Wooden Loft Stairs suppliers in Cape Town

Loft access is a way of using your unused and very free space in your roof,how you get up there is normally the issue,how you make the beams and joists strong enough to take the exta weight has to be considered too,the first step is getting up there!

Making of stairs as a kit came to mind  yesterday came to mind as I started on a set of Loft Access Stairs,when assembled they take quite a lot of space,transports can often be charged on volume rather than weight,so while we can assemble and ship country wide,in some cases the handy man type or those who have outside contractors may settle for a kit,we can make to any size and in timbers like pine,meranti,oak,oregon pine,beech,maple,iroko,mahogany etc.Our self build,or Do It Yourself Kit will include all maching,sanding and the right grade of screws and glue to assemble with.All stair stringers and treads are pre  morticed and tennoned for a fast,safe and really strong set of stairs when assembled.In the kit we will supply a tube of waterproof white PVA glue and enough grain pins (wooden plugs) made from the same wood species to close off the screw holes,which are pre drilled in our factory.Assembly should take no more than an hour,you will need a power screw driver.

A mail from Justin,a regular blog reader makes some observations:
Hi Roy,




The whole stair thing was quite a learning for me. I did a brief plan on

computer, using the rise and fall I had measured. Then I chose the main

timbers (the sides whatever they called), and then tried to size the steps

themselves. As it happened I used the same timber as the sides were made of.

These were to be very heavy steps (38 pine - scaffold plank really). Then I

laboriously marked the sides for routing using an adjustable square, made a

routing template, and cut the holes. The holes were cut to fit the end of

the steps for max strength (I thought). Then I rounded the ends of the steps

a bit (I had ordered them pre-cut to 1m) to avoid cracking etc over time,

and for snug fit. I decided in favour of tie-rods as my previous (outdoor)

steps had cracked and rotted a bit around the screw holes, although they

were filled. It was also easier for me to assemble the whole thing with

tie-rods than with glueing etc - working alone. I did not use glue or screws

- just heavy ties - 4 of them - but the structure is very solid if a bit

crude. Also I could have hidden them a bit better . . . . The whole

structure weighed about 300kg when assembled on the ground. I moved it quite

easily by rolling it over a round pole, and then raised it with block and

tackle from some old yachting kit as you can imagine. And then it turned out

I was about 2cm too wide. !@#$%^&. So I had to modify the house a bit . . .

.



However one does it - steps to order would be SO COOL! It took me a week,

cost me a router, and a fair bit of bother . . . and while they turned out

quite satisfactory there is no doubt a professionally made set would have

been way better.



Cheers

J

Johns Didi Mini Transat Cruise extras

John purchased his kit from us a year back,with the hull now built and turned over he is working on the deck stage,to help speed his program up he ordered the drop keel foil,lead ballast,two rudders,pushpit,pulpits,deck stantions and the tiller assembly from us,we have it packed into four specialised packs,it left for the harbour and eventual shipping to England yesterday.

Paper Jet 14 kit leaves for Germiston today

Left click the picture to see a larger size.

This was Craigs Paper Jet 14 kit being loaded today,delivery is normally within three days of collection in South Africa,we can ship world wide of course.

Sailing magazine features our Paper Jet 14 kit build

You will have to buy the June 2010 issue of Sailing magazine to read from page 18 the three pages with full colour of one of our Paper Jet 14 kits being built,as a class we have today shipped of a kit to Craig,he has Paper Jet 14 # 14,he will start building very soon and I hope we can feature his kit build in stages as he progresses.

Roy

Didi Cruise Keel Foil packing

We packed this the other day,its now got its lid on and steel strapping,its very secure and packed in a soft layer of packing plastic.

Whats in a Paper Jet 14 kit?

The white american poplar next to some kiln dry teak is the timber part of the Paper Jet 14 kit.

To start with,the most complex amount of CNC cutting in any of our kits,any person who wants to cut this lot himself is welcome to it,there is no ways you can cut so close as to get things right,at least with our CNC works,you  start with your build with the panels cut as they should be,thats all six sheets of 4mm Ockume marine plys to BS 1088 standard.We supplied the first three Paper Jet 14 kits ever made,this includes the designers own boat,hull number 001 and now sailing in Virgina,USA.The designers build manual is a masterpiece by the way.

Didi Mini Transat Cruise version drop keel and lead ballast

Now made and primed we will be packing this drop keel foil today,ready for collection later this week and then shipping to the UK.

The view from the top at 18 meters high at the HBYC.

This was last saturday,a perfectly still day in Hout Bay and just the right moment to go up a mast to check things out.

Packing again for England

With Johns Didi Mini Cruise extras order now made up its again time to start packing,we have done a lot of that over the years,we ensure our cartons and crates are well made and always steel strap the crates,cartons are taped closed with 2" reinforced tape.

Wonderfull Watchmate (the owners words)

This is a mail from one of our Vesper Marine Watchmate AIS customers,Tony is an Ausi,heading to Ireland in the UK,he installed his Watchmate while in Hout Bay when he wintered over,Jeff is the designer and maker of the Watchmate Ais down in New Zealand.

Dear Jeff,


How’s things, all good I hope. You did invite me to write to you giving you suggestions, and quotable quotes for your website if I felt like it.


Here goes.

“The WatchMate receiver gives me peace of mind above all else. There is no longer the rising panic, as at a distance, a Panamax “skyscraper” appears to be on an inevitable collision course. “Should I try to call him and ask if he sees us, should I wait, what should I do?” A quick check of the screen shows that I needn’t worry as it is all an optical delusion, and he will pass us with a healthy margin. Monitoring his Rate of Turn and Course on screen confirms the continued safety margin.

