I have an evil plan to run a siege engine boules/ golf tourneys at up coming events. Since I have only so many weekends off before camping season starts, I needed to get on with it.

I cut up one 2×2 board into (2) 20″ lengths, (6) 8″ lengths, and one 11″ section of 2×3. Two of the 8″ sections had 45′ angles cut off them. These will be used to help support the uprights.

The 2×3 piece of wood then has notches drawn on, by plunking a 2×2 piece in the corners. Once traced, I then used a carpenters square to straighten the lines out a bit.

The notches were cut out on a band saw

The 20″ lengths were marked 3/4″ in from both ends, and 1/2″ from the sides. I then drilled pilot holes, and countersunk them so we can cover the screws later on.

Assembly starts with the bottom base screwed together.

I then place the uprights on the base, and took the angled supports to figure out were I wanted the uprights to sit. I then took a pencil and marked the uprights position.

I drilled two more holes through the base on each side (pilot holes, and countersunk)

The uprights then were fastened with more screwage.

Before I started playing with the supports, I decided to attach the strike plate to the uprights. This way I could rest the onager uprights flat on the bench.

At this stage I place the supports in place, and since clamping angled piece a can be difficult, I used painters tape to hold the upright in the right place. Lots of tape is good! (forgot to take a picture… my bad.

Angle pilot holes and countersinks at 90′ to the supports.

I marked the tension rope hole approx 1″ back from the uprights. I think I should have gone a bit farther back as the strike arm now angles back slightly. I am not sure, but I think you want the strike arm to have a slight forward angle optimally.

Since this cheap nasty 2×2 is made of super soft hemlock (I think) I am using metal washers to protect the sides. I also drilled to smaller holes either side of the rope holes. This will keep the pressure rod in place.

Everything I need but the tension rope. 2 washers, 2 pins, 2 pressure rods (allen keys). I also have hammered in a nail atop of a 12″ wooden dowel. Just need to cut off the end.

The first one is almost done. The rope is small 1/8th braided stuff.

The final step is glueing in some dowel plugs to cover up the screw heads.

The first two are done. I only need two for siege engine boules, but a few more if I run a golf tourney later on.

• July 26, 2010 -- 15th Century Timur Disked Bell Tent. (0)
• July 1, 2010 -- Turkish Rug project v1.6 a Looming I Will Go (0)
• June 3, 2010 -- Archery & Heavy Defenders 2010 (0)
• April 5, 2010 -- Good Weekend (2)
• March 30, 2010 -- Break Apart Eric Stands v1.0 (4)
• March 4, 2010 -- Turkish Carpet Project v1.5 ~ More Cartoons (3)

Inside the box was a gift pack from Yurt Alert. A while back I found a listing on the kickstarter web site for a Crochet Yurt Project.  Kate Pokorny was attempting to make a self supporting crochet yurt. She was fund raising money to buy the 500 lb’s of wool she was going to need. The deadline was coming up, and she was so close to her goal, I decided to anti up some cash for the cause.

Well the gift box had a minture crochet yurt, a picture of a sheep, and some fleece.  Awesome… The whole thing  just makes me laugh.

I also did a quick runner to LeeValley. I picked up a carpet boules set for this weekend. A story tape measure that Lee Valley released as there annual Aprils Fool prank. I am super glad they decided to make real story tape measures to sell as they normally don’t produce there pranks. I have plans.

The big score was the red ochre pigment. I had searched there site last week looking for their pigments only to find they had discontinued the product. Well, there they where sitting on the clearance bench. I am kicking myself for not buying the yellow ochre while I was there. May have to go back next week, but knowing my luck it will be gone <sob>. I am using the red ochre with linseed oil on the eric stands.

Random Posts

• July 10, 2010 -- Best Turnip Related Game EVER! (3)
• May 27, 2009 -- Tir Righ Spring Coronet 2009 (0)
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• March 2, 2010 -- Pride & Prejudice & Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls (0)
• February 16, 2009 -- Clenched Nails v1.0 (0)

Sherbert the Entari is slowly chugging along. Its possible it will be done for investiture, but I am starting to doubt it.

I didn’t kill my Mulberry Tree over the holidays. It is starting to bud in the carport. This means the Silkworm project may be only one more year away. It all comes down to how much growth I get this year. I really should get it in a bigger pot soon.

