Thursday, February 12, 2015

Puzzle Project Wood Arrived and Sketch is Ready

Wood is here!

Beautiful cherry plywood!
Two 77 lb. packages arrived on Wednesday. I let them sit in the box for a day but the weather is so dry now that I hardly think any additional acclimation will do anything to settle the cherry plywood. Thursday I unpacked them and promptly proceeded to cut them to size 22 x 30 inches or 56 x 76 cm., same size as the paper.
Close up of the cherry veneer layer with MDF first layer

My fellow participants will be happy to find out that the first layer below the cherry veneer (which gets thinner and thinner every year) is MDF or Medium Density Fiberboard. This means it is very easy to cut, much easier than standard plywood. This also means that the blocks are a bit more fragile, in terms of compression, than previous years but I trust the printmaking gods will protect and guide us and all will be well.
Pencil guides and three blocks placed on support
Found a clamping saw guide, nice tool!
Other necesseties, clamps, saw horses, saber-saw...
sunscreen!

Gorgeous day to be in the front porch making noise

Few hours later, all pieces placed on the cardboard support,
they only fell once

Next the sketch prep

I printed the sketch (reversed-desrever!) onto standard paper, two sheets to a panel. The next task was to make up a "mock" panel to about 1/4 scale for each of the blocks. I then draw on to the blocks free hand with the mock panel guides. Easier seen than explained!
Loose sheets with sketch reversed, printed out

Two sheets make an 11 x 15 or 1/4 scale panel
good old fashioned "cut and paste"

All glued up and put together

Now I just have to go from here to THERE!
Drawing on the blocks will take me through the weekend

After the sketch is transferred to the block, I fire up the saber-saw again, this time with a scroll blade. Then the real chopping begins! I should be able to cut all blocks and mail them out by the end of next week. Fingers crossed...er, fingers out of the path of the saw...crossed.

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