Altar: Part One

 

I have been commissioned to build an altar for a neighboring church and though a bit nervous since previously, all my work has stayed in my own home or with close family members, I agreed to do it. After some back and forth, the design that was settled on is shown above. It is the CAD file that I created based upon some rendered drawings provided me. Now that my show is clear and the weather is starting to warm up, I thought it time to get started on the project. The first step was to create a template to use in making the ogee arch details on the front of the altar.

First I created a dimensioned print of the area in question. To create the ogee arch, I had to learn the geometric tricks involved for creating it which required some YouTube research. 

This was helpful in drawing it on some MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) to create the template. I only need one template and will just transfer it twice to get the proper locations. MDF is great for templating material as it is easy to shape and later when I use my router, the support bearings on it will follow the smooth edges of the MDF and transfer the shape into the final wood panel.

As part of creating an ogee arch, I needed to come up with a compass that could span the width of the arch, something I do not own. I thought about purchasing one but that would add a lot of expense for something I would likely use only once and then never again in my life. So I turned to YouTube and found a great solution. I essentially used my framing square, a screw, a pencil and two clamps and created my own compass. That got the job done beautifully.

Above is the completed template for my ogee arch that I will use in the final creation of the two arches needed on the final altar. It is much better to use cheap materials to create a template than attempt to just cut it out of expensive material that is also much harder to shape and impossible to repair on such a highly visible area should I mess up. 

Unfortunately, the remainder of me week is busy, probably my next blog post will be on the why, so that was all my progress that I got done on the first afternoon spent on this project. My next step is to go find the expensive plywood necessary to complete the basic shape of the base. I'm going to concentrate on the base first and leave the top to last. It is the most visible of all so I want to not have it banging around in my garage for weeks/months until I get the base done. 

As the saying goes, the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time and this was the first bite of many.