Aerie Weather and Workshop ReportOctober 2, 2009

Another day in which the thermometer conserved its energy and never rose above 50 degrees. (Strike that. The temperature cracked the 50 degree mark at 5 PM and is heading UP! But he high for the day is suppose d to be only 52, so I expect it won't go much higher.) And, to add insult to injury, it's been overcast and showering all day to boot. Makes me glad that I turned the heat on yesterday. I didn't want to build another fire as they can become habit forming what with their production not only of heat but the warm, flickering, orange glow seen through the glass door. I figured if the cats wanted to build a fire, they knew where the firewood was. (I may give in later this evening, however.)

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I spent a few hours in the workshop this afternoon trying to figure out if I did things correctly this time. Turns out I have produced something I can use even if it's not perfect. The problem is, as I've said before, that you're gluing up narrow strips (7/8" wide), cutting the glued up panels n a 45 degree angle, and then gluing the resultant strips together to make a diamond pattern. If even one of your original strips is off by 1/16" that error multiplies throughout the process. If two of them are off, you can forget about trying to make everything fit together. I seem to have one or more strips that are not exactly 7/8" wide but I'll be able to fit everything together with the judicious use of the belt sander once the diamonds are glued up.

Diagram of finished square.

The darkest wood in the diagram is walnut. The lighter woods are oak and cherry. The boards are supposed to be milled to 1/4 inch thickness but the oak seems to be a hair thicker than that.

You start by cutting long strips from the boards--as well as small diamonds, triangles and squares for the inserts. Once you have the strips, you glue them edge to edge in particular patters. (The one below shows oak, cherry, oak and walnut from left to right.)

Gluing up the initial strips.

I built a small clamp out of 3/8" bolts and some scrap wood to keep the panel from buckling when I applied pressure from the edges with the quick release clamps. That little wooden clamp also ensures that the strips' bottoms are all on the same plane.

Three sets of strips (out of 5)

These panels of glued-up strips were then cut at a 45 degree angle to yield 8 pieces which would then be glued in a mix to produce the diamonds.

Strips of strips become patterned diamonds.

Yeah, the workshop has become quite the strip joint.

Okay, back to the project. Cutting all these little triangles and 45 degree angles of thin (1/4") wood on a table saw can be daunting. Wanting to safe my finger tips and have better control over the small pieces, I built this small cutting sled to which I attached wooden blocks with 45 degree angles to the blade. Seems to work fine.

Cutting sled.

After all the cutting was done--and before I glued up any diamonds--I started to dry fit the pieces on the backboard.Just to see if, you know, they would actually fit.
Dry fitting pieces for the diamonds.

They did not fit exactly, but they came pretty damn close. So I started gluing up the diamonds. That will take a bit of time unless I get some more clamps.

Gluing up the diamonds.

With all the angles involved, I need a block on each side of the strips and a longer clamp than the little ones in the earlier photo. Still, I can manage to do three (out of eight) at one time. And it only takes an hour or so for the glue to set up enough that I'm willing to take the assembly out of the clamps.

Tommorrow: With all the diamonds assembled, I'll work to "fine tune" the fit. I might even be able to start gluing everything to the backboard.