LUSITANO RETREAT — P28 BUILD NOTES
Use only with the main pallet guide and material intake checks. Illustrative dimensions are not a structural rating.

MEASUREMENTS
1. Example flat slate 300 × 210 mm; no hinged clapper.
2. Use a single accepted wide board or a known clean panel faced with small decorative slats outside the writing area.

CUT LIST / COMPONENTS
1. One 300 × 210 mm suitable writing panel.
2. Optional top and bottom decorative slats: 2 × 300 × 25 × measured thickness mm.
3. Existing stable tabletop stand; finish suited to the selected erasable marker.

TOOLS
1. Tape, pencil and square; clamps and a flat bench.
2. Suitable saw, drill/driver and pilot bits matched to the chosen fasteners.
3. Sander with effective extraction; metal detector before machining accepted boards.

ASSEMBLY
1. Decide which details must appear in the edit: date, episode, mission, scene and take. Draw the fields on paper at the proposed 300 × 210 mm size and check that the camera can read them at the intended distance.
2. Choose a flat accepted board or known clean panel large enough for the writing face. If pallet boards are too narrow, reserve them for optional decorative edge strips; do not create a lumpy multi-board surface that defeats erasable lettering.
3. Scan all timber for metal and mark the rectangular panel with a square. Cut to the chosen size, then cut any decorative strips separately; avoid hinges and moving clappers so the prop stays a simple lightweight flat slate.
4. Round accessible corners and prepare the writing face according to the coating manufacturer. Sand only known clean bare timber with extraction; remove dust thoroughly and test the intended writing finish on an offcut before covering the whole panel.
5. Apply the specified writing-surface finish with its required preparation, coats and curing time. Keep batch and product information in the project record; a touch-dry surface may still need more curing before repeated marking and cleaning.
6. If decorative strips are included, clamp them outside the writing fields and select fixings for the measured combined thickness. Pilot drill and attach without protruding points; keep the rear flat enough to sit properly in the chosen existing stand.
7. Mark permanent field names after the finish has cured and test the compatible erasable marker. Film a sample take, review focus and contrast, then erase and rewrite it; change the field size if the camera cannot read small lettering.
8. Use the slate before tools begin moving and place it back on its stable stand clear of cutting equipment. Keep slate handling and filming separate from active machining; preserve the original shot identifiers when transferring footage into the episode record.

FINISH AND CARE
1. Writing finish and marker must be compatible.
2. No hinged clapper; smooth perimeter and fully contained fixings.

COMPLETION CHECKS
1. Fields remain readable on recorded footage.
2. Marker erases as intended; slate and stand do not rock.

Guide: https://lusitanoretreat.com/build-guides/building-with-pallets/#project-p28