Work, Work, and more work!

Since the wood arrived, I have been working like a maniac. Going to actual work, then driving to East Albany, working till well after dark, then driving home and going to bed. Today was no different, except that I actually had all day to work on the yurt, also known as a day off.  Dave and Kathy, my amazing friends who have opened up their home, shop, and refrigerator to me, were getting ready to leave for a long weekend of reunion extravaganzas! Luckily for me, not so luckily for them, Dave is always willing to lend a hand, give some ideas, and put his fingers at risk on the table saw. So here's what I have been up to:

First I took seven of the the 2" x 10" x 16' and cut them in half to make fourteen 2" x 10" x 8'

They are much easier to manage at 8' rather than the full length. Then we cut off a sliver on the sides to clean them of any waning or warping that could be easily taken off. It also cleaned up the wood for the end results.

 As easy as it is to take 7 boards and make 14, it is always gratifying to see the finished pile waiting for the next step.

After that, we cut the fourteen 2" x 10" x 8' into forty-two 2" x 3" X 8'

Ta-da!

I am awful at estimating how long things will take. So I always have high goals of finishing many steps in a few hours, only to find out that I could only finish one step. This was no different. I had ambitions of having them drilled and ready for more cutting by the end f the night. Little did I know that it would take me much longer before I could ever get there.

here is the stack at about 10:00pm. I am pooped and ready to go home!

In order to keep things tidy, we stacked them on the trailer. As you can see, it was certainly dark.

The next two days I spent planing the board (shaving them down) I was knee deep in shavings, with shavings in my nose, ears, and every inch of my clothing. I may have even lost some hearing in the process. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the shaving pile, but Dave made a shaving bonfire to make more room for the shavings to come....

Fast forward to today... I was finally able to start drilling! Yay! Woohoo!

Oh wait... it gets boring

Drilling hole after hole, and adjusting for warp and twist, then drilling some more. 

Our quick and dirty jig to help keep the board straight 

The manufacturing line

Hell yeah! The finished pile! 

Next step: Rounding the ends

We set up another jig on the porch to keep the boards aligned and to simplify the process so I wouldn't have to round each one individually. This is neccessary to keep the fabric from getting caught on the edges and tearing. I used a plunge router with a 1/2" drill bit. Ideally a 3/4" would have been best, but you work with what you have.

All lined up and ready for work

I would round off one end, then move the boards down to the other side of the jig and round the other side, then flip them over and repeat the process until all four sides were complete.

This is what they looked like after rounding them.

If we had a 3/4" bit for the router, it would have made the bottom more circular with no flat spot.

Finally, the moment I have been waiting for.

The lattice finally looks... well like a lattice!

We still have many more board to cut into the lattice pieces, this is only about 60 of the 180 that will comprise the wall.

Then for some aesthetic touches, I will be chamfering the edges to soften them. This is going to take me approximately one million years.

Then I am sanding the rough spots. this will also take me one million years

and at some point, they will be stained with a tung oil mixture

Here are some lessons I learned the hard way:

1. Don't walk around the wood shop barefoot or you will get splinters and metal in your foot

2. Don't handle wood without gloves or you will get splinters

3. Don't look at the wood wrong, or you will get splinters

4. When adjusting the roller saw-horse things, don't let go of the adjustable part or it will slam down on your thumb and hurt.

5. Prepare an ice bag for when you get home, you will need it.

All in all, things are coming along quite nicely. I am, despite my above comments, okay and in good spirit. The progress is slow but steady, at least from my perspective. Thus far I have spent 22 hours working on the yurt, with many more to go.