Testing the shape

Even though we had the shape all drawn up on the cardboard template and loved it, we still wanted to make sure before cutting into the special plywood we bought (more on that later).  Luckily we had a scrap piece of 4x8 plywood we found in the garage that had probably been hanging around for at least 5 years... it was there when we moved in!  

We drew up the form on the plywood using the same method I described in this design post.  To accurately draw out the arcs, we used adjustable trammels that my Dad got us for Christmas.  Trammels are sort of like a compass on a really long stick.  One trammel has a metal point to fix the center of the arc and the second has a pencil holder.  They were really helpful!

After we drew out the shape, it was time to test our skillz with a jig saw.  I took a whirl on this one since it was just a test and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be!  But I decided when final cutting time came, Darrell would be the one... he's way more patient that me with fine details.

After it was all cut out - it seemed oddly tall.  We decided to try cutting 1-1/2" off the bottom of the shape since they were flat anyway and it somehow made a huge difference!

Now that we are completely satisfied with the shape, the next step is cutting them out for real!  YAY!