Happy Thanksgiving - Time to work

Starting yesterday, I have been working on a project for Hatfield's restaurant located in Hollywood. The restaurant has moved and the new location is very spacious. I was chosen by the designer Alexis Readinger of  Preen Design and Licensed contractor Jon Baer of Baer Construction Inc.  to build the main focus point.

The job is anything from easy........  I decided to do it just because I really like the project so here we go.

The design calls for a light to be located in the center of the room hanging from the ceiling. This sounds really simple but there is more.

If you look at the design it has many hex and pentagons hanging........ I think you all remember seeing these pictures in early high school chemistry and feeling like you will never understand it...... 

: The plan - To build a 3D model of a molecular structure with bonds linking everything together. Plus to add to it - some need lights inside of them! Oh, did I forget that they all need to be covered in different colored fabric so the light is dimmer and has a strong warm glow.

Sounds easy except there is 18 giant 18" hexs and pentagons, if you do that math - I will give you a second, ok, That takes up a lot of space.

Here is the side view Alexis drew up for me to start the project

Here are some pictures from the start of the project, about a 1000 feet of material and well over 500 cuts. Check it.

The mighty bandsaw - she is over 4 years old and feeling it

a few sides of the Hex cut

Every piece is cut with 60 deg angles on both sides

but they are 180 deg different angles

 ( the tube needs to be rotated 180 deg for the second 60 deg cut )

a few more, only about 120 more

good enough for tonight, about 195 sides cut.

about 95% are 10.59" the rest will become the bonds or maybe a coffee table.

No wasting here !

my custom fixture for welding up the hex ends

I made a movie on how I weld up the ends.

Next post will be me building and the movie.