Work in Progress 2013

[EspressoDude]

so, yggy, with all that massive stuff are you going to run some exposed lineshafts across the rafters with wood pulleys and leather flat belt drive to some fans and blowers; maybe some other assorted goodies

[ygmir]

so, yggy, with all that massive stuff are you going to run some exposed lineshafts across the rafters with wood pulleys and leather flat belt drive to some fans and blowers; maybe some other assorted goodies

it I didn't love the look of the rafters and roof assembly, I'd totally do that. I have some belt shafts and eccentric drivers of the same vintage.

but, when you sit down, and look up at this, I can't see hanging anything over it. I'll be making the safety railing around the upper loft from chain and cable, just so as not to interfere. I'm happy with how this came out, so really don't want to mess with the aesthetics.

[Savannah]

Pretty.

[Aurelia]

Yup
I would be looking up

[trilobyte]

Those rafters are awesome, Yggy!

[ygmir]

thanks. they are "rough cut, full dimension" large ones are 8x16, short are 4x12, long narrow ones are 2x12.
All heart redwood decking. the lower 6x6 beams holding the loft are cypress.

[MyDearFriend]

They are beautiful, sturdy, strong... just like you, Yggy!!!

[knowmad]

Back on Ygmirs wood? this thread is almost too predictable.

[MyDearFriend]

Ygmir's wood is widely admired.

[trilobyte]

The last few days have been busy. In preparation for tomorrow's shopbot session to build a full scale section I checked all my measurements again and set up the jobs that I'll need to run through the machine, laying out which parts will get cut where, and on which board. Then I hit a lumber yard and grabbed a couple sheets of 3/4 inch plywood and ripped them in half. Then I checked the thickness in several spots with the digital calipers to make sure all my plans are on the money.



Then of course it was time to beerdrate…



Then on to the laser cutter to make all the parts for a scale model of the entire structure. It took a couple sessions to get all the parts, but I managed to get 'er done.



Lots of custom parts, all made to precision standards…





After painting the connectors, I set to work assembling a few sections…



…which eventually becomes more sections…



…under careful supervision, of course…





…and eventually, you've got a scale model of a ziggurat facade. First from the front...



…and then from the rear…



I'm pleased to report that not only did it all fit together, it was spot on and as expected. This test not only served as a great 'sanity check' to make sure that it all fit, but it was a great opportunity to try and figure out how the hell my campmates and I are going to be able to build this thing. Next up I'll cut a bunch of full sized parts to build a small section to test the strength of the materials. I'm fairly certain it'll work, but in the interest of both safety and keeping costs under control I want to do that test before committing a bunch of resources. There will probably be some tweaks and changes to come, but everything seems to be on track. Huzzah!

[MyDearFriend]

Trilo, that looks so amazingly awesome just as a scale model even! I can't imagine what the full-sized monster will look like. Wow...

[Savannah]

Grey Cat is a hell of a foreman.

[trilobyte]

If only I could find that embiggener/de-embiggener ray, I could really save myself a lot of time. Just waz the model into the truck, set it on the ground, then ZAP! and we're in business. Alas, it's nowhere to be found, we're going to have to continue with the plan to build a full size one.

[Mojojita]

Let me know if you ever find the embiggener/debiggener thingie - I can think of a few things I would like to experiment on...

[Oldguy]

WOW! What a concept. Better than any balsa wood glider I ever made and tossed off my dad's house roof.

I, however, see the connecters eventually snapping in line due to the wind, like a crystal or diamond. Stress fractures eventually ground all metal aircraft, (metal fatigue vs. wood fatigue). Will you have cable tie opposite sides, and angle (or triangle) brace interior? Even if only 2 sides are done, it would still be an impressive shade structure.

I know, I know. I worry too much. You have probably already factored in the wind, crosswind, and gust loads. It is built to come down, or be burned anyway.

[ygmir]

*bows to Trilo*
pure art, Sir!! Well done!!

ON and on, sir, on and on..........(will Delle or Triken recognize that quote?)

[trilobyte]

Thanks for the concern, but I think it's either worrying too much or misunderstanding the project. Metal fatigue on the connectors is less of an issue than you think, what with the structure not being made of metal. And while sure, if you throw enough stress on any piece of wood it'll break, playa winds don't have what it takes to snap the connectors. On top of that, the frequency of the connectors essentially helps to spread the load (and the structure's anchored to a several ton stationary vehicle). My second round of tests is more about me wanting to double-check and make sure the 3/4 inch ply will be up to the task (though I've used full sheets successfully for decking on larger projects in the past).

[Patsh]

*bows to Trilo*
pure art, Sir!! Well done!!

ON and on, sir, on and on..........(will Delle or Triken recognize that quote?)

I recognize the quote, "Bows to Trilo", as one that gets thought alot around these parts...

but not the other, keeping in mind that my two week 'visit' to the US is now going on 43 years.

*hoping Delle will chime in later, knowing she's at work right now*




Good morning!!

[ygmir]

*bows to Trilo*
pure art, Sir!! Well done!!

ON and on, sir, on and on..........(will Delle or Triken recognize that quote?)

I recognize the quote, "Bows to Trilo", as one that gets thought alot around these parts...

but not the other, keeping in mind that my two week 'visit' to the US is now going on 43 years.

*hoping Delle will chime in later, knowing she's at work right now*




Good morning!!

hoping Delle recognizes it , then. Though I don't think it's Canukian, there is a Canadian character, though not involved in the quote.

