After two days of cutting plate and structural steel and completing a bunch of detailed epoxy sculpting on four signs to make them ready for paint, it was time to start assembling the project I’ve been looking forward to all week. This afternoon, we began the actual assembly and welding of the giant DOWNEYS letters. Since the ‘Y’ was on the welding table, we started with it. I first welded together the two halves of the back plate, added the 1” x 1” upright spacers at the corners and then welded on the front border. Because the pieces of plate were cut on our FastCut CNC plasma, everything fit perfectly and went together easily. With the front and back of the ‘Y’ perfectly aligned, forming and welding on the 16” tall sides of the letters (also plasma cut) proved to be easier than I imagined. Once the bottom was welded on, I cut four holes and slipped the structural steel into them, which was then welded to the letters. This protruding frame will hold the letters upright and secure when bolted to the on-site concrete foundation (cross members and mounting plates yet to be added). This frame will also make it easy and safe to stand the letters up and then sculpt the woodgrain faces of the letters. There is still plenty of fitting, welding and grinding remaining to be done on this letter, along with the six others, but it is always nice to get into a project never previously attempted and realize the plan we concocted is actually going to work.