Circular ambitions realized

The circle has been cut.

It was a whirlwind of a morning, as we rose at 7:30 and were up working at the prop just after 8. We had only three hours to complete the task before I had to be at the other job, and were moving like lightning. After screwing down just one tiny little corner with a decking board, we then mounted the router contraption to the center pivot of the circle. I'm posting lots of photos here, and leaving little to the imagination.

note proper eye, respiratory, and knee protection

The 2x4 was not quite stiff enough and sagged a little in the
middle. Erin rigged up a 4x8 scrap as a counterweight and
we were in business, the rest of the board hovering perfectly
in space over the joists (see the router at the other end?).

Radius of the circle = 15' for the yurt + 3/4" space for the bender board + 1" space for the canvas

It took three passes with the router to actually cut
through the decking... just about 1/4" each pass.

Fallen boards

If you're wondering what I was doing this whole time, the answer is:

• preceding Erin around the circle with the drill and screwing down any overhanging boards that were higher or looser, and could have caused potential problems with the router and;
  
• following Erin around the circle with a small pick and removing packed sawdust from the deepening channel he created so his next pass would go off without a hitch.
  

It was tough going. And hot. And dusty. The whole contraption and idea worked like a charm - the router didn't chew up any boards, nor did it burn/melt them. Our greatest circular ambitions were realized.

We barely finished by 11, and quickly packed up and went home so I could shower the thick layer of dust off me and try and look presentable for work. Erin will be celebrating his Happy Day tomorrow, so we'll see if we give him the day off. There's an apple baseball/portable disc golf party planned in celebration later this week, with lots of guacamole and Cerveza Crema.