Private studio in Slovakia

#136

Thank you for the kind comments, Jag94. I have gleaned ideas and been inspired by what I have seen others do; if I can do likewise for someone else through what I am doing and learning that would make me feel the journaling has been worthwhile.

#137

Starlight wrote:Source of the post Part 2 of 3 things that will hang from the ceiling: first was the space couplers, above. Second is the hexagonal lamp shades which, as you will see, are finished but not yet in place. Third will be the cloud.

The last photo above is of the 7 hexagons I had cut out. I then routed round what will be the inner edge.
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I discovered that the edge was not perfectly straight. This is because the supplied guide slides along the outer edge of the hexagon and the router bit reaches over to where I want to rout. I was not happy with my work.
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I am learning that tools need guides to not only help them run the right course but also to not allow them to deviate. More studying of YouTube videos and I discovered that I would be better off using a flush trim bit. Lockdown means ordering online (in this instance from Germany) and waiting 10 days for delivery. Time for a new homemade jig for the router, allowing for the 120 degree corners.
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That's better! Now I am happy.
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All 7 cut out.
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Apply linseed oil.
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Practice makes perfect. 20 holes for 10 lamps, 6 in the hexagons and 4 in the cloud.
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So I have the hexagons and the lamp mounts but I need to make something to keep the holes dead centre and floating above the hexagons - the top of the hexagons need to be level with the bottom of the lamp mounts.
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Before fixing what look like little ladders that hold the lamp mounts we had to wait a few weeks until lockdown eased so that we could go and select the breathable textile. The shop didn't have enough in stock so there was a further wait while the shop ordered more. We will use this on the cloud and the traps so we bought 70 metres in all. I added the steel tracks as a way of mounting the hexagons to the ceiling hooks they will hang from and keeping them evenly spaced. They will be put in place in 3 parts: the centre 3 and then a pair on either side, for which the plasterboard lift will come in handy.
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I decided to have the lamps independent of the hexagons as a safety measure - I would not want the weight of 7 hexagons (35kg) pulling on the mains cables during fitting or lowering of the hexagons, should that ever be necessary. The mounts glued to the lamps slot into the top of the ladder and determine how far each lamp will poke through. I chose ceiling lamps because these are designed to not require an opening at the top for heat dispersion and I wanted to be able to use E27 (ie. ordinary) bulbs, not (recessed) GU10.
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The lamps have small connectors (on the left in the photo below) which are so small I can only insert one cable but I need two (mains in and mains out). Lockdown means I cannot simply pop round to the electrical shop so I ordered the Wago connectors online from Lithuania and waited 10 days for them. It turns out that braided wire, which we are using, is not strong enough to insert into the connectors. I tinned the ends to make the cables stronger but that didn't do the trick. So I have now ordered larger connectors (from the UK) like the ones on the lamps and am now waiting for them to arrive.

I was going to wait until I had the hexagons up on the ceiling before posting my report but lockdown lag (as I call it) has managed to stretch what I thought would be a 2-3 week job into 9 weeks so far so I decided not to wait any longer.
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In closing, to add to comments made in others' topics, here are two things. First, Jennifer recommends saw tables. I bought a pair and while I am not using them for sawing yet, they make a terrific mobile worktop where I can do so many things that I have done on the floor so far, such as measuring and marking wood for cutting, and a place to leave commonly used items. It is great to get good suggestions from others!
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The other thing was someone mentioned about blade depth when sawing. I showed somewhere near the top of this page how setting the depth of the blade on the table saw allowed me to cut half the depth of the wood for the space couplers. Here are two photos I took yesterday as I started sawing wood for the cloud. I was using lengths of 15mm OSB as a level base (on a tiled floor) for the plywood board and OSB offcuts as supports for the slats that are being cut. At worst they would fall 15mm to the floor but I get neater cuts when the sawn wood is supported and so does not pull down as the cut nears the end.
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With 15mm of OSB between the plywood and the floor, the blade on my circular saw protrudes apprimately half way, enough to ensure the plywood gets cut and little enough to ensure the blade never risks making contact with the floor. I like sawing boards on the floor as they are stable and level on the floor. Pallets were great supports, as I demonstrated when I cut MDF for my silencer boxes.
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While I am waiting for the lamp connectors to arrive I am preparing to make the cloud so there is always something to keep me occupied.

Great work my friend. All those hexagons are going to look so cool!

P.S.
Linseed oil is my nemesis. For those who dont know, be VERY careful with any rags which have linseed oil in them. If wadded up and thrown in a corner, trash can, etc they can easily spontaneously combust. I have learned this the hard way..... twice...

#138

JasonFoi wrote:Source of the postP.S.
Linseed oil is my nemesis. For those who dont know, be VERY careful with any rags which have linseed oil in them. If wadded up and thrown in a corner, trash can, etc they can easily spontaneously combust. I have learned this the hard way..... twice...

