Today’s task should have been simple. It should not have involved a trip to the lumber yard and another to the hardware store. However, it turned out not to be simple and did indeed involve a trip the the lumber yard and another to the hardware store. On the upside though, I ended up getting a really awesome back cutting saw and several clamps that were on sale.
Today was all about getting the form cut out and the corner and end blocks put in place… mission accomplished. Check the video:
The trip to the lumber yard was required because it turned out that I didn’t have a piece of wood suitable for the corner blocks or end pieces. So, for the lack of about 8 inches of wood I had to go buy a 16ft spruce 2×4. Oh well, the “scrap will come in handy I’m sure! At the lumber yard they cut the board in half for me using a very nice back cutting saw. When I commented about it I was told that they sold them inside the office… They did indeed sell them, in fact, the sold one to me 
The trip to the hardware store was required because the clamps I had were either an inch too short or 4ft too long. As it turned out, they were having a “Hot Deal” on the clamps I needed and have been wanting for a while anyway. So, it all turned out for the best (with the possible exception of my wallet).
Cutting out the form went well. The only thing that I’d give more thought to on a 2nd go around would be how to cut the slots for the corner blocks. Cutting the slots with a 1/8 inch band saw made it impossible to achieve parallel, straight, or perpendicular cuts. This along with difficulty cutting the blocks themselves using a table saw and miter saw took a lot more time than expected. If I had it to do over again (Stradivarius part deux?) I might think about changing blades on the band saw and cutting the blocks and “entry” slots on the form with a much wider blade.
So, anyway, while it did take about twice as much time as expected (what doesn’t other than hot water in the microwave?) it’s done for the day. Tomorrow, after the glue is dried, I’ll trim down the corner and end blocks, mark the pattern and cut out the last of the form.
Enjoy!
joe
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