June 11, 2005

During the week I finished drawing the last main lamination jig on some particle board. I don't think I got a shot of it yet but I'm sure by now you all get the idea. So...I'll be moving on from drafting finally. Time to get to work out here!

The construction manual says to first attempt the frame 2 diagonal which is a c-section with no tight bends for an easy first attempt at laminating a frame. I got a curve spline thingy (the blue curvy thing in the pictures below) to help me connect the dots I drew on the plywood for frame 2 diagonal. It takes some jostling because it really bends exactly where you put pressure, instead of maintaining a straight curve that just connects the dots. It does work with a little elbow grease though. I used this to get a pretty good curve connecting all the points. I may try to find something else to help me draw the curves which may be a little easier, but we'll see. I then clamped one end of the 4' x 4' plywood sheet to the workbench to keep it stable while I cut out the shape.

I made a few practice cuts on outer edges of the plywood, this being the first time I've ever used a jigsaw. I practiced straight cuts, curved cuts, and plunge cuts to avoid making a starting hole. All that went pretty well as I learned the tools response to different kinds of forces. I felt comfortable so I cut out the inside of the curve I had drawn. Here is the aftermath.

I did well staying close to the line but not too close. Tomorrow, I plan on sanding down that last little bit exactly to the curve using a drum sander mounted on the drill press. Also, tomorrow is about a week after I glued the penacolite test block so I'll get to take sledge to that and see how it holds up.

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