On order were gothic window props, five at three by five feet. I reviewed some reference material with the requirements and budget in mind, sketching ideas and making notes about materials.
I found a few objects laying around the workshop with roughly the correct relative diameters and used them to lay out the first panel, which cut out with a a jigsaw—its brushes worn down the nerve, ozone and plywood dust in my nostrils.
I clamped the second panel in place over some 1″ spacers and fixed them in place with pin nails. These panels were built to be reversible, so they’re fleshed out the same way on both sides. At the base they sit on a piece of 2″ square material from the reuse pile that I hogged out a groove in with a circular saw. I cut some long strips of 5mm plywood and and pin nailed them at the base and to the central spacer at the top.