"Star Trek Enterprise's Great Escape" Epoxy & LED Light Display
Introduction: "Star Trek Enterprise's Great Escape" Epoxy & LED Light Display
"These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise." Well actually, these are the voyages of <PERSON> and <PERSON> here on Instructables! In this Instructable, we will show you how to make this stellar Star Trek inspired piece that involves vintage figurines from The Next Generation. The figurines are suspended in epoxy with LEDs lighting the way for the Enterprise's great escape from its enemies. Don't let that intimidate you! We will break down each step as we go so that this Instructable is clear and easy to follow. As always, wear the proper PPE when attempting any woodworking project and do not attempt anything if you are uncomfortable or unsure. Make sure to check out our YouTube Video of the full build, and Subscribe to see DIY tutorials and more! Without further ado, engage!
Supplies
Material List:
* 3 Mini Figurines
* Lumber: Live Edge & Standard
* Wipe-on Polyurethane
* Table Top Epoxy
* LED Light Strips
* Popsicle Sticks
* Quick Drying Epoxy
* Wood Glue
* Sheathing Tape
* Sandpaper for the Orbital Sander: 120 & 220 grit
* Wet/Dry Sandpaper Grits: 220, 240, 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000
* Polishing Compound
* Diamond Polishing Compound
* Plywood for Molds
* Screws
* Caulk
* 2" Dowel
* 3/4" Dowel
* Dark Walnut Stain
Tool List:
* Planer
* Chop Saw
* Table Saw
* Crosscut Sled
* Orbital Sander
* Buffer with Cutting Pad, Moderate Polishing Pad, Finishing Foam Pad
* Drill
* Jointer
* Heat Gun
* 2 1/2" Hole Saw
* 3 1/2" Hole Saw
* 3/8" Drill Bit
* Wood Clamps
* Draw Knife
* Chisel
* Ratchet Strap or Box Clamps
Optional Tools:
* Starbond CA glue
* Drum Sander
* Laser Engraver
* Benchtop Belt Sander
* Branding Iron
* Propane Torch
Step 1: Prepare Pieces
This project can be made with both live edge and straight edge lumber. For this project, I opted to use some cutoffs from a live edge piece of walnut I already had; these cutoffs were 1/2" thick. Use a draw knife and chisel to remove the bark and sand the pieces to your liking. I did a quick sanding at 120 grit to smooth everything out.
Step 2: Cut to Size
Set your table saw to cut the width of your pieces. For this step, I used a crosscut sled and clamped a block of wood 3" from the blade. Very carefully & steadily cut all 6 of your pieces at the desired width.
Then, using the crosscut sled again, cut your pieces to your final height. 401
Remember, you will have epoxy in-between the pieces of wood and that will increase the overall height. I wanted the final heights of the three pillars to be as followed:
* U.S.S. Enterprise: 11 1/4"
* Romulan Warbird: 9 1/2"
* Klingon Attack Cruiser: 7 3/4"
Your individual pieces will vary depending on how significant your live edge is. Starting at the peak of the live edge, I cut the six pieces at the following measurements:
* U.S.S. Enterprise: 5 1/4" & 5 3/4"
* Romulan Warbird: 4" & 5"
* Klingon Attack Cruiser: 3 3/4" & 3 1/2"
Step 3: Make Epoxy Molds
You will be constructing three individual molds/boxes. At the chop saw, cut the plywood to length of each of the pillars. Make sure that the interior measurements of the box/mold hold the pieces of wood snuggly and that you leave enough space in-between the two pieces of wood to fit the epoxy and figurine. The measurements that I cut the plywood at were 11 1/4", 9 1/2", 7 3/4".
Once the length of the mold has been cut using the chop saw, cut the width of each mold at the table saw. Set the table saw fence to be the exact width of your cut pieces. My blocks of wood were all 3" wide; therefore, I set the table saw fence to cut the plywood at 3".
After the three bases are cut, set the table saw to cut the two longest sides of each mold. 599