The weather has been so warm these past two days that it feels almost like early summer during the day, around 21 degrees,though mornings and evenings are cold enough to need a heater. Between other tasks, I continued attaching the Aruki moving panels to the hexagonal boxes I made earlier, and by this morning, I managed to attach them all. So today, starting from the morning, I began working on making the outer panels that will be placed over them. At the same time, I also prepared the box bodies for attaching those panels.
The process of attaching the outer panels begins with the bottom side of the hexagonal box. This side is the only one of the six that doesn’t move. Using this bottom as the base, I attach the remaining panels one by one. Therefore, when preparing the box body, I start by working on this bottom section first. Just like with the square boxes (or sometimes even more so), the hexagonal box doesn’t have a perfectly accurate shape right after the frame is assembled. In other words, the surfaces where the panels will be attached must be made completely flat. So, I lightly sand the surfaces—just enough not to alter the shape. This is a process that requires the perfect “touch,” something that relies entirely on experience and feel. I also sand the remaining five sides flat, but I start by sanding only the bottom surface, attach one panel there, and then move on to sanding the rest. The photo shows the box after the bottom panel has been attached and the other sides have been sanded.
That’s all for today. The panels are already finished, so starting tomorrow, I’ll begin attaching the remaining panels. Normally, it might be better to first attach only the lid panel and then add the other four panels afterward. I’m not entirely sure since I’ve never tried that method, but this box is similar in structure to the 4-step box, so that order would make sense.
However, I prefer attaching all five remaining panels at the same time. This way, they all dry evenly, which I think gives better results. If I were to attach only the lid panel first, it would have to sit for a long time before the others are added, and that could cause issues. I believe that sometimes, leaving parts to dry too long doesn’t necessarily lead to better results.
Tomorrow, I’ll continue this work, but I’ll probably also start preparing for the next project.
