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Lonely Raven · 8th November 2009

So here I am with a few of the fins completed. All the slots cut, and a hand full of tiles cut. I figured I'd do a dry fit to see how everything goes together.

Here are the fins slotted together to form a corner of the grid:

It was a bit of a tight fit, I had to use a board laid across the grid, and a small hammer to tap the board to get all the fins to interlock. If I had a saw blade that was a hair thicker, these would fit together a bit more easily. As it is, everything went together pretty well!

Now my concept for getting the tiles spacing exactly (the next "jig I'll be working on later this week). Is to simply use wood dowels that fit into the slots, and I'll have the wood dowels cut equal to the depth needed, minus the 1/8" thickness of the tile. Here is a quick and dirty test example I did. I cut some scrap to different heights, and drop them into the slots:

Then I simply press fit the tiles into the grid till they hit the wood spacers, so I know where to stop. And yes, the cuts were all so exactly on this, that the tiles press fit perfectly with not the slightest gap in the grid. I dare say these are damn near air tight!

Now the bad news....so I was up late last night, I finished cutting the slots in about 25 of the fins, and I figured I'd start assembling a bunch of the grid before I go to bed. Well, while tapping in the fins, a few of the fins tore right at the slots and just fell apart! Keep in mind, as you add more and more fins, it's getting tighter and tighter. This thing could easily hold it's own weight up on the wall once I get all the pieces interlocked. But that tightness came at a cost.

Now, at this point, I'm not sure if I should scrap this project and get 1/8" plywood (ditching the MDF completely) and start over (which would be stronger and lighter, but also twice as expensive), or if I should just continue to assemble the grid, knowing that the broken parts will easily be held in place by the grid itself. My concern is, if this falls apart this easily just putting in 6-8 fins, how impossible is it going to be to assemble when I get to 29 X 29!! I wish I had a saw blade that was just a hair larger then 1/8" thick!!

That's all I have for now...I've lost a bit of steam after this latest issue. I think I need to take a break from it for a day or two and come back with a fresh mind. I was hoping to have one of these done this weekend, but it's not going to happen as frustrated as I am right now.

8th November 2009	#4
Lonely Raven Gear maniac Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Bolingbrook, IL Posts: 230 Thread Starter	So here I am with a few of the fins completed. All the slots cut, and a hand full of tiles cut. I figured I'd do a dry fit to see how everything goes together. Here are the fins slotted together to form a corner of the grid: It was a bit of a tight fit, I had to use a board laid across the grid, and a small hammer to tap the board to get all the fins to interlock. If I had a saw blade that was a hair thicker, these would fit together a bit more easily. As it is, everything went together pretty well! Now my concept for getting the tiles spacing exactly (the next "jig I'll be working on later this week). Is to simply use wood dowels that fit into the slots, and I'll have the wood dowels cut equal to the depth needed, minus the 1/8" thickness of the tile. Here is a quick and dirty test example I did. I cut some scrap to different heights, and drop them into the slots: Then I simply press fit the tiles into the grid till they hit the wood spacers, so I know where to stop. And yes, the cuts were all so exactly on this, that the tiles press fit perfectly with not the slightest gap in the grid. I dare say these are damn near air tight! Now the bad news....so I was up late last night, I finished cutting the slots in about 25 of the fins, and I figured I'd start assembling a bunch of the grid before I go to bed. Well, while tapping in the fins, a few of the fins tore right at the slots and just fell apart! Keep in mind, as you add more and more fins, it's getting tighter and tighter. This thing could easily hold it's own weight up on the wall once I get all the pieces interlocked. But that tightness came at a cost. Now, at this point, I'm not sure if I should scrap this project and get 1/8" plywood (ditching the MDF completely) and start over (which would be stronger and lighter, but also twice as expensive), or if I should just continue to assemble the grid, knowing that the broken parts will easily be held in place by the grid itself. My concern is, if this falls apart this easily just putting in 6-8 fins, how impossible is it going to be to assemble when I get to 29 X 29!! I wish I had a saw blade that was just a hair larger then 1/8" thick!! That's all I have for now...I've lost a bit of steam after this latest issue. I think I need to take a break from it for a day or two and come back with a fresh mind. I was hoping to have one of these done this weekend, but it's not going to happen as frustrated as I am right now.