Stools, and much more for the Pomona College art building.
3 Stools I designed and built.
40 Apple crates, 18 drawing benches, 1 end grain table top, 6 cast Aluminum legs, two cast bronze trestles, and 2 conference tables - built by 9 other students, 2 educators and myself.
Our stools would be used for years to come in the painting studio, subject to daily abuse beyond what I could plan for. Our class met with the professor of painting at the time, and I took notes while he described what he wanted in a stool (above left). We were encouraged to use approachable materials given our experience, and I chose Poplar: soft, workable, and with bright contrasting figures. A series of simple concept sketches helped close in on an angular, modern form that would be strong and do-able within our timeframe (above right).
I wanted the stools to be rigid and durable, the thickness of the wood making up for its relatively low structural strength. I used a hidden domino joint where the legs met the stool seat, adding strength to those heavily loaded areas and aiding in assembly. Screws and glue were used to anchor the horizontal braces, and walnut plugs placed over the screw holes.
Finished Stools, 2014
Pomona College Studio art building, completed 2015.
Each student’s unique stool design, 2014
Stools in the painting studio, 2015
See the gallery below for more photos of our work.
What made this class special was the sheer volume of work: Stools aside, we spent much of the class executing designs that the architect, our professor, and other members of the art department had conceived. We work to high standards, and learned to do so efficiently. By beveling the edges of 18 drawing benches and not just one - and managing multiple projects at once, we considered the efficiency of our whole system, and not just a single task. These lessons greatly influenced my work over the past 10 years, and I continue to use them today.
End-grain table made from the building's 3x10 rafter ends.
Stack of rafter ends
Glued into sections
A honeycomb pattern cut into the bottom to reduce weight.
Patching visible checks (cracks) in the table top
Mosaic of patchwork
Table leg positives
Cast aluminum table legs
Completed end grain table
Table in use
Drawing benches
Walnut seat, rough cut using the CNC router and hand finished. Plywood frame.
Drawing benches in use
Plywood 'Apple Crates' , to be used as multi-purpose props throughout the art building.
Chainsaw milling a Redwood tree that fell on campus.
Green Redwood slabs on their way to be dried.
Wax positive of bronze trestle casting
Pouring castings
Shop tech William Ransom, left and professor Michael O'Malley, right.
Wood trestles for graphic design studio table.
Completed wood tables in the graphic design room
We ate well!
Class portrait, 2014