To make the dome, I glued up a block of wood and turned it on the lathe with my new bowl gouge. I painted it chrome, then masked off the areas that would be blue and painted it with metallic blue paint. A silver Sharpie matched the chrome paint perfectly, so I used it touch up any rough edges on the blue paint. I glued on the additional round discs to embellish it.
The body started out as an octagon, then I used a combination of my bandsaw, sander, and lathe to shape the outside round like a cylinder. I painted it white and drew the decorative lines with a straight edge and Sharpie markers. I also masked off some areas and sprayed them metallic blue. I used small Velcro pieces to attach the dome.
I cut the legs using a template that I created based on a picture of R2-D2. There is a silver disc between each leg and the body. I sanded a curve on one side to match the contour of the body and glued them on. The legs are attached to the discs with screws. In this picture, you can see the line details that I drew on the back with a straight edge and a silver Sharpie.
The two feet have what I think are R2-D2's battery packs glued to them. I sanded one corner to match the angle of the foot, then glued them on. I drilled shallow holes and glued in some bronze cord for the "wiring".
I used several different paints and markers to decorate R2-D2. I really like the chrome and metallic blue spray paints, but they don't work very well on end grain. Maybe I will try a wood filler next time to see if I get better results. I'm really pleased with these colors!
Click here to download my R2-D2 Birdhouse cutting templates. These templates will help you build the main structure, but the artistry of decorating R2-D2 is solely up to you! Have fun, and if you build an R2-D2 too, I would love to see a picture of it. Also, don't forget to watch the other videos on the 2015 Star Wars Day Collaboration Playlist! May the 4th be with you!
