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“… lend your ears to music, open your eyes to painting, and … stop thinking! Just ask yourself whether the work has enabled you to “walk about” into a hitherto unknown world. If the answer is yes, what more do you want?” — Wassily Kandinsky
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In just a few short weeks, I head off to the Marc Adams School of Woodworking for my annual teaching fix. The “Creative Thinking” class has two openings left and my Tool Making class a couple more. It would be great if these spots were filled out by DSN members.
Now here is the cool part–if you know of a young, deserving and under-capitalized talent that is worthy and full of promise, there are a couple of tuition grants available for the Tool Making class. Contact marc@marcadams.com for your nominee.
One of the advantages of living in the world’s largest temperate rain forest is that I have plenty of time to read. Five months of continual rain, a fireplace, a glass of wine and the right music gives me the perfect excuse to avoid chores. (I like leaving work…at work–which likely explains why I have mice living in my walls–until tomorrow.) Living vicariously through the work of others not only motivates me to do better everyday, but some pieces are so flat-out exciting, they need to be shared. If you haven’t seen the work Wouter Scheublin, you have now.
I am hopelessly attracted to kinetic sculptures. Below is a functional, limited edition (20) spring car by Wouter. What a fun piece. Don’t you want to pick it up an play with it?
This next piece I have to see in person. This table literally has legs–push it to relocate and it walks with you. How cool is that? In the right environment, this would be an incredibly functional kinetic sculpture…I also really like the metal stretchers, wood would have been a poor choice from a monotony standpoint. (Don’t forget to check out his site to see the walking bookcase.)
Thanks to Robert’s comment below, entry updated with video–I love the ending where he sits and pulls the table to him–makes one wonder about moving a chair without wheels while sitting in it doesn’t it? I wish we had one of these at my house growing up–particularly at Thanksgiving…imagine the rough seas in the gravy boat with kids on each side of the table…
Knowing when to quit is one of the many secrets of great design. I really like the simple, geometric lines of this chair…(also note that the best view of a chair is most often the rear, three-quarter view–my experience is that if a chair looks good from this view, it is going to look good from all views)
I hope you enjoy these internet forays as much as I do sharing them!
–John
PS: TRIAL BALLOON HERE: I am thinking about putting a trip together next spring to visit the Milan Furniture Fair–the greatest annual display of furniture design on the planet. Anybody interested?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBOdZ6nhDJg&feature=related
Such beautifully made pieces. Very imaginative. I’m not sure I want my furniture walking around my house (particularly at night – I’d probably stub my toes when going to the bathroom in the dark) (plus, they’d scare the dog), but very cool nonetheless.
The cabinets that have the rotating handles that snap them closed are interesting. I wonder what the construction of the handles is, so that they don’t just break off?
I do love that little car. Also the construction kit that you can turn into a pedal car. I think I need one of those!
As far as I can tell, I’m not teaching next spring. Milan sounds awesome! I’ve never been. I’ll have to look into babysitters…
– Peter
THANKS ROBERT!
Blog entry updated–much appreciated.
-John
A quote came to mind, Eero Saarinen regarding the tulip table ( http://goo.gl/u0Zwq ): “The undercarriage of chairs and tables makes an ugly, confusing, unrestful world. I wanted to clean up the slum of legs and make the chair all one thing again.”
There’s no place to sit without worrying the table will kick you in the applesack.
dmarkowi;
Your observations are not without merit. Efforts like this are rarely about the entity but where it may lead–and that is what I find meritorious.
One can only imagine what was learned building this, and how that foundation of knowledge/experience is leveraged in the future.
–John
Like … walking buildings?
– Peter
The mechanism *is* fascinating.
@Peter:
If you were in one of my creative thinking classes you would get kudos for “walking buildings”…
The exercise is called re-combination and the objective is to take two seemingly disparate words, combine them and then deliberately list the pros, cons, and possibilities.
The number of new ideas, products and companies this exercise has spawned is unbelievable.
You can have much fun with this concept at parties…
Combine alcohol+horney = alcohorney.
…alcohomeless
Proximity+ money = proximoney…. You get the idea. It is a blast in the classroom.
