Over the past two weeks I have made considerable progress on the bank vault. I spent a fair amount of time designing the piece in Google Sketchup and it paid off. I was able to use Sketchup to figure out measurements down to the 1/32" of an inch, transfer those measurements to a template and use the template to make the shapes.
The first saw I purchased was off an 1/8" which may not seem like much, but when you need to make 16 cuts, it adds up to being 2" short! After returning the first saw and buying another one everything has been going very smooth.
I made an octagon with 8 pieces that would be easy to carry. I knew that the piece had to be able to be carried by me and then bolted together to create the finished work. I cut out the pieces, aligned them on the floor and used a laser to find center. I used this center mark to create a giant compass and drew and inside and outside circle. Once the first one was cut and sanded I used it as a template for the rest. I used a router with a trimming bit to "trace" the template. This gave me 8 identical pieces.
The holes are there to provide access to the nuts and bolts when it's all assembled.
Starting assembly
Bolt detail. The entire piece will disassemble.
Labels: CreateHere, F.A.M.P., MakeWork, mark mcleod, sculpture
The past couple of weeks have been extremely hectic. School has started back and with the addition of a new course (Art Theory and Criticism) and the accompanying text along with an unexpected update to an older text for Art Appreciation, time in the studio has been limited.
I have been working extensively with Google Sketchup to make sure all the angles are just right for the construction of the bank vault. The vault has been reduced to 9' tall by 18' wide because of height restrictions in most local and regional exhibition spaces. Because of the scale of this piece I am using Sketchup to help create a mockup. The entire sculpture will be able to be broken down into 16 manageable "chunks". Manageable means roughly 3' long by 10" wide sections for the entryway and larger pie shaped pieces for the door. Other parts such as gears and pistons will be added after the main pieces are assembled on site. The main pieces will consist of a large 9' circle (the vault entrance) and a 9' door. The easiest way to make a circle this large is to actually start with an octagon. Most radial arm saws have a preset stop for the angle that's required to build an octagon (22.5 degrees). Cut 8 pieces at 22.5 degrees on each end. Assemble them together to form a large octagon. Use a large board as a makeshift compass and you have a circle. This was the exact same technique I used to create my Superpowers Chamber. It's also the same technique used to create a gazebo. My first purchase with the MakeWork grant was a sliding radial arm saw. This has allowed me to quickly and accurately cut the needed pieces. In all there will be 32 sections that will be pieced together. I have created several templates to help this piece move as fast and as accurately as possible. If a cut is off even an 1/8 of inch...multiplied by 8 pieces...I am left with a 1 inch gap. Needless to say I am taking my time to make sure the cuts are as accurate as possible.
Along with working on the vault I have also patched and sanded some of the diptych paintings. I have been struggling with exactly how these paintings should work but think I have settled on a combination of overlapping imagery across two panels instead of my original idea of two different, yet complementary works.
Google Sketchup print out of the various angles and cuts I will need to make
New radial arm saw that can cut 22.5 angles for the octagon
1/2" MDF cut to length. The top piece is the template for the other 15 pieces underneath. This will form the individual pieces that will make up the vault entryway.
Also bought a 6 gallon Porter Cable air compressor and 3 nailer combo pack. The regular price was $299 but I got a refurbished unit for $189 with free shipping. Same warranty as a brand new one.
Labels: CreateHere, F.A.M.P., MakeWork, mark mcleod, sculpture
