UPDATE (Jun 1st, 2008): The chairs are progressing. I received the stainless screws and hardware I’ll be using. I decided to modify the design and add torque washers and carriage bolts to strengthen the front legs. I also had to make a taper jig with some t-bolts and some clamps to handle the tapers. All the major bandsawing is done, and the curvy parts were sanded with a spindle sander.

UPDATE (Jun 9th, 2008): I have all the parts cut and edges smoothed using the router table. I have also started assembly of the table, where I included a rough tile for accent on the table top. The pieces of the table top were assembled using a biscuit joiner.

We bought some cypress 2x materials, as well as some pressured treated lumber for the ground contact stuff. We also picked up a plastic steering wheel (because how can you have a boat without a way to steer it?) We still have to figure out a canopy, as it’s designed to have a canopy above the mast for shade and it is secured with bungee cords.

I also have some ideas about a small ship’s bell, and a pirate flag on the mast.

We have to fill it with sand shortly, but the basic work is complete.

UPDATE: We added a cover with the leftover “sail” material, which was basically fabric cloth we purchased which is primarily used as a garden shade cloth. It has grommets you can add, which was perfect, and with the leftovers, we made a cover for the sandbox, so we don’t have to clean it out each day. We also added a “buoy” that a neighbor gave us while he was cleaning out his garage. Makes it look more “boat-ish”.

So we got the bright idea recently (after cleaning up my shop) to refurbish the chair with some wood. My wife just wanted a simple slab of wood to sit on (to add another backyard chair) but I thought the better of that, and ended up doing a slat-ish style chair. I thought it came out pretty good.

Update (July 1st, 2007):
I have almost completed the assembly of the Zigmahornet basic cabinets. I’ve sealed the edges inside using silicon latex caulk, and cut the holes for the speaker drivers with my router (I had to make a custom circle jig using the baseplate). They are almost ready for wiring and the drivers, and then final finishing.

Update (July 6th, 2007):
The Zigmahornets are finished. I made a pair for Woody too, and he’s said that they sound very good. They sound fantastic for the price and effort to me, and I have them hooked up to my Sony minisystem right now to break them in while we’re away.

Update (July 17th, 2007):
The speakers have been relocated to the shop for light sanding, hole filling, and two coats of natural danish oil. I opted for this as I can always recoat later if they get dinged up, and it doesn’t alter the look too much. It also hides the imperfections and wood puttied holes better too. I removed the stuffing (poly-fill) from the lower portion of each cabinet, sealed them a bit better, and closed them up. With the broken in drivers, they should sound pretty good. Woody has tweaked his a bit more than I have and he reports that they sound very good. He painted his black (see the photo gallery).

Without further ado, I am providing pictures of my build as I get it completed. The eventual goal is to build and complete the kit, enclose the kit in a nice hardwood enclosure, and then build a set of full range driver speakers to listen to the amp. The speakers will also be custom built. More on that later (it’s a secret for now). Excuse the fuzzy pictures, as my camera is not able to do macro shots very well.

Update (June 10th, 2007): I’ve added the rest of the components, and run initial tests of the amp. It sounds fantastic, especially with my Athena speakers. For 10 watts, I have a pretty awesome sounding amp with good clarity and midrange. I also added a SPST switch for the sleep function (replacing the jumper directly on the board) and a bright blue LED. I’m happy with it so far. Now on to the enclosure for the amp…..

Update (June 16th, 2007): I’ve started (and basically finished) the Amp6 enclosure. Soft maple, walnut strips, and some sandeply plywood that I had left over. All 1/2″ materials. I’ve basically got the shell done and all the holes machined for the various connections. I coated the exterior with Tried and True Varnish Oil and I’ll be adding a coat or two of paste wax. The cover screws on using #6 square drive screws.

Update (June 17th, 2007): I’m done! It’s working, and sounds great. Looks good in its enclosure. Phew. Now on to the speakers.

Update: I’ve posted some more USB key images. Some of the smaller ones use a Firefly USB drive from Lexar. They are the smallest memory key I could find to fit into a 2×4 brick. They just manage to fit.