Starting a Shepherds hut

[cowboy25]

Hello, I'm about to start building a shepherds hut I have the chassis but I'm a little hesitant to start building away on it I have some timber but I'm unsure about how to attach the timber to the metal frame does anyone here have any experience with this? I'm also worried about the best way to do it to limit rust to the frame and rot to the wood underneath. I would need either extremely long bolts or I could attach the wood using some sort of bracket I assume. Thoughts?

 

Also regarding the metal chassis as you can see in the photo the welded joints have some superficial (for now) rust next to the weld spot, this is on every joint of which there are about thirty, should I do something with this or not worry about it? I don't really want to have it start rusting here after its been built on and have the chassis start falling apart years down the line because I didn't do something with it.

Edited April 27 by cowboy25

[SteamyTea]

You could use a low expansion PU adhesive.  Something like this Lumberjack.

 

Deal with the rust first.

[JohnMo]

1 hour ago, cowboy25 said:

regarding the metal chassis

I would use a rotating wire brush to remove paint over the rust and abrade rust. Then use a rust converter to treat. Then prime and paint. Or use an epoxy primer, as long as it's not exposed to UV will last for ever. If exposed use a suitable top coat.

 

Prior to the above, mark out the timber and drill the wood that will be attached to the steel frame. Use something like 8.8 grade M10 bolts. So drill 10.5mm. Transfer drilling to steel frame. Use M10 rivnuts in the steel frame - like a rawlplug for steel. Once the holes are drilled for rivnuts do the rust and paint then attach the rivnuts.

 

Prior to assembly attached closed cell neoprene foam to steel/wood matting surface. Or an automotive non setting body sealant. Either will stop water getting pulled into small gaps by capillary action.

 

 

[Onoff]

Spray inside the box sections with ACF-50 when it's all done. 

[JohnMo]

23 minutes ago, Onoff said:

Spray inside the box sections with ACF-50 when it's all done. 

Or prior to installing rivnuts if access is easier.

[Barnboy]

The rust showing is caused because the 2 metal sections have only been tacked together and then painted, leaving the joint open to ingress and unprotected. 

You need to clean the area with a wire brush on a grinder and then if it's a structural joint,  weld it fully, if not structural, seal the joint with a good quality paintable sealer or automotive seam sealer, before painting.

[Onoff]

1 hour ago, JohnMo said:

Or prior to installing rivnuts if access is easier.

 

Put a few extra rivnuts in and you've easy access for a periodic squirts. 

[cowboy25]

1 hour ago, Barnboy said:

The rust showing is caused because the 2 metal sections have only been tacked together and then painted, leaving the joint open to ingress and unprotected. 

You need to clean the area with a wire brush on a grinder and then if it's a structural joint,  weld it fully, if not structural, seal the joint with a good quality paintable sealer or automotive seam sealer, before painting.

Its not structural, hence not a full weld I assume, it just wasn't a very good paint job I suppose. It might be ok to leave it maybe? But I don't want to risk it so yeah I will grind and paint it probably.

[Barnboy]

15 hours ago, cowboy25 said:

Its not structural, hence not a full weld I assume, it just wasn't a very good paint job I suppose. It might be ok to leave it maybe? But I don't want to risk it so yeah I will grind and paint it probably.

Make sure you seal the joint before painting, the rust is coming from between the 2 pieces of metal so you need to stop moisture getting back in there, otherwise it will happen again.

[cowboy25]

On 27/04/2025 at 12:23, Onoff said:

Spray inside the box sections with ACF-50 when it's all done. 

What about lanoguard? Thats what I'm using on the rusty spot weld joints. The box sections actually look painted inside, on one end of the chassis at least, but I assume thats just as far as the paint sprayer or whatever they used to apply the paint could reach to.

Edited June 15 by cowboy25

[cowboy25]

So its taken awhile but all the woodwork is done as described above and a bit more, I'm imagining I can really get stuck into this project over the winter now. A small problem has arisen though. It turns out the roof and door way to my workshop may be a touch too low! To the point I won't be able to get the get the hut out the workshop once its finished.  I can take the wheels off the shepherds hut to make it about a foot lower and then build on it but how do I then get the hut out without any wheels to move it? 

 

The only answer is to put it on big wooden sort of sled I think and then pull it out with a tractor, I just hope said sled will turn out to be robust enough for the job. 

[SteamyTea]

23 minutes ago, cowboy25 said:

The only answer is to put it on big wooden sort of sled

There are many answers.

Can you temporarily bolt wheels to an axle and fit that at one end, or even bolt wheels to the side.

[Barnboy]

You could go back to the cave man system and lower it on to some lengths of round bar, roll it forward slightly on the rollers, then when the chassis passes the back roller, take that back roller around to the front and keep going, swapping back rollers to the front until you're out of the shed.

[Roundtuit]

Hire a couple of hand pallet trucks and use one each end maybe?  Just remember to build it on blocks so you can get the trucks under easily.