I am working on a turning project for my mom. It involves hundreds of pencil crayons being glued together. I have turned alot of stuff thats been laminated together, but never anything quite like this. It just might kill me =D.

I am building a game board based on a version of Hnefatafl, but it reminds me more of the Irish game Fidchell. I am calling it Boot Licking Toadie in tribute to the whole weirdness of the C______ War politics. The bootlicker with the help of the Toadies have to avoid being captured by the significant Minority all the while trying to suck up to the assorted senechals living in the corners of the game board.

Working on a Pilgrim Badge cast in a stone mold. Stove broke, so I am stuck for the moment.

More research on the Turkish Rug. I think I have my design sorted out except for the center element. Still looking, and thinking of dying my own wool. I have to figure out a rough estimate of the wool I will need, and then figure out if I have enough capacity to dye everything at once. If I can I dye, if not maybe not. Don’t want to thave the colors change mid carpet.

Still going to give the orange turmeric dye one more shot, then I will share the good and badness of my recent dyeing stuffs.

etc….

• February 7, 2010 -- Day of Dance / A&S Defenders 2010 (3)
• July 28, 2009 -- Flora & Ash update (0)
• July 12, 2009 -- Purple Heart Dye (0)
• June 6, 2009 -- Mulberry Tree / Silkworm Project (2)
• April 1, 2009 -- Milk Paint v1.2 In Search or Red (0)

I tried out another sample for the Turkish carpet project.  This time I tried using the Persian knot. It goes faster than the Turkish knot, but it doesn’t tighten up the same way. In fact it seems really loose until you weave the thread between the rows.  I think the Turkish knot leaves a more square look to the final product, and the ambassador painting has a grid feeling about it.

I also chose to do a full element from the holbien rug. This way I can roughly compare size to the original painting. From knuckle to finger tip is approx. half of the circular element, which is just about the same size as

• January 31, 2010 -- Turkish Carpet Project v1.1 (0)
• February 14, 2010 -- Turkish Carpet v1.4 Cartoon Time (0)
• February 12, 2010 -- Turkish Carpet Project v1.3 (0)
• January 31, 2010 -- Turkish Carpet project v1.0 (0)
• July 11, 2010 -- Turkish Carpet Project v1.7 Finished Cartoon (0)
• July 1, 2010 -- Turkish Rug project v1.6 a Looming I Will Go (0)

The first sample had a knot grouping of  14×6 knots per inch. That produces a rectangular pattern.

After a suggestion from myss_minx on replacing the weft crochet threads with fine thread, and spreading the warp threads slightly,  I have gotten a pattern of 12×9 knots per inch. Still not completely happy. Would like to get the row count higher. Thinking of unraveling the three ply and using two ply to see what effect that has.

Made a quick cartoon of some of the patterns on Holbein’s painting Ambassadors.

My sample is copied somewhat from the corner insert latice section.

12×9 back saide

Front side. The individual pixels are just about square.

• January 31, 2010 -- Turkish Carpet Project v1.2 (0)
• February 14, 2010 -- Turkish Carpet v1.4 Cartoon Time (0)
• February 12, 2010 -- Turkish Carpet Project v1.3 (0)
• January 31, 2010 -- Turkish Carpet project v1.0 (0)
• July 11, 2010 -- Turkish Carpet Project v1.7 Finished Cartoon (0)
• July 1, 2010 -- Turkish Rug project v1.6 a Looming I Will Go (0)

So I have a project itching away at the old brain. I have recently been staring alot at Holbein Turkish Carpets. Maybe its the colors black, orange red, and white that make me think….gawd it would be cool to try and make one of those. I started looking into it too see what was involved. It looks simple enough, just long and tedious….

So before I went all crazy on this new subject, I thought I would try my hand at making a small sample.  This is at  roughly 14 knot / inch. The ones in the V&A museum average between 9.5 – 16 knots / inch. I used the Turkish style symmetrical knot as opposed to the Persian asymmetrical knot. The Persian knot supposedly  makes a nicer finished rug. I used super cheap  Acrylic wool for the test.

Much to think about. This would be an ambitious project even for a small prayer mat.  What kind of wool, dyes that were used, style of loom used in turkey in the 16th century, Design elements, cartoon,  yadda, yadda, yadda.

