Stage 1: Inner Frame. Step 1: Design and Prep

It makes sense to start with the inner frame, since everything else builds off of it.  There were a number of options here, including a really nice aluminum frame that could be purchased.  However, the Builders Club made available some detailed templates for building a wood frame.  I'll save a few hundred dollars by  building it myself from scratch and by using wood instead of metal, I already have most of the tools I need, wood is lightweight but (relatively) strong, and wood is easiest to work with -- at least for me.

Credits: The wood frame I've chosen to build was originally designed by Mr. Mike Senna, converted to templates by Mr. Michael Davis from CAD drawings by Mr. Matthew Henricks.

Fortunately for me, I have an old large-format printer in the closet, literally sitting there gathering dust.  I was able to get it breathing again with surprisingly little trouble, and out cranked the templates.

HP DesignJet 130nr, resurrected from the dead.

These will serve as cutting guides for the wood frame.  Once printed out, everything looked good:

My assistant, Cleo, compares the templates with a reference model.

Now the only question remaining was whether it was the right size.  I took careful measurements of the templates to compare with the "official" R2-D2 design blueprints.  Also, it was time for my earlier foresight to pay off; the "Lazy Susan" mechanism, known to fit the soon-to-be-fabricated Dome, had arrived, so I could compare that to the template as well and make sure it would fit right on top.  And the verdict?

Blueprint, Cutting Template, Lazy Susan ring, and Ruler

Perfect.  The template printed at exactly the right size called for in the blueprints, and the Lazy Susan mechanism fit right on top with just enough room to spare for the dome itself.

So far, so good!  I picked up a new jigsaw and a routing bit for my Dremel, so all that's missing is the wood.  Not much longer until this build actually involves... y'know... BUILDING something!