safer workplaces for years and just because it is a DIY project there is no need to forget the basics of safety. 

After lunch and humble apologies and assurances that it wouldn’t happen again, we continued into the afternoon until we got to this stage which is with all 4 beams seated in the main back wall and resting on the concrete block wall ready for final placement, and with the cross beam in place.   




Then it was a simple case of lifting each beam and moving it into place. 


And this is the “battle worn” but safely attired (if not still a little shaken) and very proud Mrs B stood below our days work.




There would be a bedroom sat on the beams and the inner ceiling of the lounge would 2.5 metrs level with the top of the beams in the middle then at the sides starting at 2 meters at the block wall rising to 4 meters at the stone wall. 


Things were starting to take shape.