I began staining and applying the siding to the front entry. Some of us would rather be gardening.

There is a broad, deep stairway leading up to the Warming Hut. I glued up two lengths of one-inch x 1/16-inch  basswood for each step. For the risers, I only had 1/32-inch x 3/4-inch stock, so I glued those two up.

I fiddled with math on paper, and then in Illustrator, then printed out the pattern for the stringer. (Which made me think of Stringer Bell from The Wire. Always a pleasant, if complicated thought.) I put a fresh blade in my Xacto knife, and cut three support forms from illustration board.

While waiting for the glue to dry on the staircase assembly, I stained the foundation posts. Then I hurt my brain trying to think through the building process. I make so much up as I go along, it’s hard to solve for all potential problems. Finally I determined I should glue the Hut to the project board before proceding with the air dry clay boulders. The deck extension and stair case are too fiddly not to have the main structure set in place.

Here is the stairway glued in place, and the beginnings of the siding applied. As you can see in the photo, I’ve lost the light and it’s past time for dinner.

I’ve cleaned my tools and cutting mat. Here’s my work table with the Warming Hut, on the other side of my studio/office (itself a work in progress.) Finally the glue will get a good chance to dry.