Post #814586 by MadDogMike on Tue, Dec 31, 2024 6:39 PM

danlovestikis I'm sure they grow in Hawaii, EVERYTHING grows in Hawaii!!! LOL

New major project starting. For several years I have wanted a large Moai. I've done a lot of research on different materials and have decided on Polymer Fortified Mortar over chicken wire and Styrofoam. The Temple Wall I did a while back was basically research for the Moai so I'll be using many of the techniques I learned there.

Normally, a 6 foot Moai out of solid Styrofoam would be cost prohibitive (like several hundred dollars!) but I salvaged a truck load of 4x4x1 foot blocks 20 years ago and have been slowly using it up. I still have enough for a Moai.

The blocks run from 8 inches thick to about 16 inches thick. But they are slightly wedge shaped, a couple inches thicker on one end than the other. So I built a horizontal heated wire cutter to slice them into even 8 inch thick slabs. Made from 2x4s, nichrome wire, and a dimmer switch. It clamps to my work bench and comes off for storage when I don't need it.

I don't have the advantage (or disadvantage) of an art school education so I make things up as I go. I downloaded a 3D model I liked and digitally sliced him into 9 pieces (x 8 inches = 6 ft) then captured an image of the tops of them. If my logic is right, I can cut out these 9 pieces, stack and glue them together, and it should give me a good starting place to carve my Moai.

I drew out a 7.5 x 7.5 inch grid and drew the first piece

A heated knife cuts much cleaner than a saw. Unfortunately, my knife is only about 6 inches long so I had to finish it with a messy saw.

Piece #1 of 9 cut.

#2 of 9

#3 of 9. Starting to look like a Moai yet?

[ Edited by MadDogMike on 2024-12-31 18:39:40 ]