Celtic Cross Fog Chiller
So after several months of procrastination, I have finally gotten myself moving on a project that has been in the back of my head since Halloween 2009. The original plan was to create an Obelisk Tombstone from Dow foamboard that would double as a fog chiller. The idea was simple; apply the concept of a cat litter bucket vortex chiller into a hollow Obelisk. This would eliminate 2 of the issues facing the use of a cat litter bucket chiller; A. hiding the chiler, and B. insulating the chiller.
The Celtic Cross Fog Chiller, structure and cross details complete.
At the onset of the project, I decided to make a few changes to the overall design. Rather than going with a tall, thin obelisk, I decided to do a Celtic Cross atop a block base. This would allow a shorter, broader base that would provide more stability, and a larger chiller area. This would also give me more opportunity for the detailed tombstone carvings that I enjoy.
After a $40 trip to Lowes for foam, I set my plans in motion. The base/chiller proved to be very simple to build, and took only a few hours. The cross, which proved to be only slightly more difficult, came next. Since the cross was made of two layers, I was able to embed a 1″x1/4″ strip of hardwood down the center for added support. That should prevent the cross from breaking off in any wind. The finished structure stands just over 6′ tall (29″ base, 45″ cross), with the inner dimensions of the chiller being 22″x14″x14″.
Once the structure was finished, I started detailing the cross which took roughly 5 hours to complete. That’s not including the time spent creating the knot-work templates. And now, the hard part awaits. I have just begun carving the knot-work border on the front of the base which, based on what I’ve accomplished in the first 4 hours, I expect will take about 15 hours to complete. Wish me luck, as my eyes and my back are already killing me.
Knot-work details on the Celtic Cross.
2 Responses “Celtic Cross Fog Chiller”
Looks amazing. What a great idea. Always good to have a place to hide the fog chiller
Cheers!
Thanks Frog Queen, I figured since I make my tombstones out of Insulation foam, I may as well use that to my advantage. I’m really surprised I haven’t seen more folks doing this. It almost seems a “No Brainer” to have your fog source right in the center of your graveyard, and what better to hide it in but another tombstone.
I’m hoping to post an update on this project soon, but I still have a few hours of carving knotwork in the base.