This table is one in a series where I am exploring the relationship between repeated strong graphic shapes, negative space and the illusion of pieces hovering away from each other. The top is made from a piece of bamboo countertop material that was headed for the dumpster before I intervened. This bamboo is a ‘plywood’ with a caramelized vertical grain face and strand core. Although I wouldn’t typically use a plywood material for building fine furniture, the grain pattern in the plies had a lot of visual interest that could be used quite successfully in the design.
The triangle pieces were cut to a precise angle on the table saw. They were then drilled to receive the aluminum dowel which provides the connection points for all of the pieces that make up the table top. The pieces were then profiled and sanded. I love how they hover away from each other making you wonder how the top can hold itself together. And this spacing is what creates a delightful interplay of light and shadow under the table. The triangle theme of the top is echoed in the legs, which have a rounded triangular cross-section. The walnut for the legs came from a tree that had to be taken down from a neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri. They were cut to rough shape on the bandsaw. I then routed a channel for the aluminum inlay and epoxied it in. Once this was done, the legs were hand sculpted into their final shape using a variety of woodworking and metalworking hand tools. A hardline is sculpted into the leg where each of the sides of the triangle intersect, including down the center of the aluminum inlay. Final smoothing of the legs was achieved with card scrapers and sandpaper backed with duct tape.
~kelly
