We realize it only takes a little longer to do a projects with Juniper and Henry helping. But they were eager and we feel it is important they are included. Their task today was to help put the first base coat of colour onto the Copper Crown garden wall. We first demonstrated how to get the paint into the cracks and cover the wall evenly without drips. But it wasn’t long until they proudly showed us new and innovative ways of applying paint. We had a blast! They worked diligently until coffee break when gramps had some mini donuts to share as a reward for their hard work.
Assembling the sign frames
Despite it being the weekend, I couldn’t resist spending a couple of hours in the shop today working on my entries for the Sign Invitational. With the routing of the sign faces complete, it was time to weld up the steel frames and then laminate them between the layers of Precision Board. I also used my shop time to carve the woodgrain into the edges and ends of the signs. With these things complete, it is time to begin the fun part - the sculpting! Stay tuned…
Test drive
With the new bits in hand from X-Edge, I couldn’t wait to get started on my Sign Invitational pieces. The CNC cutting files had been ready for some time. Yesterday, I loaded and zeroed the new 1/16th tapered ball nose and set it in motion. Since the signs will be double sided there were two opposite sections for each sign. They measure about sixteen inches wide. One is six inches tall and the other is about 11 inches. The cuts were up an inch and a half with heavy textures throughout. Even though the bit was tiny and the overlap was set at 70% the ShopSabre router tore through the machining in a much shorter time than I imagined. The pieces were finished in a couple of hours. The detail on the cuts with the new bits was amazing! While the machine was warmed up, I also cut the interior sections with slots to accommodate the interior steel. I’m itching to start assembly and may even sneak into the shop tomorrow for that task. I’ll be documenting this project from start to finish. Stay tuned…
