INDN 212: Getting Into The Making Phase

So, I've done my presentation, I know what I'm going to do, now it's time to put my plan into action. The design I originally had in mind is huge (1.5m +), so refining that down to a much more manageable 1.1m is key. It is meant to be a large light, and seeing as it fulfills two functions, I think I can allow myself a few more liberties with the design.

I'm sticking with the final design I presented for my presentation, but I'm tweaking one aspect of it, namely the light coming out of the end on the right. Another aspect that I'm refining is in stead of making my light stark black, I'm in stead going to utilize a natural wood colour for my work, as the black is far too stark for a light wall. If I use a lighter wood grain, it reduces the amount of contrast to the wall, and also allows the light to speak more of the materials that went into creating it.

Image acquired from: http://www.hobbithouseinc.com

Deciding on using a nice piece of timber, I then went into City Timbers and spent ages choosing an appropriate material. In then end, I decided on a beautiful piece of light kauri. The wood shown above is also kauri, but the piece I have is a fair amount lighter than that, while possessing a similar grain. I've really come to realise how much I love working with wood. Definitely my favourite material to use.

Once I had my timber, I then went back to the workshop and worked on the form. I ran the wood through the thicknesser first, to get it perfect for my purpose. Following that, I planned out the form I wanted to create, and then cut out the form. This form actually proved to be fairly tricky to figure out, as the inner curve I wanted to create needed careful treatment. However, I found that if I went slow enough, I could actually get a curve cut out on the bandsaw.

The main circuitry would all be embedded in the wood, so once I had sanded out the form I wanted, I needed to use the router to route out the space for the lights. This was an interesting experience, as I've never actually used the router before. Either way, it's a very cool machine, and I definitely want to use it more for other projects.

An addition that I decided to add to my work was a slope on both ends of the light that slope it into the wall, making the light even less obtrusive. I was really hesitant when I wanted to do this, so I just put it to the belt sander and then I had to go with it. Tehehe. Self-entrapment.