Today’s class was spent at the presentation of the Homecoming project the undergraduates designed for a community. It was a pleasure to see their ideas and to hear how they developed the concept behind them. Afterward, we split into groups to help turn their designs into pieces we could fabricate for our ITC class. That work took the entire session, so there is little studio content to report.
Over the past few days, my main task has been welding the 2×2 steel angles into the trellis frames. Even getting started took significant preparation. The corners needed to be a true 90 degrees, so the frames could not be assembled on the shop floor, which is uneven concrete. Instead, we balanced the angles on a set of tables and labeled each table, which took a full class on its own. Once we had checked that every angle was correct, the welding could begin. I welded three frames, and Vivian welded a fourth. As each frame was finished, we moved it into the hallway to clear space for the next, and that routine became our assembly process.
With 30 minutes left today, we laid one finished frame on the floor to attach the grid for welding. The grid did not fit, so we had to take it back and cut it down to fit centered on the frame. Kaden and I stayed late to solve this, and the grid is now ready to be welded in.
my welding skills:
Tomorrow we begin a second mock-up, this one for the overhead portion of the trellis. Matt is making a cone to help keep the parallel slats equally spaced.