The other major bonus is the name of the Panamax displayed on screen. This allows us to call it up by name on the VHF, and there is always an answer. The Captain seems to always be happy for the diversion mid-ocean. This means that we have been able to get local weather information on long passages as we don’t have iridium or weatherfax aboard.

Twice in the South Atlantic, I was able to inform tankers that their AIS transmitter was not functioning. They were able to see my AIS transmissions, but I couldn’t see them on screen. They were both grateful for the information. The WatchMate links us to these big guys as part of their normal navigating and safety network.

The intuitive operating system means that both of my greenhorn crew stepped up to the WatchMate, and were operating it effectively with virtually no formal instruction.”

Laquers for floors and bright wood surfaces

We have used many finishes over the years but now only recomend two products,both are from a Dulux based supplier,one we recomend for both general surfaces and floors that see normal traffic,this we supply in a satin finish,gloss tends to show any imperfections,we have another product which is a polyacrethane and is ultra hard wearing,normally in gloss as that will give the harder surface finish.

With veneers,remember you are walking on the laquer and not the veneer itself! the picture shows a refinish using twin pack laquers in satin and applied with a spray gun,brush application is possible too.

Didi mini transat cruise drop keel painting

This section is the same as the Didi 26,just a little shorter,it uses the same 400kgs of hot pour lead ballast we also supply.The core of the keel is solid laminated Iroko wood,with five layers on each side of uni directional glass and epoxy,this one will ship to England,we have shipped similar keel foils to the USA and Australia in the past.The paint is a special formula high build twin pack etch primer,we have sprayed two coats on at this stage,after a light sanding another two coats will be applied,it will then be ready for packing and shipment with the rest of the clients order.

Bombaloza Scull plans are ready

The plans are some twenty pages long,with very detailed set up and building instructions,plans are from Dave at  http://www.hartwanger.co.za/  and the kits from kits@comlumber.com you can ring me at work on Cape Town 021 510-7206 for prices .

Message just in from Dave.


Hi Roy,


I've finally finished a DIY guide for building the Bombaloza sculling boat. I'm making this freely available so there is no restriction on distribution. Also, it doesn't go into too much detail as I feel the Bombaloza is a fairly easy build.

Let me know if you feel there are any modifications required to the doc, otherwise feel free to pass it on to potential builders.

Thanks

Dave


David Hartwanger

Tel: +27 (0)43 748 5518

http://www.hartwanger.co.za/

Yamaha P320 turntable belt and stylus

The Yamaha turntable, Sony radio amplifier and Akai tape deck were all good products when bought by me new, will they work now?

The album, On Every Street from September 1991,was Dire Straights last album,which may be when my turntable was working last?

Calling Elvis, anybody there?

The opening words off an old 33 rpm vinyl record I have from a Dire Straights album were heard once more, Roy had decided to hunt down a new drive belt that broke at least a decade back. That album is called On Every Street, its a great one too, distributed by Vertigo code # STARL 5836,on CD its STARCD5836. We have a great many LPs (long players) as the old style records were called, some go back to the mid sixties, music that can not be found on CDs.

Finding a new drive belt and stylus was never going to be easy, not in Cape Town, or so I thought, looking on Google I found the belt was type FNB 23.6, which are how many inches long it is, the belt is 3/16" wide.In metric the belt is around 583mm long and 4mm wide?

I found a belt for sale easy enough in the USA, its a common one used on many brands of turntable,with a price of U$7.50, plus another 6.50 to postage we were looking at Rands 105, not out of order but out of the country, whats local I thought?

I found a used record shop in Rheede Street, Gardens,Cape Town,
Mabu Vinyl - The Cape Town Music Store, 2 Rheede Street Gardens , Cape Town 8001. Contact: Stephen ... The Cape Town Music Store. Mabu Vinyl is the record, CD, DVD, cassette, book, ...
www.mabuvinyl.co.za/ -

they advised I try a well established audio shop in Maitland, on Voortrekker Road, named Radio Discotheque, its been there close on forty years I hear? they used to supply a night club named Blaises, on the top of what was then Sanlam Center, twenty two floors up, in the mid seventies when I worked there some nights as a DJ.

www.radiodisco.co.za/

try Ian or Vanessa on phone 021 511 4559 she emailed me back to say they had lots of belts and stylus and would I take the turntable in for matching with new ones?  I took the turntable in early on Saturday morning and spoke to Ian, the new drive belt was fitted for me, tested and the stylus arm was balanced too, with a new stylus the price was a very modest R200, or about U$27, no problems with that at all, it was great service from a shop that really does know hi-fi, give them a call if you need anything. Of course we now have a huge range of music to listen to again and guess what, vinyl audio sound is actually better than CD, its got a lot to do with the depth of the pressing track and the type and quality of the stylus you use. Next I have to see what music Mabu Vinyl have waiting for me?

Jessica Watson arrives back home

Jessica made it yesterday afternoon,her time,she has certainally shown what a young girl can acheive but there was wonderfull organisation behind the scenes here,well planed and thought through from the time she began,well done Jessica,whats next?

Solo sailor Jessica Watson, 16, completes globe-circling feat


Watson sails into Sydney Harbor after her seven-month voyage, and is feted by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who calls her 'Australia's newest hero.'

Watson with her mother during a reception with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in Sydney, Australia. (Dan Himbrechts / EPA)