Okay, so we’ve got some epic base plates.  As Wayne would say, “Excellent!”  Or Bill & Ted.  Or Mr. Burns.  Take your pick.

Anyhow, the base plates flexed too much when I picked them up.  Despite the prodigious amount of glue I’ll be using to permanently protect them from prying hands, I don’t want any Legos popping off as the panels get moved around during the rest of the construction.  I need to add some strength to the panels.

I also need to cover up the edges.  The edges of the sign are going to be covered in plates that wrap around for the full-on Lego effect.  2 stud plates weren’t noticeable enough, though.  6 stud plates were way too bulky.  So, I’m going to wrap the sides with 4 stud plates.

With the ¾” backer board and the ¾” French Cleats that will hold this sucker on the wall, the 4 stud plates aren’t quite wide enough, though.

What are French Cleats, you ask?  French Cleats are a classically simple way to attach something to wall using its own weight to help hold it on.  All you do is rip a board on a 45 degree angle and attach half of it to the object and the other half to the wall.  Assuming you attach them correctly, you end up with a ‘hook’ on the object that latches over the mating piece on the wall.  Take a look at the pics; it’ll make sense.

But, I digress.  I need something to cover that gap between the 4 stud plate and the wall.  Wood to the rescue!  I milled up a quick maple frame to support everything.  Here’s a super magnificent ‘action shot’ of me fitting the maple frame on.  If you look at the bottom corner, you can see how the plates will wrap around the edge.

Sanding, priming, and painting the frame took a lot longer than the milling, but that’s pretty much always the case with woodwork.

Anyhow, after a few more hours of work, here’s what the back looks like all put together with the frame, cleats, and support batten down the middle.  The batten serves to help keep things together, but it’ll also prevent any horizontal sliding of the sign once it’s on the wall since the French Cleats are on either side.

So, Phase 1 is now truly done.  I can begin attaching Legos now.  Well, I can begin tentatively attaching Legos.  I’m sure I’ll be repositioning them a lot once they’re down.

You know what, though?  It’s pretty damn hot in Texas during the summer.  My garage is way too hot to do the rest of the work, so I moved the whole shebang indoors. 

Where?  The Dining Room.  Like most folks, we never use that room.  I mean never freaking ever.

Well, that’s not exactly fair.  I think we did eat Christmas dinner in there once like 5 years ago.  And, my kids do use it all the time… for crafts and homework.  In fact, they even call it the Craft Room.  So, what better place to build a Lego sign?

Time to put some 700 white plates on top of the base plates.  The bulk of the white plates are going to be 6x10 plates.  That’s a nice mix between overall size and look, IMO. 

Here’s a shot that shows the basic running bond layout I’m using with the plates.

It was at this point that I looked through the vast array of Legos I ordered and realized that I forgot to order the white plates to fill in the running bond gaps.  Doh!  Time for Pick A Brick Order #2.  I wonder how many more are coming…

Putting the white plates on went fairly quick.  There were only a few cases where I had to persuade the plates to bridge the gaps between the base plates.  Apart from the order gaff, the only real downside involved some monster blisters I developed.  After pushing, sliding, and persuading the white plates, I had some really nice dime-sized blisters on my thumbs.  Double  Doh!

There’s the finished white plate layout.  Clearly the best dining room table ever made.  Alternatively, it could also be a wicked diorama for a Lego re-enactment of the Hoth battle from Empire.

Also, bonus shot of our new lab puppy, Solo.  Yes, I’m that much of a geek that we named our dog Solo.  At least I didn’t put him in a blue parka and set him on the table…

dave