Why Bend Wood?
Most of the time we are trying to keep wood straight. Warps, cupping and bows are things wood workers strive to avoid but there are times when a design calls for a curve and for the maker to break away from the confines of the straight ruler.
Enter a lovely couple who came to us seeking an occasional table for their kitchen-diner space. This was to replace an existing sideboard and had to achieve the function of providing extra countertop space when entertaining. It had to blend in with the two hundred plus year old farmhouse and it's décor as well as allow more space around one corner, so it would not obstruct the walkway. Have fun with the design they said. So we went away and came up with several different shapes. The one they (and we) really loved was somewhat reminiscent of a baby grand, so it became known as The Piano Table.
Piano Table - Final design
You can take a look at some of our other designs in our Bespoke Portfolio here.
The curved table top was a straightforward process to curve. A pair of compasses, a pencil and a steady hand was all that was needed. If you look under a traditional table or desk you will see that the top is held onto the frame with little nubs of wood called buttons which allow for the seasonal movement of the wood. These slot into the part called the 'apron', which is the section that connects the legs to form the frame. But the curved tabletop called for a curved apron and that is where we had to get our thinking caps on. There are many ways to make a curve out of wood which I'll summarise here. Maybe I'll do a deep dive into these in a future blog?
Piano Table - Curved apron
You can try and find a piece of wood that has grown into the shape you need. But nature is a random pattern generator and it may take some time to find the exact piece you are looking for. For the size and shape of what Hugo designed this was a big nope.
Next up is stock removal. You take a large block and cut the shape out like a sculpture. It is one of the more wasteful approaches but can be effective for some furniture designs. For this design we wanted to see the continuous grain pattern which you you wouldn’t have.
There is kerf bending, which is often used in guitar making. Many cuts are made like a barcode on one side of a length of wood. They don't go all the way through and the thinner bits at the bottom of each cut allow the wood to bend. A fascinating rabbit hole of research and skill but it wasn't really suitable for this project.
We came to the last two choices; steam bending and lamination. Now, to cut a long story short we went for laminating. Hugo was inspired by the laminated plywood furniture of Charles and Rey Eames, specifically the “Eames Lounge chair wood” from 1946. With his curiosity piqued, he was off, experimenting with forms, moulds and the best glue to use. The principle of laminating is that thin wood can bend and gluing a stack of several sheets around a form makes a solid shape.
Piano Table - Curved apron lamination clamped in the form
But why go to all that extra effort when a straight 45 degree angle would have been far easier? The short answer is joy; it looks nicer. It's pleasing to the eye and the client will get a bit of cheer every time they see it. This is where we get into the real secret of furniture design; people form an emotional relationships with their surroundings. By making something that sparks joy (to borrow a well known phrase) you are providing so much more than a bespoke table. You are in fact enriching a part of someone’s life.
Piano Table
The story does not stop there. Several years have passed since we delivered them the Piano Table and the same clients got wind of a new design Hugo has been working on. Keen to invest in a new piece, they have commissioned a bespoke coffee table from Ash wood. The “Clipper Table”, as it is now known, will use steam bending to achieve the characteristic curves of a boat hull but I'm afraid you will have to wait for the next blog to hear about that. Or, if you just cannot wait, you can take a sneak peek at our Instagram page and see how that is coming along.