A useful new discovery

Needed to make an acrylic box for the non-perishable top of my son's wedding cake.  Cutting the acrylic was not a problem (#5 Flying Dutchman polar blade and slow speed works great), but we decided to use wood at the edges since my scroll saw cuts were not precise enough to attach the acrylic edges directly.

Having had little success in the past with CA glue and epoxy, we decided to try caulk to hold the acrylic in the slots in the wood strips.  Although the caulk squeeze-out seemed to clean up with water, we were still left with unsightly residue in places once it dried.  Fortunately, a call to DAP yielded the suggestion to use mineral spirits, which worked like a charm and didn't harm the acrylic.

The assembly is almost complete, and I think it should work out OK.  I'll post pictures when we're finished, regardless of how it turns out!

How I made my son's wedding cake

Here's a three-part video tutorial that documents the steps involved in making the cake for my son's wedding last Sunday.  As you'll see, it was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun.

A cake board for the wedding cake

I decided to make videos of the various steps I followed to make my son's wedding cake.  This is the first video of the series, and shows how I made the cake board.  Cake boards for major cakes must be strong enough to support the weight of the cake, and should also add to the overall presentation.  As you'll see, the scroll saw was a necessary tool, as was the sewing machine, making this a multi-craft project.

The Wedding Cake

Well, the wedding was a huge success. The weather cooperated, and everything went off without any major problems. And the cake was delivered safely, securely wedged in the front seat, in its packing box. My son and new daughter-in-law were very pleased, and the feedback was terrific, both on looks and taste. Most wedding cakes are afterthoughts, and commercial, and not very tasty. I was amazed that people had room for cake after all the food, but they did. And the top layer is a dummy, which will keep indefinitely if protected from moisture, rodents, and insects.

I used commercial flowers, instead of making my own, so I would not have to worry about humidity, and kept the air conditioning on throughout the two days needed to get the cake together. With all the shelves removed from my refrigerator, the box fit in nicely.

I packed away all my cake decorating gear last night, until the next occasion, and can now get back to my shop with a clear head. But I'm glad that I did it--it's special to be able to make the cake for you child's wedding.

Another use for my scrollsaw and for Weldbond glue

I used the scrollsaw to cut down the cake drum to just under 18", so it will fit in the packing box for transport to the wedding. The board is covered with satin, for an attractive presentation and another board is glued to the underside to make it easier to move the cake. This picture shows the glue-up on the underside of the board. And tomorrow I bake!

One for the cake, one for the box

I often use scans of pictures, printed in miniature, and framed, to personalize cakes. So, it was only natural that I'd incorporate this approach into my woodworking. The picture on the left, of my son and his fiancee, in a frame of royal icing, is one of several which will be incorporated into the wedding cake. The picture on the right, of Joe and me, is mounted on wood, and a decoration for one of the less conventional projects in my upcoming box book. I'll post pictures of the wedding cake next week--Friday is baking day, Saturday decorating, and Sunday I become a mother-in-law (gasp!).