• January 31, 2010 -- Turkish Carpet Project v1.2 (0)
• January 31, 2010 -- Turkish Carpet Project v1.1 (0)
• July 11, 2010 -- Turkish Carpet Project v1.7 Finished Cartoon (0)
• July 1, 2010 -- Turkish Rug project v1.6 a Looming I Will Go (0)
• April 5, 2010 -- Good Weekend (2)
• March 14, 2010 -- Daffodil Carpet Sample (0)

Mistress Safiye has made an amazing sorguç made out of silver using as many period methods as she could. Its a big slice of all-right, but I want to make one cheap and fast that doesn’t look to bad.

I gathered a couple of aglets I had from a Tudor costume. Originally I got a pack of 100 from Fire Mountain Gems , but I am sure you can find individual bolo tips for a lot cheaper. I bought two beads at a local craft store, and the peacock feather has been kicking around here for a while.

I used pilers to bend over the tab ends.

I took the aglet to a local Micheals and found a bead that looked right and fit the aglet.

Hot glue into the interior.

Bead now solidly on.

I had a mangy old peacock feather. I ripped off all of the feathers and gathered them together keeping the ends close to the same point.

Take a piece of thread and make a loop, keeping a short end just off of the feather bundle

Take the long thread end and wind up the bundle from the bottom and end just short of the loop. Take the winding end and send it through the loop.

Grasp the short end of the thread and pull into the loop slides under the wound section. You want to get the loop and the winding end to be in the center of the winding section.

Cut off the thread ends and cut the feather ends.

The red thread bundle is tight enough to not require any other methods of securing it in the metal bead. The yellow bundle is a little loose, so a small dab of hot glue fixes that.

Workable aigrette

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• October 12, 2009 -- Sauteed Aspargus (0)
• February 12, 2010 -- Turkish Carpet Project v1.3 (0)
• April 28, 2009 -- Yurt Stuff v1.2 (0)

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Using a faceplate I don’t use, a pencil, some circular graph paper, liquid paper, a hacksaw blade, and a carpenters square.

My face plate is black, so pencil lines will not show up. I have no white paint at the moment, but I do have liquid paper.

Using Circular array graph paper (actual humidity graph paper) I centered the face plate. This paper was broke down into 84 segments. This number allows me to get alot of different numbers divided into it. With a compass, protractor, and ruler you could make your own graph paper. It doesn’t need to be uber acurate, but alot better than eye ball’n it.

Once I had made the marks, I used a carpenters square to straighten out and darken the lines.

The index wheel is now attached to the lathe. I used a hacksaw blade  tape to the top of the control panel as the indicator.

The pin hole in the blade makes for a view port for the index markings.

Pencil taped to a square (tape in the wrong direction in photo) at the height of the pivot point to the lathe deck. The short arm rest across the deck.

The Pencil making the first marking. 84/7 markings =12 segments.

Not that bad for a make shift tool.

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An Inro is a small container that has multiple compartments that hang down from an Obi.

Tied together with a shoe laces. I have since replace the lace with a simple black, white & green kumihimo braid.

Marking out the three different pivot points on the blank. The two outer holes are to far out for a nice rectangle.  Moved them closer to the center.

Turning the whole blank to the appropriate thickness.

Installing the blank on one of the outer pivot points.

I love this image. You get to see just how offside the blank is. The solid center is  a few mm. wider than a twoonie.

One half of the inro has been turned.

Both sides now being turned. We reset the pivot points to the center.  The size of the compartments are marked out, and then the lip that fits into the  underside of the compartments are turned down to the right size.

The whole blank is taken of the lathe, the sections are cut apart, and with careful placing of a measure template, the holes for the compartments, and lace runner are drilled. These smaller sections are then chucked onto the lathe to turn the underside of the compartments. The section it fits into is often checked against this hole to make sure its a snug fit.

I ended up drilling through the top section of the Inro. To fix this I ended up making a button plug for the top surface.

This was a challenging piece to make off the top of your head. I may in the future do another, as it was good mental turning kung fu exercise.

• September 27, 2009 -- Tir Righ Fall Coronet Tourney 2009 (0)
• June 3, 2009 -- Rasp Handles (0)
• June 1, 2009 -- Practice: Barley Twist (0)
• May 21, 2009 -- Chest v2.0 Simple 6 Board (0)
• May 6, 2009 -- Turned Bed Frame v1.7 Last Call (0)
• April 28, 2009 -- Turned Bed Frame v1.6 (0)