- The Tree of Life
- The Tea Table
7 weeks
Explorations: Furniture Design, Woodworking, Joinery, New Materials
“The Tree of Life represents, at times, the source, force and interconnectedness of life, the spiritual journey of growth and enlightenmenor, or the cycle of life and death itself.”
The Tree of Life
is a japanese-influenced table meant to sit two. The closeness of the pair, along with the intent of the table to be used for tea drinking, forces closeness in the participants and a need for them to be close companions in order to feel comfortable.
The Tree of Life: Sacred Geometric Pattern
- Process
Modeling. Early in the design process, I considered a veneer top but hated the idea of a fake wood. I considered cutting up thin pieces of different types of wood, but was concerned about wood movement and having to build a holding structure underneath.
Getting wood at Mars Lumbar.
Allowing the wood to accumulate to studio.
I chose to use poplar & walnut because I enjoyed the green undertone of the poplar and the purple tint of the walnut. Although poplar is not a common choice for furniture, I liked the idea of the table showing use through the dents it develops overtime.
I chose to use poplar & walnut because I enjoyed the green undertone of the poplar and the purple tint of the walnut. Although poplar is not a common choice for furniture, I liked the idea of the table showing use through the dents it develops overtime.
Figuring out the exact placement for the legs to perch.
Realizing I need a support structure for the table top. At this time I was also hoping that my legs would be thick enough to prevent wobbling.
Chiseling the legs. I used a dado blade to create the cut out.
Creating my support system for underneath the table.
Making sure each peice has a perfect interlocking.
Starting the frame that will hold the table top.
I ended up using a router table to create a lip in the poplar to fit into the frame. To create the symbol on top I used a hand router and hand drew the design to the wood.
One of the hardest parts of creating this table was getting the angles right for the framing to attach correctly. The second challenge was then figuring out the correct way to glue the framing pieces to ensure tight fit between each piece and the support structure underneath.
Creating splines for the ends.
Using scrap wood to create straight edges for the glue up.
Using poplar for the spline.
Danish Oil.
Listen to me talk about the Tea Table here
- See More Work