Livable Furniture: Wood Frame Houses Built into Chair Bases

ted lott 5

Fine furniture craftsmanship, stick frame construction and out-of-the-box recycling come together in cool sculptural creations by woodworker and artist Ted Lott. Old chairs, reduced to the bare bones of their frames, become the unlikely foundations for miniature houses, the pieces all fitting together with incredible precision.

tedd lott wood house 2

ted lott wood chair sculpture 1

Look closely at the flat fronts of these miniatures and you’ll find all of the architectural details you’d expect to find on a full-scale version of the same homes: gables, balustrades, balconies and rough openings for windows and doors. But the back sides, adapted to fit the shapes of the chairs, feature unexpected curves and angles.

ted lott 6

The chairs are reclaimed antiques, and Lott crafts the little houses in pine. The concept for the series was inspired by the material of wood itself, putting its most common usage in a new light.

Ted Lott Master of FIne Art Exhibition

“When viewing woodworking in the context of objects made with wood; housing, particularly stick frame construction, emerges as possibly the most widespread use of the material throughout the modern world,” says the artist.

This Week in Wood: Amazing Arboreous Bench is a Work of Art

arboreous 1

When is a bench not just a bench? When it’s also a stunning sculptural work, blurring the lines between functional furniture and art. ‘Arboreous’ by Rota Lab is another great example of wood being used in unexpected ways, with the adaptability and beauty of the material taking center stage.

arboreous 2

Installed in the apartment of a client, the bench was custom-made for the space, offering a place to take a seat in the foyer. Branch-like appendages seem to grow organically from the slats of the bench, crawling up the wall, curving into a corner and stretching up into a skylight.

arboreous 6

The customer asked for a piece inspired by Pablo Reinoso’s Spaghetti Bench series in which the wooden or steel slats of a seat flow off to one side as if they have a life of their own.

arboreous 3

According to the designers, the bench “required two months of intense experimentation on wood bending and one month to build and assemble it.”

DIY Woodworking: Shaker Furniture Project Plans

Woodworking Plans 1Want to try your hand at making your own classic Shaker-style furniture? Popular Woodworking Magazine has published a book called ‘Shaker Furniture Projects’ that’s packed full of 33 projects varying from small projects like traditional hanging shelves to larger projects like a Press Cupboard.

Shaker furniture, often made using Eastern White Pine, is an American tradition that was refined by our nation’s early craftsmen. Consisting of clean, minimalist lines and making use of innovative joinery and peg systems, Shaker furniture is known for a high level of quality and a look that fits into nearly any interior design style.

Prefer to check out projects one by one, and purchase plans a la carte? Peruse the options at Wood Magazine and Fine Woodworking, both of which offer plans for items like clocks, dining tables, chests of drawers and bed frames.

Traditional Craftsmanship Meets Modern Furniture with Notched Designs

Traditional Wood Joinery Table 1

Creating wooden furniture that fits together without the need for glue is a longstanding tradition across all sorts of cultures and styles, requiring a high level of craftsmanship and skill. Traditional woodworking joinery, like dovetails, tongue-and-groove and mortise-and-tenon, can be even more durable than joints that rely on fasteners and adhesives.

Traditional Wood Joinery Table 2

Some modern furniture makers are returning to these traditions for beautiful, high-quality products that still have a fresh, contemporary feel. Designer Ania Wolowska named the ‘Ban Table‘ after famed Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, known for his ingenious buildings and other structures that fit together using similar techniques.

Traditional Wood Joinery 3

The table is specifically designed to bring attention to these joints, highlighting their beauty. Says the designer, “In this method of construction, pieces are put together with a basic technique that uses wooden joints, producing a highly pleasing table with excellent stability.”

Traditional Wood Joinery 4

The table is collapsible for easy packing and transport, reducing its environmental impact. It’s handmade by master carpenters in Bacalar, Mexico.

You Can Do That! Woodworking Projects in Google Sketchup

Google Sketchup Woodworking

If you’re interested in exploring some woodworking projects, there’s a cool way to get an interactive look at the mechanics of various items from tool boxes to furniture using Google Sketchup. Popular Woodworking Magazine offers Sketchup versions of all of the woodworking projects in its ‘I Can Do That!’ series and many more items, with over 200 free plans available to download.

For the uninitiated, Google Sketchup is a free program that enables you to create three-dimensional digital models of virtually anything. It’s incredibly intuitive and easy to use, with introductory lessons offering animated guidance and tips for each tool.

Check out the Sketchup plans for everything from a small Shaker carry box to a garden swing. Getting a look at them in Sketchup enables an enhanced understanding of how the parts fit together, so beginning to intermediate woodworkers have more confidence in their ability to tackle each project.

Eastern White Pine is an ideal wood type for many of these projects – learn more about its desirable characteristics for woodworking, and check out a few more small craft projects. 

Fresh Wood: Student Competition Promotes Woodworking Careers

Woodcraft-WinnerWhat does the future of the woodworking industry look like? The ‘Fresh Wood’ competition, sponsored by the Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers (AWFS), promotes woodworking and design education programs and encourages students to pursue careers in these fields. The competition gives students a chance to show off their work and win prizes including cash and woodworking tools and supplies.

The competition was founded when the industry faced shortages of skilled workers. But since then, there’s been a woodworking renaissance, with the economic downturn leading many people to reconsider their careers and return to hands-on trades that put old-world craftsmanship to work.

Woodcraft-ClockThe 2014 Fresh Wood Contest is closed to entries, but full-time and part-time students in accredited high school or post-secondary school woodworking programs are encouraged to apply for 2015. The winners in 2013 include a chair entry by Mollie Ferguson, pictured above, which won Best of Show and first place in the post-secondary chair category.

Work shown ranges from traditional furniture items to more artistic, sculptural interpretations of classics, like this fun clock.