Our best friends daughter is getting married next month. She is a creative type and is planning a DIY reception. I got asked to make a stand for the wedding cakes. Something like this - a picture of some perspex creation that looked like it would break if you leaned on it... but I want it white.
She eventually gave me the size of all 5 cakes and it added up to about 750mm tall for the top tier.
Knowing she would appreciate recycling i tried to use what was laying around the workshop. Some Ikea MFC cabinet sides had to do as I didn't have much 18mm MDF.
Cut some squares and marked the middle and drilled 2.5mm and left the bit in with 6mm sticking out.
Next problem was how to bandsaw circles. It soon dawned on me a simple peg and hole wouldn't work as you couldn't get it on the peg to start the cut. So I made a pivoting board with holes drilled for the centre peg at the required radii.
So I could fit the peg then swing the arm in to start the cut.
Now around here there are some pictures missing. I wanted a profile on the edges. I had one piece of MDF around so I cut it to the largest circle for testing plus it would help working out spacings.
I put a large table top edging bit in the router table cutter and tried it on a scrap strip - looked good. The bit was 80% inside the fence so I thought I'd try the MDF circle. Hands were well away from the cutter but of course the first touch snatched...which I thought I was ready for. Normally it would just kick to the side. This being a circle it span on the spot. Still don't understand how my left hand got to the cutter but it did.
2 fingers cut but could have been so much worse.
This is a few days later once no plasters needed.
Anyway I went with a simple radius cut on the edges after that.
Chipboard having an edge that is full of holes I wiped it with cellulose sealer mixed with polyfilla powder.
Then I needed some poles. Best I could find for large dowel rod was some tree stakes at b+q. I tried sealing and sanding but they were too rough.
Cut to length then sanded on the wood lathe that I have not used for a year or so.
Drilled the rod ends and fitted those wood thread to machine thread things you see on table legs on flat pack furniture. Hammered Tee nuts into the cake platforms.
Time for a test assemble.
Sprayed with Bedec MSP paint
Some overspray got on Mrs pot plants so I'm currently in her bad books.
Used the MDF disc as a painting mount for the rods. You can see where it snatched.
Ready to go.
She eventually gave me the size of all 5 cakes and it added up to about 750mm tall for the top tier.
Knowing she would appreciate recycling i tried to use what was laying around the workshop. Some Ikea MFC cabinet sides had to do as I didn't have much 18mm MDF.
Cut some squares and marked the middle and drilled 2.5mm and left the bit in with 6mm sticking out.
Next problem was how to bandsaw circles. It soon dawned on me a simple peg and hole wouldn't work as you couldn't get it on the peg to start the cut. So I made a pivoting board with holes drilled for the centre peg at the required radii.
So I could fit the peg then swing the arm in to start the cut.
Now around here there are some pictures missing. I wanted a profile on the edges. I had one piece of MDF around so I cut it to the largest circle for testing plus it would help working out spacings.
I put a large table top edging bit in the router table cutter and tried it on a scrap strip - looked good. The bit was 80% inside the fence so I thought I'd try the MDF circle. Hands were well away from the cutter but of course the first touch snatched...which I thought I was ready for. Normally it would just kick to the side. This being a circle it span on the spot. Still don't understand how my left hand got to the cutter but it did.
2 fingers cut but could have been so much worse.
This is a few days later once no plasters needed.
Anyway I went with a simple radius cut on the edges after that.
Chipboard having an edge that is full of holes I wiped it with cellulose sealer mixed with polyfilla powder.
Then I needed some poles. Best I could find for large dowel rod was some tree stakes at b+q. I tried sealing and sanding but they were too rough.
Cut to length then sanded on the wood lathe that I have not used for a year or so.
Drilled the rod ends and fitted those wood thread to machine thread things you see on table legs on flat pack furniture. Hammered Tee nuts into the cake platforms.
Time for a test assemble.
Sprayed with Bedec MSP paint
Some overspray got on Mrs pot plants so I'm currently in her bad books.
Used the MDF disc as a painting mount for the rods. You can see where it snatched.
Ready to go.
