Tenshin-en Gate at the MFA

[Chris Hall]

Well, good news. Hurdle #1 has been cleared as the proposal has been approved by my contact's supervisor, and forwarded 'up the chain' to other departments in the MFA, like conservation. Not sure exactly how many hurdles are in the race ahead, but I should know the outcome in about a week.

~C

[kakashi]

Fingers crossed mate. Design looks good to me.

[Chris Hall]

Glad you like it! It's a 'sketch', so I do have some ideas for fine tuning at this point, and will be doing a complete redraw in detail if the green light is shown.

[Paul Atzenweiler]

I suppose your design is "OK" if what you're going for is time honored design with awesome joinery. I would have gone with OSB covered in asbestos shingles and a coat of paint.

[Chris Hall]

Now, I know you don't mean that Paul. Good news is that there's treatment available, should you feel the temptation becoming too strong..

[Chris Hall]

Had a conversation with my contact at the MFA this morning. The green light has been shown for my proposal!!

I'll be receiving a deposit in the next couple of weeks and will be flying out to Oregon this month. They also want me to build a scale model of the gate, which is a pretty exciting little project all of its own. I've asked about whether it will be okay to blog about the build, and they will let me know shortly. I can't see any reason why they would have a problem with that.

This green light has allowed me to green light the purchase of a shaper as well, which is something I'm pretty excited about. I'll blog about that when the machine arrives. I need to install a 45amp service lead for the shaper, as it maxes out at 13 horsepower. Then there's the dust collection needing modification/expansion.

~C

[Yxoc]

Chris - A hearty congratulations to you. I can imagine the work you have put in to secure this job, so I'm sure it's richly deserved. Can't wait to see it start coming together. I know I will learn a lot just witnessing the way you plan and execute this project. I'm gonna start making popcorn now...

Warm regards

Derek

[Chris Hall]

Thanks Derek!

The MFA is working on some paperwork, and I had a few questions for them which are taking some time to answer.
Things look to unfold slowly, though I should be able to book the ticket to Portland OR sometime this week.

I had some work doing a series of CAD drawings for a NYC mugging case from the 1980's which is on appeal, and finally got that finished today. Trying to narrow down the pile of odd jobs to something more manageable. The drawing work on the sideboard is taking a lot of my time of late as well, but I think I've finally found some direction. Looks like some compound splayed table geometry in the near future.

~C

[Yxoc]

I am continually amazed by how many irons you always seem to have in the fire. How much sleep do you run on?

[Chris Hall]

The number of irons does vary a bit, and I have been known to bite off a bit too much, however it is not the case that I am only sleeping 4 hours a night or anything like that. This project at the MFA is not going to involve a heck of a lot of work until later next year, though I did have to scramble to get documents together for the revised proposal. It's very much a case of hurry up and wait though, as things at the MFA are bureaucratic and political, for just about any decision process, and I am learning to re-set my expectations in terms of how long things can take.

The CAD drawing work for the legal case is a smaller job that came along, and is the third one of those I have done. No expectation of steady work in that regard.

The study group moves very slowly, so there is very little push in terms of moving anything along. I am looking to get started on the next TAJCD essay by the end of the year.

The sideboard project I'm writing about on the blog, and other design work I do for my own interest's sake, is just fitted in where possible and is not under any time pressure to complete.

And did I mention I'm rebuilding the front axle of my truck

I look busier than I really am, I suspect. Or am I in denial?