Open Wavy Weaving
Sizing – strips should be about 2.5” wide on average.
Holes are ¾”
Since this design has no fringe, there will always be one more strip than hole, e.g. 10 strips = 9 holes
Take the final size, subtract out the width of all the holes and that is the width of the metal you will be cutting
Add one inch to the length for the long strips – they will get trimmed back to size after the piece is woven and the corners are brazed
Also add one inch to the width for the wide pieces for the same reason
Cut the metal
Wire brush the front if this is clean metal (no patina)
Mark centerlines on back – these may not be useful but they may help with the initial layout
Marking the strips
Remember that the 2nd strip in from the edge must be straight enough and wide enough to hide the mounting poles
Mark the edges also but these should not be cut until after the corners are brazed. Having straight edges will help with the layout.
Number all the strips
Cut the metal with the bandsaw
Don’t cut the outside edges yet
If the cuts are clean on clean metal, the edges won’t need to be sanded
If the cuts are jagged, or on patinated metal, then sand or file the edges with a slight tilt of the sanding disc to the front.
Clean the fronts of the metal with solvent, removing all black lines, and write the numbers on the backs
Flatten the strips and lay them out in order
Cut a board at least 1” wider than the dimensions of the piece
You will want to be able to attach clamps to the board and the piece
Mark the centerlines of the board, as well as the outside dimensions of the finished piece
Lay the pieces out on the board
First lay out all the long pieces, in order
Then weave in the cross pieces, in order, eyeballing a ¾” space between strips
When all the pieces are woven in place, lay out the ¾” dowels in between the strips
Adjust the spacing until it looks satisfactory
Braze the corners and diagonals across the center
Be sure to place a piece of copper or aluminum under the weaving so as not to burn the wood
Don’t braze on steel – it absorbs and concentrates the heat too much
Cut the undulated design for the outside edges
Brazed the outside edges on the back – you want to eliminate any jagged edges
Flip the piece over and braze any loose pieces on the front
Finish work
With the air sander, go over the edges and remove any sharp or jagged parts
Use your hands to test the edges – they must be smooth to the touch. If they are still rough after sanding, use a finer grit sandpaper
Solder a pipe backing to the piece.
In general, the backs on rectangular pieces should be assembled to allow it to stand vertically on legs, up to maximum of 51”. Anything taller than that has to have legs on the wide dimension.
After soldering on the pipe backing, tape on legs, then thoroughly wash the piece front and back, concentrating on wherever the flux was located.
Rinse twice, front and back
Place in a clean warm room to dry
if this is useful to you or you like what you read, why not
give me a link on your site?