CHRISTMAS IN NOVEMBER.

Today, our spirits were lifted when we received a few shipments of materials for our cabinet. The metal siding and wheels came in and opening the boxes was like a little mini-Christmas, in November.

It just reiterates that this cabinet is very real and that people are counting on us to make it happen.

Here's photos of our mini-Christmas!

GETTING THE BALL ROLLING.

We've been working very hard in the shop, trying to get the joinery cut so that we can begin assembly.

Here are some photos of some group members working in the shop:

SCHEDULING DELAYS.

We have been in the construction phase for about two weeks now and one of the most frustrating, and proving to be the most challenging, things about our project is coordinating with outside parties to help us get this cabinet built.

Our group has some experience with the wood shop, yet we've needed the help of others to point us in the right direction and guide us to the best way to go about things.

Actually getting into the wood shop AND having someone there to help are proving to be more of a challenge than we ever imagined.

I thought this photo perfectly captured the emotions that we have been feeling these two weeks, exasperated and a little burnt out.

CONSTRUCTION BEGINS!

Finally, after what seemed like ages, construction has began on the final cabinet.

A few of our group members went to the CAM studio, where they used the laser cutter to cut the top curve and cut outs for the cabinet, simply to make sure that they were extremely precise.

Here is the cut wood, waiting to have the joints cut and assembled!

CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE DOORS.

After much contemplation and wishing to remain true to our concept, we met with Nancy and Kate again with two ideas to fix the problem of that they had with the doors.

Here are the two options that we presented them with.

[1] Having symmetrical doors, equal in width so that when folded back they will allow the cabinet to sit flush with the wall. This cut will be straight down the center of the doors but will still have the curved cut out to open and close the cabinet with.

[2] Having the larger door be cut into two pieces, similar to the sketch from Patrick below. The door will open, fold back, then have a separate piece that folds again to make the door flush with the back of the cabinet. This option would require that we install another piano hinge on the second cut in the larger door.

In the end, they decided that option one was the most appropriate choice for the cabinet and we may now proceed with building and construction!

LAST MINUTE DEISGN CHANGES.

After mulling over our presentation, Weatherspoon Director, Nancy Doll had some concerns that she shared with us about the doors to the cabinet. She was worried that when the large door opened all the way, and is flush with the side of the cabinet, that it inhibits the cabinet from being able to be flush with the wall.

This type of thing is expected in the design process, changes must be made to accommodate the needs and wishes of the clients.

Here is a quick sketch our professor sent us after speaking with Mrs. Doll about her concerns with a possible solution to this issue, doors that fold twice so that it allows the cabinet to sit flush with the wall.

RESPONSES TO THE PRESENTATION.

During our meeting with the WAM staff, and an initial presentation of our ideas for the cabinet, we received direct feedback during the meeting itself. Surprisingly, the one thing they did not approve of was the Weatherspoon Green, an element that we as a group were not fond of in the first place. They were very impressed with all of the hard work that we have put into this and enthusiastic about seeing the finished product.

It was a nice day to get revved up about the final stages of the project, a gentle reminder of who we are doing this for, and what it means to them.

Here is a photo of us with the Weatherspoon staff, our project board, and model: