#makeratplay

Mistakes were made.

One thing I've learned over the years is that every project has at least one "well...that wasn't supposed to happen" moment. Today was that day.

Friday night I got into a good rhythm welding the lower step assemblies and finished all twelve of them. There was just one problem.

They weren't all supposed to be the same.

Because these props are built as six mirrored pairs, half of the stair assemblies need to be left-handed and the other half right-handed. Somewhere along the way, I lost sight of that and happily built all twelve identically.

The interesting part is that the original Fusion 360 design didn't have this problem.

Originally, the support in question was going to be welded directly to the base frame. That meant the only mirrored assemblies were the base frames themselves. But during the production planning, I called an audible and decided it would make final assembly easier if I welded that support onto the lower step first instead.

It was a good manufacturing decision.

Unfortunately, I forgot that changing the assembly sequence also changed which parts needed to be mirrored.

So the first task of today's shop session wasn't building props.

It was fixing yesterday's mistake.

Out came the cutoff wheel.

I removed the misplaced support from six of the lower step assemblies. Since cutting them off shortened the supports, I also had to fabricate six replacement pieces before welding everything back together in the correct orientation.

Thankfully, it was a mistake that cost me only time.

With those assemblies corrected, I was able to move on and weld the support onto the top step assemblies. This time, I made absolutely sure to keep the left-hand and right-hand versions separated throughout the entire process.

As frustrating as mistakes can be, they're part of building things.

I'd much rather discover an error like this now, while working on subassemblies in the shop, than after the props are fully assembled or, even worse, during rehearsals.

By the end of the evening, the mistake had been corrected, the project was back on track, and the production line was moving again.

Sometimes progress means building something new.

Sometimes progress means admitting you built something wrong and taking the time to make it right.

Today was a very productive Saturday in the Maker At Play props workshop and a major milestone in the project.

The goal for today was to complete all twelve base frames, the largest subassembly that will be built on the welding table. Every prop starts with this foundation, so getting all twelve completed represents a significant step toward full production.

After building the prototype, I realized my Fireball welding table needed a little help. A 4-by-7-foot base frame is much larger than the table itself, so I built an extension from 1-inch square tubing that bolts onto the back of the table. The extension reaches about four feet behind the table and includes a 4½-foot support that slides along the rails while staying perfectly flush with the tabletop. It turned out to be a simple addition that made handling these large assemblies much easier.

Each base frame is constructed from four pieces of 1½-inch square tubing along with two wheel plate subassemblies. Once welded together, they become the rolling foundation for the entire prop.

One interesting challenge is that not all twelve bases are identical.

The show design calls for mirrored pairs of staircase props. Six props have the stairs on the left side, while the other six have the stairs on the right. That means the wheel plate locations and mounting points have to be mirrored as well so the stair assemblies can be attached correctly later.

To ensure every frame stayed square, I used the fixtures on the welding table. Because of that setup, I could only weld one end of a frame at a time. Rather than completing one frame from start to finish, I worked in batches. First, I welded one end and one wheel plate assembly on all twelve frames. Then I went back through the entire stack to weld the opposite end.

Once a frame had both ends assembled, it was time to flip it...and flip it again...and then stand it on edge...and flip it once more so every joint could be fully welded for strength.

There was a lot of lifting today.

By the end of the day, though, all twelve base frames were complete.

Standing back and looking around the shop, it was rewarding to see how far the project has come in just two weeks since the steel was delivered. The pile of raw stock that covered the shop floor is steadily disappearing, replaced by organized subassemblies. Even better, those subassemblies are now beginning to come together into larger assemblies that actually resemble parts of the finished props.

Today felt like one of those milestones that reminds you the finish line is getting closer. There's still plenty of welding ahead, but for the first time it feels like we're building props instead of just cutting steel.

Tonight was a shorter shop session, but it was another opportunity to check an important subassembly off the list.

The focus for the evening was building all twelve lower step assemblies. While they aren't the largest components of the prop, they presented an interesting fixturing challenge.

Most of the subassemblies I've built so far have been relatively flat. The pieces simply lay on the Fireball welding table while the fixtures hold everything square during welding.

The lower step assembly was different.

Each assembly includes an 11-inch vertical support welded at a 90-degree angle beneath the first step. To fixture that correctly, I needed to stand the step on its edge so the support could lay flat on the welding table.

That may sound like a small detail, but it made a big difference.

By having the support resting on the table, I could use my fixtures to control all three critical dimensions at once. The fixture kept the support perfectly square to the step in both the X and Y directions, while a stop block established the exact length of the support. Even if there were tiny variations in the cut lengths, every finished assembly would end up identical.

That's one of the things I enjoy most about production work. Sometimes the real challenge isn't the welding itself, it's figuring out how to build a fixture that makes every part come out the same.

Once the fixture was dialed in, the rest of the evening went quickly. One after another, all twelve lower step assemblies were welded together with confidence that each one matched the last.

Another stack of completed subassemblies.

Another step toward twelve finished props.

Tonight was a shorter session in the Maker At Play workshop, but every evening in the shop moves the project one step closer to the finish line.

The welding task for the night was straightforward. I combined two smaller components into a single subassembly that will eventually become part of the staircase assembly. It wasn't a particularly flashy milestone, but building props like this is all about completing dozens of these smaller assemblies before they come together into something much larger.

While the welder was cooling down, I also finalized another important piece of the project: figuring out exactly how much plywood we'd need for all twelve props.

Each prop requires six plywood pieces:

Four stair treads measuring 22" × 12"

One top platform measuring 44" × 36"

One slide measuring 68" × 23.5"

After laying everything out, I found an efficient cutting plan. Two platform tops can be cut from one sheet of plywood, while two slides can be cut from a second sheet. The remaining material from those two sheets provides enough space to cut all eight stair treads needed for those same two props.

That means every pair of props can be built from just two sheets of plywood.

With twelve props to build, we'll need a total of 12 sheets of plywood.

One of the things I enjoy about projects like this is that they require both fabrication and planning. Every efficient cut saves material, reduces waste, and makes construction go a little smoother. Spending time optimizing the layout now means less money spent and fewer surprises once the full production run is underway.

Not the biggest milestone of the project, but another productive evening and another item checked off the list.

Tonight's goal was to finish building the wheel plate subassemblies.

These assemblies are an important part of the prop because they tie together the wheel mounting structure with the first step of the staircase. By combining these into a single subassembly now, the final assembly of each prop will be much faster and more repeatable.

The first step was welding together the 11.5-inch and 12-inch pieces that form the side of the first step and the vertical support for the second step. Once all twelve of those assemblies were complete, I welded the 19.5-inch and 22.5-inch wheel plate bars to each side, completing the full wheel plate subassembly.

One detail that required extra attention is that these subassemblies are not all identical. Since the final props are built as mirrored pairs, six props have the staircase on the left side while the other six have it on the right. That meant the 19.5-inch and 22.5-inch wheel plate supports had to be swapped on half of the assemblies to create left-hand and right-hand versions. It was a small detail, but one that would become very important when these subassemblies were eventually welded to the base frames.

As the project progresses, the fixturing challenges continue to evolve.

Most of the early subassemblies were essentially flat, with every piece resting in the X-Y plane of the welding table. This assembly introduced another dimension. Part of the subassembly extends vertically above the table, so I needed a fixture that controlled not only its position on the table but also its height and angle.

This turned into another fun fixturing project using the Fireball Tool Tooth Block fixture, a 6-inch Extension Block, and a Stepped Fence Block to support the vertical member. Fence blocks at the three mounting points established positive reference surfaces that match where this subassembly will eventually attach to the base frame.

That was the real goal of the fixture.

Rather than simply holding the pieces while welding, it ensured every finished subassembly would be positioned identically. When it comes time to weld these onto the base frames, everything should line up exactly as intended without having to adjust or force parts into place.

The more I work through this production run, the more I appreciate the time spent designing good fixtures. The welding itself is often the easy part. The real challenge is creating a process that allows twelve identical assemblies to come off the table with the same dimensions every time.

Another twelve subassemblies completed.

One more step toward a full set of staircase props.

Tonight was all about wheel plate production.

Before any welding could begin, there was one errand to take care of. During my lunch break at work, I made a quick trip to Airgas to swap out my shielding gas cylinder. Running out of gas in the middle of a production run is the last thing I wanted, so it was one less thing to worry about once I got home and headed into the shop.

While I was at work, Susie spent part of the day cleaning up the wheel plate pieces that had been cut earlier. Having another set of hands taking care of prep work makes a huge difference when you're building twelve of everything.

I began the evening by sorting the large pile of 12-inch tubing pieces that had been cut several days earlier. Multiple subassemblies use these parts, so I wanted to separate them into the correct groups before welding. It was a simple organizational task, but one that helps avoid mistakes later when dozens of nearly identical parts are spread across the workshop.

With everything organized, it was time to weld.

The focus for the night was attaching all 48 wheel plates to their square tube supports. These were divided into three different assemblies:

The 43-inch wheel support, which receives two wheel plates

The 19.5-inch support, which receives one wheel plate

The 22.5-inch support, which also receives one wheel plate

Each assembly required its own dedicated fixture. Once the fixture was dialed in, I could repeatedly position each part in exactly the same location, making every assembly consistent while also speeding up production.

This is one of the benefits of spending time building fixtures. The first part always takes the longest. The next eleven come together much more quickly because the setup work has already been done.

By the end of the evening, all 48 wheel plates had been welded to their supports and were ready for the next phase of assembly.

Another stack of completed parts.

Another productive night in the Maker At Play workshop.

Another productive evening in the Maker At Play workshop.

While I was at work during the day, Susie tackled another batch of prep work by cleaning all of the platform legs and the long wheel plate bars. It's one of those jobs that isn't particularly glamorous, but it saves me valuable shop time in the evenings and keeps production moving.

Tonight's focus was welding the platform leg assemblies.

Each leg assembly consists of three pieces: a 24-inch cross member and two 58.5-inch vertical legs. Together, these assemblies will support the platform that sits at the top of each staircase.

One challenge with these parts is their size. The 58.5-inch legs are longer than my Fireball welding table, so I had to get a little creative with the fixturing. I used a set of support legs beyond the end of the table to establish a consistent reference point for the bottoms of the vertical members. Combined with the fixtures on the table itself, this allowed every assembly to be held square and at the correct dimensions despite extending well past the edge of the table.

Once the fixture was dialed in, the rest became a matter of repetition. One assembly after another came together, and by the end of the evening all 24 platform leg assemblies were welded.

It's another one of those production nights where the progress doesn't immediately look dramatic, but every completed subassembly brings the project one step closer to final assembly.

The stack of finished parts continues to grow, and the pile of raw steel continues to shrink. That's exactly the kind of progress I like to see.

Another full day dedicated to band props.

Production continued at a steady pace, with both Susie and me working on different parts of the build to keep the assembly line moving.

While I was in the workshop welding, Susie spent the day drilling mounting holes in the remaining 84-inch pieces and cleaning another batch of steel. Every hole drilled and every piece cleaned means less work later when the larger assemblies start coming together.

My focus for the day was finishing the stair subassemblies. I welded the remaining 18 steps, completing all 36 stair assemblies needed for the twelve props.

With the steps finished, I moved on to the platform tops, welding all twelve of those assemblies as well.

One thing I've learned building multiple props is that efficiency comes from batching similar work together. Instead of constantly changing tools, fixtures, and setups, I try to complete an entire type of assembly before moving on to the next. Once a fixture is dialed in and the welder settings are just right, it's much faster to build all twelve than it is to keep switching back and forth between different parts.

By the end of the day, two major groups of subassemblies were complete. The finished stacks of stair assemblies and platform tops were beginning to fill the workshop, replacing the piles of loose steel that had occupied the floor just a week earlier.

The transformation from raw material to finished parts was becoming more noticeable with every work session.