[trilobyte]

I don't recognize where it comes from, but appreciate the kind words. It's an exciting and challenging project. Last night I had a night shift guarding the model…



This morning I moved the model off the workbench, then grabbed my gear and headed off to my local workshop place to cut the pieces for my section test. Man, talk about roadblocks all the way. Since I'd last used the tool they changed the way work-holding happens (instead of the fancy and awesome vac table that used suction to hold things down, I had to buy plastic nails for the nail gun and use that method which is a pain in the ass), and while it sounds like a trivial thing the change in work-holding meant the parts I'd laid out that would have been cut perfectly were now getting chewed up because there weren't enough tabs and the tabs weren't thick enough in spots. Fortunately I was able to stop and adjust my plans in short order, minimizing wasted time and wasted wood. Then a few minutes later I broke a router bit. Brand new one too, and super annoying since I was just going through garden variety plywood at a very conservative speed, no hardwoods or excessive speed…fuck! Luckily I'd thought to bring all my bits with me and had another of the same size. Everything else cut okay, but adding to the annoyance the tool's built-in vacuum was down, which meant there was no sawdust collection at all, and that tool creates an insane amount of sawdust!



After everything cut it took a while to shopvac and broom up the work area, but hooray - I was able to cut everything I needed with time to spare. While I was there and the place was relatively slow I decided to make use of their table router to do some cleaning up/finishing of the edges on the test build parts. I know, we just got a new router at home, but since I had the time and the tool was there to use at no additional cost I figured I'd use theirs. It also gave me a chance to get an idea of how much sawdust doing all that edging will generate (it wasn't too bad). Got home, and everything fits!



I have the parts to try a couple different section configurations too, but probably won't fool with that until after I get a chance to show the basic section to Pandorra.

[Elorrum]

I bet the parts that are left over after the connectors are cut are kind of cool as well.

[burner von braun]

Great to see all of the progress, Trilo! And it is certainly interesting to follow your process as you take measured steps toward the final goal. I'm still trying to get a handle on the design of your connectors, but these pictures of your full scale tests are helping me see where you are headed. I'm looking forward to seeing it in person on the playa more and more!

[trilobyte]

Thanks! The voids will have a lot of fun potential, Elorrum! I'm a big fan of void art (if I'm not mistaken more than a few temple structures have been decorated using voids), though with the section test I didn't really have many pieces of note. I'm using a half-inch bit on the router when I cut these pieces. By using the largest bit I can get into the slots it reduces the time it takes to cut things out, but the down side is less void space, and those voids don't have a lot of definition. If you look in the pic of me sitting on the section below you can see some circular pieces that were leftover. In order to get the most out of the wood I cut one of the 'space invader' t-connectors (like the one I'm holding in the shot) out of the circular shape inside the vertical support.



Pandorra got home a little while ago and was bubbling with excitement about the section build. So I pulled the section apart and built the corner/nose section to show her how things come apart and go together. Of course immediately, Gandalf had to come by and inspect it, making sure it could safely support his weight. Typical, while I was getting the phone out to snap the pic he was staring right at me, but the second I snap it, he's looking away.



Much to my amazement, the nose section build supported my weight without any trouble. I honestly expected that I'd need to run a tension line underneath (as we'll do on the playa)

[unjonharley]

You build it there? How do you expect to get it out the door

[trilobyte]

I got the chance to rework a couple part designs on the big structure (more tweaks to come), and then I designed (and made a few revisions to) parts for my curio carts. I want and need this to be a multi-purpose piece that will be with us for many years and projects to come. For this year we'll use them to display smaller art pieces that represent curiosities and treasures we've found on our travels through time, space, and several of the better dimensions (like you'd see in a visitor's center or old museum), serving up rubber stamps, and then also function as a serving cart during the times we're serving food or drink.





The openings in the back will give us a little storage, and the modular design will make it easy for me to build it either with or without the upper level/hutch piece. I've got two shopbot sessions booked for next week, I think I'm going to build these first, since I can use one of them pre-playa as a mobile workbench. I also see these things working out nicely as bars (on and off the playa). I had originally intended to run power and lighting onto the cart, but the more I thought about it the less I wanted the cart to have to deal with plugging/unplugging issues. The small shade structures they'll be under will have lighting/power, and for lighting the curiosities themselves I can work out some kind of battery-powered LED lighting solutions as needed.

[theCryptofishist]

You know, trilo, I saw that and thought, "what a cute little radio."

[unjonharley]

Do no bring that art to Salem.. It would only take one "Salem Lady " and it would be flat.

[clocksnmirrors]

trilo that is going to be amazing!

on my front here are some pics of the trailer transformation

before


purchased with shitty patch job on leaky roof (the guy lied to me)


and a bent axel


original plywood interior


i ripped out the plywood and added rigid foam insulation all around


here are a couple of in-process photos while putting the window in





here's where it stands now: replaced door handle, added windows on both sides, new axel
added vinyl flooring, and putting in fresh white paneling with lighting
will be wired 12 v with battery bank and solar panels


A GREAT BIG THANK YOU TO FIGJAM for guiding me through some of the techniques and keeping my spirits up when i started feeling totally overwhelmed

[ygmir]

very cool!! and a great start!!

keep us posted. please.

[FIGJAM]

Coming along very nicely!!!!!!