Had a little problem with curved, warped plywood. Oh well, just a little design adjustment. My planer will go on the flip side.
Gorgeous day, almost 50.
Gorgeous day, almost 50.

How fine do you sand it? 220?Today I finished up the 72 pieces of what my customer calls spheres 4 x 6" in Poplar. The picture I'm showing only shows 9 parts, but there are 27 more under the 9, plus there is another box with 36 in it.
I used 8/4 poplar sanded down to 2" thick on both pieces to make 4" thick. Each piece was 6 1/4" wide x 6' long. I set up my clamps and proceeded to apply glue and get them clamped.
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The next day, I cut each one to 6 1/4 square, and then headed over to the drill press to drill the center hole. I used a 3/8" Kreg bit. View attachment 236343
After the holes were drilled, took the pieces over to the miter saw and cut the corners. This was a dangerous situation as I tied up the guard so I could pull the saw down into the wood. The guard hinge was defective from the factory which causes the saw to be difficult to pull down into the cut. After it passes that bad spot, it works great. I only cut myself about 8 times. The worst was I actually made contact with the blade while it was still turning, but it was just about stopped and only got a 1/2" long scratch on my forefinger. All the other cuts were when I would reach up to grab the handle and trigger and got scratches from the teeth.View attachment 236350
The parts are now ready to be turned. .
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The next 3 pics are of my mandrel I made with one of the parts ready to be turned. Both of the mandrel parts have the same end. If I would have been a little more intelligent at the time, I should have made the head stock end with an MT2 instead of having the mandrel fit into a chuck.
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These two are the first and I'll sand the centers later. These need to get over to Missouri so the customer can send them to Florida so they can be chrome plated.
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Here it is. This is a sample for the actual recipient to look at and determine whether that's what they envisioned. Of the 72 I'm sending to Florida, 62 will actually be chromed, and the others will be plated with different colors of chrome.
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These are going to a Marriot Hotel. I don't know where yet, but will get that info when they get installed. I will also recieve 2 of these pieces for myself. ................ Jerry (in Tucson)
If it's anything like the last job I did like that, this is a room divider, possibly in a lobby of the place it's going to. Marriot is on the drawing of this new job.Interesting. Never seen wood chromed like that. Must be some sort of ceiling / lighting fixture?
Apparently, Spectra Chrome is the only one doing it because they were the only company to come up in my search.Cool project Jerry! Had no idea that wood could be plated like that.
Do you have a specific tolerance on the shape/size of the spheres? If they will be hung(?) separately, I'd guess it would be less critical.
Wonder how the seasonal expansion/contraction affects the plating. Maybe before plating process they are held in controlled environ, plated, and the plating completely seals the wood making movement a moot point?
Yep, the final is 220. ............ Jerry (in Tucson)How fine do you sand it? 220?
The epoxy will lock the moisture level into a stable place. Even if it can change, it will do so very little and very slowly.Apparently, Spectra Chrome is the only one doing it because they were the only company to come up in my search.
My post above has a concept of what it is supposed to be. All thread rod through the pieces with 3/4" tube spacers different lengths.
As far as the finish holding up over time, that's something for me to see. But, time better hurry as I don't have a whole lot left, I think. They do several things to seal the wood, and I know Epoxy is one of the things, and then the final is a spray. ........... Jerry (in Tucson)
Not really, it just shows I'm a Pig. Oink, Oink.Your shop looks like you work in it!!!
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C'Mon, Bill, you can do it if you put your mind to it. It's 30 hours of pure boredom, after the second or third piece. I have 8 more to make that will go to Missouri, and should have done them and been done 2 hours ago, but, there is always tomorrow. .............. Jerry (in Tucson)Hard to get one to look like I want, can’t imagine 72.