So close!
I started the afternoon with modest aspirations. I had 3 pieces to recut to replace those I’d broken during the first round. I wanted to get those cut, and the whole shebang arranged and glued to the maple so it could dry and I could scribe around all the pieces sometime this week. I keep finding that if I start scribing before the glue has cured, I invariably move some of the pieces slightly, sometimes imperceptibly, and then I go ahead and scribe around them and rout the cavity, only to find it’s kittywompus and doesn’t want to fit.
I got through the first two pieces without incident or bloodshed, and was doing wonderful things with piece #5, the skinniest piece of the bunch. I swear, there was only a single millimeter to cut when the bastard broke. Look at that, and feel my pain.
I decided this project has languished long enough, and I’d go ahead and use the piece as 2 pieces anyway; if I cut another one at this point, it was equally likely to break, and basta! Already.
So all the pieces were cut and ready to go.
I did a test run on the pattern, just to make sure I had everything. I didn’t; 3 pieces were stowaways in the box. I found them just before I started cursing myself out for forgetting to make them in the first place, and blowing the whole day’s work because I was going to have to glue more patterns and wait and saw another day.
Then, piece by piece, I glued them with regular Elmer’s white glue onto the maple. I’m not sure the layout is precise; seems there’s a wider swing out on the wood than there in the pattern; I’ll have to figure out a way to deal with that issue in future, where precision is going to matter.
Once the pieces were in place, I wrapped the wood with a piece of wax paper and clamped it with a piece of alder to put steady pressure more or less along the length of the piece so the glue could cure in peace overnight. I wanted to use 2 clamps, but my other clamp wasn’t big enough.
On the clamping bench, in the upper right corner, you can see a piece of new shop equipment, a wee broom and a dustpan. They hang on the bench now, and are very handy. I’m collecting sawdust for a friend who wants it to make pin cushions.
Also new in the shop is a tracing table, for transferring designs.
And I also picked up a nifty new ruler. It’s flexible, for making clean lines when drawing curves. You put it in the shape you want, and it stays that way! I noticed my hand-drawn vine lines were not very smooth, and decided I could use some help. I had gone to the store looking for a French Curve set, but this ruler was right next to it, and seemed both literally and usefully more flexible. 
I wanted to get more done this weekend, but Saturday was a total wash of a day, so I’m glad I got at least this much done. I hope to get it scribed Monday night. Routing will need to wait, probably, as routing while tired seems like a good way to end up throwing a chunk of maple into the fireplace, and my weekend is already spoken for with the cruise. If only I didn’t have this damn job getting in the way! Of course, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be able to finance this particular continuing education.
