I told you all that I would get 2 of these done in one day!
It was tight, but I did it!
We'll see if, by the end of this, I have cleared out enough space in my workshop to maybe get some new wood this weekend!
Let's get started!
This was the template I used for this particular square. It has some tricky components that the previous 2 did not have, so we'll see how this goes!
First, some wood cutting!
On this piece, I wanted to use the natural brown wood as the main focal piece, with the colors as accents around it.
I chose the green because of it's vibrancy; but also because I wanted a contrasting light/dark element. And luckily, I have some light pieces of wood with a hint of green!
These little grayish-green triangles as accents provide a nice transition to the rich, dark green sections. Next, I moved on to the outer regions...
I used the same wood from the inner "stars" to frame out the green accents. Then, I found an old white-washed barn panel I had stashed away to use as the corner pieces!
Beautiful!
Now, to the frame!
I used some nice strips of pine that I got last weekend to make this frame. I just cut them down to size (12" on the inner edges), and 45 degree angles on the ends.
Same procedure as the last two: I used a combination of wood glue and flat corner braces, then flipped it over to see how it looked!
The left corner is a little chipped, but I think it adds to the overall character of the piece.
On to the backer board!
I cut it to size using my scroll saw and sanded the edges to remove the splinters!
I secured the backer board to the frame using 1/2" screws. All that's left is putting together the puzzle!
As you can probably assume, I used wood glue to secure the pieces to the backer board. This piece was INCREDIBLY difficult to put together, for whatever reason. I had to do some trimming and shaving of some of the pieces to get them to fit. I even had to use a rubber mallet to force some pieces in!
I let it dry for about 30 minutes before revisiting it and admiring it...
It's perfect...
......................
Ww..wait...
Something doesn't look right...
UH OH...
Most people might not have noticed this. And initially, neither did I...
When I was having trouble putting everything together and removing/replacing pieces, I totally inverted the triangles on the right! The big triangle is supposed to be on the right and facing to the right.
Some people might have left it like it was. No big deal...
I'm not one of those people.
After staring at it for what felt like 30 minutes, reviewing my options and weighing pros and cons, I had to do what was right and fix it.
And boy was this a pain! Just as difficult to get out as to get in!
The glue was dried enough that it took some prying. I had to slip a flathead screwdriver and slowly pry it up so that I didn't chip or crack any wood. I flipped it around and re-glued it down...
Okay good, now I can sleep tonight!
You better believe I visually scanned this thing up and down looking for any other inversions or mistakes. Looks like I'm in the clear though, thank goodness...
I let it dry while horizontal for about 6 hours, and then stood it up to take a nice look at it!
Wow, this one definitely fought back! This piece gave me issues from early on and didn't let up until the final piece was placed (and then replaced)...
But I really like the way this one looks! So glad I was able to make this today and finish it in time to go grab dinner at my in-laws without getting yelled at by my wife!
I was able to clean up my workshop and organize my reclaimed wood scraps, and there's not as many as before! I put a lot of scraps to good use today! So, I definitely can look around this weekend when I go shopping for wood up in Sarasota!
Also, since I'm really liking geometric art pieces, I think I'll keep going with the quilt squares, and other geometric pieces to use up more scraps so I can keep buying more!
Check out this piece and others on my "Store" tab!
'Til next time!
-Kevin
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