Cubic trefoil

[mklotz]

It occurred to me that the trefoil must be composed of three identical structures. If true, that would considerably simplify gluing the joints. One would make three simpler, identical forms, their simplicity simplifying gluing. Then, these three structures would be interwoven and glued into the final form. With more firm structure to clamp onto, this final assembly would be easier.

To assure myself that I knew what I was talking about, I took one of my earlier butt jointed failures (a glued joint slipped and froze in the wrong place) and painted the three structures. As one can see from the photo, the three structures are topologically identical, just as I imagined.

So, keep this simplification in mind if you decide to make one.