The Indian Motorcycle Light Display Is Completed!

With the help of my friend Steve Hamer at the QC Co-Lab maker space today we completed the assembly of the Indian motorcycle light display that I have been working on.  But first the light base assembly had to be cut out on the CNC machine this week in the workshop.  

  This photo is of the 1/4 inch thick poplar top and bottom pieces (right side of photo) and the 1/2 inch thick poplar mid-sections (left side of photo).  I chose poplar simply because of the light displays that I had made for my sisters last Christmas.  A nice wood to work with and I simply like the look of it once it has been varnished.

The bottom piece and the two mid-section pieces are glued, stacked together and then clamped.  This will make the cavity needed for the electronics to light the display.

Once the glued assembly has dried the bottom piece is added to the assembly using wood screws that have been counter sunk.

 Here the assembly has been sanded by hand and with the help of a drum sander on my drill press. Next five coats of varnish will be added to put a good finish on the base. 

This photos is a good daylight shot of the display showing the detail in the engraving and how the light box looks after it has been varnished. I like the light color of the poplar wood.  Nice and bright.  Next the internal electronics, light, and power switch are added. The power cord and on off switch are mounted through the back of the wood base to make for a cleaner look once everything is in place.

This is a reprint of the photo of the internal electronics for the Angel display that I built last Christmas but it is exactly what is now in the Indian motorcycle display.  I simply did not get a photo of this view while working on the Indian display today.  The only thing missing in this shot is the power cord that comes into the cavity alongside  of power switch. 

These last two shots give you a good idea of what the display looks like in a couple of different lighting conditions.  The top light is with room lights on and of course the bottom photo is of the display on in the dark.  Makes a great night light!  Either on or off the Indian motorcycle is a great display and will make a nice addition to almost any room in my house.