Popular Woodworking 2006-08 № 156, страница 76

Ribbo

ble

O

a

Impossible? No. Impossibly easy.

If architect and furniture designer Alvar Aalto (Finland, 1898-1976) is considered to be one of the founding fathers of modern design, then Eileen Gray (Ireland, 1878-1976), who shared his profession and time on Earth, must be a founding mother. For my ribbon table, I borrowed design elements from his sensuous bentwood stacking stool and her machined glass-top side table. I guess that makes me a modern grandson.

The stability and strength of Baltic birch plywood made it my material of choice. Aalto could bend it two ways but I wanted to up the ante by twisting it in the third dimension. Segmented, radiused corners, combined with a variation on finger j oin-ery connecting the straight vertical pieces, proved to be a successful way of pulling off the illusion. The top and bottom are made from two pieces, biscuit-joined together.

Careful Layout

I can tell you that the outside radius of the arcs is 4", and that the length of the straight finger extensions is 1/2", but I can't give you the exact width. That's something you'll have to measure because the width of the bends must be equal to the thickness of the nominal V4" stock you purchase. I used my dial caliper to come up with the ⁴⁷/64" dimension shown in the illustrations. So what's the big deal about a V64" variation from true 3/4"? A lot when you're trying to bring so many surfaces into alignment from so many directions.

by John Hutchinson

In addition to his day job as an architect, John is Popular Woodworking's project illustrator. E-mail him at jhutch2@columbus.rr.com.

74 Popular Woodworking August 2006