Monday, June 20, 2011

Drome drome on the range....

I had a request awhile back from somebody who asked if I might consider making a garden gnome...maybe steampunk.  It was a neat idea, but one I haven't had time to take on.  Also, I'm trying to focus on larger projects right now and a garden gnome just isn't that big.
What I've really wanted to work on is a robot.  I have big plans for making a massive one someday and look forward to being able to tackle it.  In the meantime, I got to thinking...maybe I could combine these two great ideas.
I started thinking about a "mech" that might be steampunked up...and the driver could be garden gnome!  I started playing with some sketches and came up with a little one that doesn't have much detail, but it's enough to get me started.  Ultimately, the robot will be holding some kind of sign in his claw.

So where to begin?  Well, I know I'll be designing some cool panels to carve up, but I wanted a sturdy under-frame for this thing.  I started thinking about shapes and looking at a little 20 sided dice I have around. Yeah, that's right...I was one of those D&D geeks. Try to hold your shock.  Anyway...I thought the shape would make a cool body. So...off to the wood rack. I cut some 3/4" plywood into 20 triangles, each with sides 18" long.  Next, I'll bevel the edges at 21 1/2 degrees and I'll be ready to glue up a nice, sturdy body!
I think I'll call it a "Drome". Stay tuned!!

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