It seems the danger is the chemical reaction that happens as the oil is drying out and on wood the coat is so thin that the risk there is minimal. The obvious thing to learn seems to be to leave a linseed oily rag well away from anything flammable until it has dried completely. One good suggestion I saw was to to lay rags on their own out flat on something like a paving slab.

I didn't know that but once I started looking the information seems to be everywhere. I am fortunate in that my oily rag is wrapped up inside a bag to stop it from drying out as there will be more oiling to do.

Thanks for warning, Jason.

#139

Greetings Starlight,

One good suggestion I saw was to to lay rags on their own out flat on something like a paving slab.

Agreed.

My wife is an artist and puts linseed-oiled rags in a small galvanized metal trashcan. It has a lid and can be stored outside regardless of the elements.

All the best,

Paul

#140

I've had the heebie jeebies about rags used for Danish oil, which can apparently do the same. These days I use dishwasher sponges to apply it, no idea how susceptible to spontaneous combustion those are!

#141

endorka wrote:Source of the post I've had the heebie jeebies about rags used for Danish oil, which can apparently do the same. These days I use dishwasher sponges to apply it, no idea how susceptible to spontaneous combustion those are!

One of the 2 times was a sponge soaked in linseed oil, floating in a bucket of water...

#142

I left 6 lights hanging from the ceiling, waiting for some connectors. They have arrived and that means I can now put the hexagons in place. The row of three went up first, then the two on the right. The last two are on the plasterboard lift.

And they are up, floating 9.5cm below the drop ceiling; that was as high as I could manage.

I temporarily rigged up a mains connection to test them.

The hexagons are something I wanted to do as I don't feel so creative sitting under an office drop ceiling. These were not part of my studio designer's plan, I got inspired by this Wes Lachot design.

Next: the cloud.

#143

AMAZING! They look so good. Do they have insulation on top of them?

#144

No, Gareth, they haven't, they look exactly as they did lying on the floor in my last post on page 9. There is 30cm of insulation above the drop ceiling and so these are purely visual, adding nothing to the room's acoustic treatment.

#145

Greetings Starlight,

Wow! Looks amazing. Certainly NOT an office drop ceiling...

All the best,

Paul

#146

Thanks Paul.

I am hoping that you have managed to get past your studio's permission roadblock; how is that going? And while we spend all our time looking at studios, feel free to show us what is happening with your wife's half of the building.

#147

It is time to start making my cloud. John Brandt, my studio's designer, has specified the overall dimensions - it's massive, almost 4 metres wide, yet John said I am free to organise lights as I wish. I planned for 4 on paper but placing the space couplers where they will be, albeit beneath the cloud, helped me see that 5 lights will work better for me.

Internally I am deviating from John's plan. I need to because of European wood and fabric sizes, and the experience of getting those 7 hexagons up in 3 batches leads me to my plan, which is to do the cloud in 4 pieces, 3 large pieces plus the slim bit across the top which needs to be removable so that I can open the panel on the air conditioner. Rather than make the finished cloud on the ground and then raise it up, I will raise each finished panel and unite the pieces once they are in poition. That is the plan.

I have chosen to use drop ceiling hooks to hold the cloud up but I have no idea of knowing what load they can hold. Time to experiment. I screwed one ceiling hook into a piece of 15mm OSB - because there is 15mm OSB above the the ceiling plasterboard for just this purpose ...

... and hung 25kg of tools and stuff from the hook overnight.

Similar to how I used steel tracks on the hexagons to be the main weight bearers, I reckon I can use 4 beams which will hang from the ceiling hooks and the cloud sections will be fixed to these 4 beams. The two in the middle will hold the centre section and the space couplers and the two outer panels, which I think of as wings, will hang from one beam each.

Apart from the long edge (nearest the camera) the perimeter boards have been cut and drilled.

I drilled the holes with this 100mm hole saw. Now I need to sand the inside of each hole to make the wood smooth before I oil it. I wonder whether sticking sandpaper to the edge of the hole saw would work but the teeth flare out from the body so I am not sure - but I haven't tried it yet. Does anyone have a better (quicker) suggestion than sanding so many holes by hand? They will be visible in the finished studio.

#148

Would attaching the hole saw to the arbor back to front so the smooth side is presented to the hole work? Try this at own risk - watch these spinning teeth - sturdy gloves and protection recommended!

Cheers!
Jennifer

#149

Hi
I feel like you need something like this:
https://www.toolstation.com/drum-sandin ... nwEALw_wcB

Cheers
Gareth

#150

Thank you both. A drum sander is indeed the right tool, Gareth, but I don't have one so I thought I could at least give Jennifer's suggestion a try. The drill comes out of my hole saw (it's held in with an miniature allen grub screw) but the arbor and collar are not separable but it works. Sandpaper held with double-sided tape is an interference fit in the hole - as you can see - so with the teeth having to face down I just went gently in and through the hole and the teeth and sandpaper together made enough of a gap to work in. I am underway, hurrah!

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