Back to the Woodshed

I love long weekends! This weekend after all requisite chores were completed, I was able to spend some time back in the woodshop working on my dice tower (goal photo to the left). My goals for this initial tower are:

- reproducible: I am creating template pieces along with the actual tower so I can evolve the design over time. I haven't completely ruled out the idea of giving these as gifts or using them in trade once I'm satisfied with the quality, but for now I'd like to at least be able to move to versions 2.0 and 3.0 rapidly.

- Functional: Of course, I want it to serve its intended purpose very well.

- Good Craftsmanship: I want it to be something I can proudly show off to friends and family

Two features Rob recently emphasized that aren't quite as important to me, at least initially are creativeness of design and quietness. I actually don't mind the sound of dice rattling through the thing, though I don't want my dice chewed up either. I'm going to insulate the shelves and base, but probably not the inside walls like Rob did. Rob's design with crenellations and arrow slits is truly impressive. I may get there someday, but for now I'm looking to get the basics down. Ideally someday I'll build myself the dice tower equivalent of Baradur or Orthanc, but for now I'll be happy with something the lego knights would be happy living in.

I'm still a few hours away from victory. Its amazing how long these suckers can take. The most difficult part is getting the ramps to line up correctly. I think I'm there now though now that I picked up a real router rather than relying on the Dremel. Anyway, I'm finding working on this thing quite a lot of fun, so I don't mind the time its taking. As long as I don't router off my thumb in the process, I'll consider this time well spent. Hopefully in a week or so, I'll be able to show off my creation to SABG!