How hard can it be to make a Dodecahedron?
The next box in the series Oops!, A Llittle Cabinetree, and now Facets is on the build. It had to be started because I've been obsessing too much on the finish of Cabinetree and in order to amuse myself between coats I had been so bored I had started making micro plywood and then micro boxes and banding. It had to stop.
So the other day I started to think about what the next logical step would be keeping the theme and some of the aspects of the others but going a very different direction at the same time. It was obvious. The one thing that stands out as the same in the other two is a "square" box so let's start with something else. So….. how hard can it be to make a dodecahedron?
It turns out it's really easy. After all it is just a dozen identical pentagons and precision tools are all about making identical parts. This is the simple jig I set up to experiment with. Turns out it did the whole job without needing any adjustments. I don't like to count on angles on miter gauges and the like. I prefer to draw the object, pentagon here, full size using simple geometry. and set my saw to fit this large scale angle. To me it seems to leave less margin for error. So, here the miter gauge is set up to run pentagons. Just cut, rotate and cut until they're done.
Now that I know that the jig cuts perfect pentagons, I can go ahead and bevel the edges so they fit together. Here I had to trust the tilt scale and as the math told me I should try 31 3/4 degrees, that's where I set the saw and it turned out to make perfect fits. I guess the old Unisaw is OK. Rather than move something that was working I just added a small shim to make the beveled cut a little smaller than the original pentagons.
At this point out came the packing tape to check that everything was close enough to bother going on. If at this point the fits aren't just about perfect the whole thing will eventually go sideways for sure.
I decided that a hinge-up top would be fairly dramatic on this box so that meant some of the edges would have to have solid strips added to hide the MDF when it was open. To do that I just increased the size of the shim and cut two sides off square and shorter than the rest. The tricky thing here is that after you cut the first one you must rotate the just cut edge away counter-clockwise to make the next cut. Don't ask me how I figured that out. This is because you are making two sides different from the rest.
Just as it was necessary to rotate counter-clockwise when cutting sides different, it is also necessary to rotate clockwise when cutting to make all sides the same. Sounds strange, I know, but think about it. It does make sense after a while.
Once I knew that I could make a dodecahedron it was time to figure out what to do with it. This is the plan I sketched up. I like it. I always thought that the square box was "harsh" in the organic flowing lines of the tree in Cabinetree. I'm not sure whether I like or dislike the discord that the contrast introduces. At any rate this is a chance to play the opposing side and have both options covered. This shape will suit the tree more sympathetically and the tree can play more of a visual role than just the "supporting role" that it played in Cabinetree. Sorry about the rambling on but this is how my "design process" works.
One aspect that I did want to carry over from Cabinetree was the dyed marquetry. I'm not finished with that idea yet and when I looked at the surfaces available here it was immediately obvious that they were made for a big maple leaf. Here a blown up photo of a big leaf maple leaf is fitted to a masking paper mock-up of the surfaces.
And in this photo it is wrapped onto the form. I think this will look really nice if I can pull it off.
Open wide and say AHHH. When I saw the way it opens I wanted to change the name to "Tridacna" (giant clam) and substitute branching coral for the tree but the leaf looks too good so maybe that one will be the next box. The hinge is a slight modification on a piece of prototype left lying around after Cabinetree was built. It will be much more strongly attached when it gets veneer on both sides.
As for Cabinetree, I should be taking it to the photographer on Monday or Tuesday. I'll post it as soon as I have photos. Thanks for your patience.
That's it for now I'll update this as I move along but as this is a "real time " blog it may not be every day.
Comments, critiques and questions make the world go around so don't be shy.
Thanks for tuning in.
Paul
The next box in the series Oops!, A Llittle Cabinetree, and now Facets is on the build. It had to be started because I've been obsessing too much on the finish of Cabinetree and in order to amuse myself between coats I had been so bored I had started making micro plywood and then micro boxes and banding. It had to stop.
So the other day I started to think about what the next logical step would be keeping the theme and some of the aspects of the others but going a very different direction at the same time. It was obvious. The one thing that stands out as the same in the other two is a "square" box so let's start with something else. So….. how hard can it be to make a dodecahedron?
It turns out it's really easy. After all it is just a dozen identical pentagons and precision tools are all about making identical parts. This is the simple jig I set up to experiment with. Turns out it did the whole job without needing any adjustments. I don't like to count on angles on miter gauges and the like. I prefer to draw the object, pentagon here, full size using simple geometry. and set my saw to fit this large scale angle. To me it seems to leave less margin for error. So, here the miter gauge is set up to run pentagons. Just cut, rotate and cut until they're done.
Now that I know that the jig cuts perfect pentagons, I can go ahead and bevel the edges so they fit together. Here I had to trust the tilt scale and as the math told me I should try 31 3/4 degrees, that's where I set the saw and it turned out to make perfect fits. I guess the old Unisaw is OK. Rather than move something that was working I just added a small shim to make the beveled cut a little smaller than the original pentagons.
At this point out came the packing tape to check that everything was close enough to bother going on. If at this point the fits aren't just about perfect the whole thing will eventually go sideways for sure.
I decided that a hinge-up top would be fairly dramatic on this box so that meant some of the edges would have to have solid strips added to hide the MDF when it was open. To do that I just increased the size of the shim and cut two sides off square and shorter than the rest. The tricky thing here is that after you cut the first one you must rotate the just cut edge away counter-clockwise to make the next cut. Don't ask me how I figured that out. This is because you are making two sides different from the rest.
Just as it was necessary to rotate counter-clockwise when cutting sides different, it is also necessary to rotate clockwise when cutting to make all sides the same. Sounds strange, I know, but think about it. It does make sense after a while.
Once I knew that I could make a dodecahedron it was time to figure out what to do with it. This is the plan I sketched up. I like it. I always thought that the square box was "harsh" in the organic flowing lines of the tree in Cabinetree. I'm not sure whether I like or dislike the discord that the contrast introduces. At any rate this is a chance to play the opposing side and have both options covered. This shape will suit the tree more sympathetically and the tree can play more of a visual role than just the "supporting role" that it played in Cabinetree. Sorry about the rambling on but this is how my "design process" works.
One aspect that I did want to carry over from Cabinetree was the dyed marquetry. I'm not finished with that idea yet and when I looked at the surfaces available here it was immediately obvious that they were made for a big maple leaf. Here a blown up photo of a big leaf maple leaf is fitted to a masking paper mock-up of the surfaces.
And in this photo it is wrapped onto the form. I think this will look really nice if I can pull it off.
Open wide and say AHHH. When I saw the way it opens I wanted to change the name to "Tridacna" (giant clam) and substitute branching coral for the tree but the leaf looks too good so maybe that one will be the next box. The hinge is a slight modification on a piece of prototype left lying around after Cabinetree was built. It will be much more strongly attached when it gets veneer on both sides.
As for Cabinetree, I should be taking it to the photographer on Monday or Tuesday. I'll post it as soon as I have photos. Thanks for your patience.
That's it for now I'll update this as I move along but as this is a "real time " blog it may not be every day.
Comments, critiques and questions make the world go around so don't be shy.
Thanks for tuning in.
Paul