Sippin' Swamp Diorama - Part 6 - the Board

I had some free time and it was still light outside so I cut out the base for the swamp diorama.  It is about 10 degrees here but at least the wind is blowing.  It makes using a saw very difficult.

First I grabbed the nicest pine board I could find in the shop and a pen.  We'll take the template and draw around it.

Here is the template. 

With the "dogbone" drawn we'll cut it out.

First we'll secure the board with a strong C clamp.  I'm using my old tablesaw as a work table since it is about to be sold and just happen to be sitting in the middle of the garage.

Skil saw.  Jig saw.  Sabre saw.  Whatever.  This is what we're using.  I've put in a new blade and made sure my work area was free of hazards.  My safety glasses are on.

I cut out the easy parts first, trying to make as smooth of a cut as I could.

I went around the drawing as far as I could then repositioned the board for safety.

There!  Event he dog is interested.

My belt sander can be fastened to a surface and turned on full time.  We'll use it to smooth out all the sides as I'll be gluing things to id.

We've been talking on the LDSIG group about diorama bases and one of the guys said not to use paint (I've always used it) as it doesn't seal wood and you can get warpage.  I always got warpage!  He said to use Krylon for sealing, so I am.

Coat after coat after coat on all sides and edges.  This project will go another day...