So, walking buildings interests me. Color me weird!
-John
Dmarkowi: if you can forget, for just a moment, my assassination attempt on your hand in Atlanta…
If this were a “walking desk” would you feel better about your apple sack?
After looking at this video again, I believe it is more suited to being called a desk. But I digress, I really want to meet this young man…who do you know that takes such risks in the global crucible known as the Internet?
-John
Admission: I thought playing Salieri and saying, “too many notes” would be funny. I think this Scheublin is great and if he ever has an exhibition in the NY-DC corridor, I’m there.
I don’t think this guy is worried about the Internet–I’d be pretty surprised if he didn’t know he’s pretty clever. It’s not a “would be” kinetic scultpure–it is kinetic sculpture.
I half-draw things trying to imagine mechanisms that would make them work. I think I mentioned someplace or another my affection for kinematics–reciprocating mechanisms particularly grab me. To actually figure this out and fabricate…I’m envious of the guy.
Oh…desk? Maybe. I’d need it bigger–I’m not sure I’d fit under 🙂
I’m not so sure about a desk that could walk away from you while you’re typing. On the other hand – as long as everyone’s sitting on the same side of the table – it would save having to scootch your chair in after sitting down.
What you really need is a table that walks both ways (from the middle) at the same time, so that everyone (on both sides) wouldn’t have to scootch their chairs in.
No response on Milan from anyone? I think this sounds totally cool. Sharon’s in.
– Peter
P.S. Plumbing and electrical connections (not to mention gas) would be pretty tricky with a walking building. Guess you’d have to have outlets all over the city…
P
John,
Very cool little car; the bronze bearings against the steel axles is a sweet detail.
Kinematics are nice, but back in my teens, I was enthraled by the idea of a perpetual motion machine; I even drew a few out on paper, they had siphon action with a water wheel and the like, but then came high school physics where you get introduced to the phrase “assume no outside forces,” that was when I realized that my machine would be dead in the “water” due to things like friction and gravity and other “outside forces!” Another budding genius slapped done by reality- dang!
I also think that the Milan trip would be well, a trip! Just so there is no confusion, I refuse to smuggle any pasta out of the country for Peter. Yup, no pasta mule, this one.
-Rutager
No probs, Rutager – I can make my own pasta!
But how ’bout wine?
Bummer about your perpetual motion machines. I’m sure you were on to something. Maybe you should get back to them…
– Peter
Sorry John,
I was talking about the angle master pro and lost my original comment before I finished it.
If it didn’t get sent this is the gist of it. The screws holding the caliper in place would shift the caliper slightly making it very difficult to get repeatability. Have you addressed the problem in the new Angle master pro? Possibly a shim of some kind between the caliper and the screws would be the answer. I also found the calibration block sent with the original angle master needed several sheets of paper as shims under the block to finally lift the vernier caliper enough to get repeatability.
I’m sure my first try at this message was totally confusing.
I hope this message will make better sense.
Cheers,
Allan
Peter ,
Thank you for your reply.
I finally did get repeatability on the original AMP.
The issue I had was with the screws that hold the caliper to the body. The screws on the short leg turning clockwise had the tendency to push the caliper closed while the screws on the longer leg would push the caliper open. I did use a granite slab to zero in the AMP. I wondered if, in the production version of the AMP v2, a shim of some kind which would negate the action of the turning screws might well be worth exploring. You are right the AMP, either version, is an amazing tool, however, the iPad app. really makes all the difference in using it.
Cheers,
Allan
Ah – I see your point, Allan. Were you taking your calipers out of the AMP regularly? I’d suggest getting a dedicated set and leaving it assembled all the time.
And yes – isn’t that iPad app wonderful!?!
– Peter
Peter,
Your point is well taken. I will leave the caliper in and get another one when the new AMP v2 is delivered. On second thought, has anyone found another great deal on the mytutoyo vernier caliper?
Thanks Peter for your input.
Cheers,
Allan
Would like to share an article about a fascinating all-wooden bicycle from Wired.
John
John,
That is one of the coolest things I have seen in a long time-thanks for sharing!
-John