Afonso Xavier Canosa Rodriguez


On philology, potatoes and construction.
Well, this is just my first approach to blog-writing. I want it to be the way to keep in touch with colleagues and friends.




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The water wheel (III)

Finally the water wheel with a new shaft was set and fixed.
Subject: construction - Published 24-10-2011 18:28
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The water wheel (II)

A new framework had to be built, too.
Subject: construction - Published 24-10-2011 18:15
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The water wheel (I)

Former paddles were made of oak timber. Pine logs from our own woods were used for the new tub-wheel.

Hadrian drew a model, went to the wood, cut the pines and shaped the logs to build 20 replica paddles.
Subject: construction - Published 24-10-2011 18:10
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The building (II)

The roof was overgrown with ivies. All the tiles had to be removed and brushed.
Subject: construction - Published 24-10-2011 18:03
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The raceway (II)

Earthy matter and weeds in the flume. To shovel!
Subject: construction - Published 24-10-2011 18:02
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The raceway (I)

The head race was also filled with weeds and mud.
Subject: construction - Published 24-10-2011 17:57
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Tail race and spindle

Rear wall. Tail race covered with mud and woody weeds.

Inside: vertical axle and remaining parts of the wheel. An almost archeological-excavation approach was needed to save the remaining pieces and measure them.
Subject: construction - Published 24-10-2011 17:47
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The building (I)

The building to be restored: rubble stone front-facade. Doorway with monolithic jambs and stone lintel. Third stile from the left is broken, the fourth is not: the hole is the cat's door!
Subject: construction - Published 24-10-2011 17:34
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Building restoration
For the past eight years I have been working in several construction companies mainly in the construction of new residential buildings, more industrial facilities such as malls, and a terminal airport in the past two years. I can only reckon now three projects where the main process was restoring: rebuilding the roof of the main building of a farmstead, the interior of an old urban house (slabs and inner walls), and the walls of the garden of a country house (rubble stone with mortar).

The range of buildings to be restored is broader than residential dwellings, of course. And it can require the construction of elements that are not currently manufactured and have no specialists devoted to their production. This year I could witness (I didn't take part) how a water mill and its former functional facilities were restored. The waterwheel in particular. My brother, Hadrian, undertook the building of an horizontal-waterwheel as a leisure activity. I followed with some amazement the evolution from drawing drafts, to cutting pine logs, to the final assembly of a tub-wheel.

This is a collection of pictures of this restoration. I asked permission to Hadrian to publish them here. Both pictures and text are adapted from an album originally created and published by Hadrian.
Subject: construction - Published 24-10-2011 17:20
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© by Abertal







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