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Step 3Mark the Drill Locations
Well, the easy part is over. Marking the drill locations is tricky, because of the precision required on such small, non-square objects.
On all of the animals I made, I was able to fit two pairs of magnets. On some (the jaguar and pig) it was a bit of a squeeze, but others (the elephant) there was lots of room. Ideally, the magnets should be spaced at least a millimeter apart if you can manage it. I'd avoid using a figurine onto which you can only fit one magnet - it's not likely to be able to hold up very much weight. The other benefit of using two magnets is that you can align the poles so that the two halves automatically align.
Take one half of each animal, and trace its outline on a piece of paper. Note which animal the outline is for, and which half the outline was taken from. Now, mark the centers of the magnets onto the outline, staying away from edges if possible. I used my calipers for this - I simply measured the diameter of the magnet, added a millimeter or two, then poked holes into the outline using the points of the caliper. But, freehand is fine too. Once the centers are marked, poke holes through the paper at these points.
Realign the animal half with its outline (be precise!!) and turn it over. You should be able to see the two holes. Stick a pin through each hole, making marks on the figurine. Remove the outline and push the pin in deeper if the marks aren't visible enough.
Next, do the other half. But there's a trick: Since the saw removed some material from between the halves, you may have to offset the outline to compensate. The steeper the angle of the cut, the more you'll have to offset. So, I'll divide this step into two sub-steps:
Perpendicular cut
OK, so the figurine was cut at an angle perpendicular (90 degrees) to its "spine." In this case, hold the figurine against the back of the outline, and use a light to align the two. Again, try to be as precise as possible. Poke the pin through the two holes as before.
Angle cut
If the figurine was cut on an angle, you'll have to offset the outline a bit. Align the second half of the figurine and the outline as with a perpendicular cut. The offset will be about 1mm for a 45 degree cut, and a fraction of a millimeter between 45 and 90 (perpendicular). The direction (whether to shift the outline left or right) will depend on the angle of the cut. If the cut goes from the animal's front right leg to its rear left leg, then the outline will be shifted to the left. If it's cut from the front left to the rear right, then the outline should be shifted right. Got it? Good. Poke two holes with the pin.
On all of the animals I made, I was able to fit two pairs of magnets. On some (the jaguar and pig) it was a bit of a squeeze, but others (the elephant) there was lots of room. Ideally, the magnets should be spaced at least a millimeter apart if you can manage it. I'd avoid using a figurine onto which you can only fit one magnet - it's not likely to be able to hold up very much weight. The other benefit of using two magnets is that you can align the poles so that the two halves automatically align.
Take one half of each animal, and trace its outline on a piece of paper. Note which animal the outline is for, and which half the outline was taken from. Now, mark the centers of the magnets onto the outline, staying away from edges if possible. I used my calipers for this - I simply measured the diameter of the magnet, added a millimeter or two, then poked holes into the outline using the points of the caliper. But, freehand is fine too. Once the centers are marked, poke holes through the paper at these points.
Realign the animal half with its outline (be precise!!) and turn it over. You should be able to see the two holes. Stick a pin through each hole, making marks on the figurine. Remove the outline and push the pin in deeper if the marks aren't visible enough.
Next, do the other half. But there's a trick: Since the saw removed some material from between the halves, you may have to offset the outline to compensate. The steeper the angle of the cut, the more you'll have to offset. So, I'll divide this step into two sub-steps:
Perpendicular cut
OK, so the figurine was cut at an angle perpendicular (90 degrees) to its "spine." In this case, hold the figurine against the back of the outline, and use a light to align the two. Again, try to be as precise as possible. Poke the pin through the two holes as before.
Angle cut
If the figurine was cut on an angle, you'll have to offset the outline a bit. Align the second half of the figurine and the outline as with a perpendicular cut. The offset will be about 1mm for a 45 degree cut, and a fraction of a millimeter between 45 and 90 (perpendicular). The direction (whether to shift the outline left or right) will depend on the angle of the cut. If the cut goes from the animal's front right leg to its rear left leg, then the outline will be shifted to the left. If it's cut from the front left to the rear right, then the outline should be shifted right. Got it? Good. Poke two holes with the pin.
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