Monday, August 19, 2013

Freize Update - 2 Out Rally

 
 

More like a 2 out, bottom of the ninth, bases loaded and down by 4 rally.


I had all but abandoned building the actual Frieze deciding to use cast away door trim as, "The Frieze". That was kind of sad considering my impetus for this endless project in the first place was the construction of a frivolous, purely decorative façade of sorts. Of course, I couldn't leave that alone. Somehow, I became, inexplicably, inspired to build one small frieze over "home plate". This fit of inspiration coming while I was adding the moulding to the top of my work bench.

 
Well, that bit of impulse led to this charming disaster. It looks ok from a distance and even in pictures. In the flesh, though, or wood, it's hardly something for me to be proud of. The same creative drive that drove me to make this in the first place are the same that had me rush its construction. Gotta love my Yankee loving 16 year old. He thought it looked swell. So swell in fact that he bristled at my suggestion that I redo this whole thing. Sweet kid.

 
I was, however, rather impressed with my jig sawing. At least to some degree. It wasn't perfect but it was pretty fair. My mistake with this was using dowels inside the frieze.  
 
 

Pictures don't do this justice to how horrible this actually looks. Glob on several coats of impossibly thick exterior paint and you have yourself a good old fashioned, white hot mess. Onward to the rally!
 
  
The biggest challenge I had with the first frieze (which actually was the second frieze) was being able to carve concentric arches with a hand held jig saw. I had no template. What was I to do? Where was I going to find concentric circles that I could use as a template?
 
 
Ah, ha! A bicycle wheel. Of course! Actually, the first Frieze I built was arched from my bicycle's front tire, fully inflated. On the wheel. The side arches made from a quart sized paint can. I saw my bike wheel and I saw my Frieze. Yankee Stadium Frieze here I come!
 
 
As I think I pointed out during the work bench  expansion, I prefer to engineer and leave the actual construction work to others. The construction process is tedious to me, boring. I loose my focus and details get blurry. I make mistakes. Time consuming mistakes. Oh, so many mistakes.
 
 
This was a lot of cutting. A. Lot of cutting. A lot of time consuming, boring, tedious cutting.
 

The wood filler fills in a section of the Frieze that I thought I could drill out to give more of a real, Yankee Stadium Frieze. Fail. I got about a little more than one section done and I wasn't satisfied with it so I punted it. Time wasted but at least I tried it. There's a drill press at the radio station. Perhaps I can finagle a way to use it.
 
 
The dowels will go behind the structure as opposed to inside it like the first time. I'm liking this. A lot. Very exciting.
 
Stay tuned! 
 


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