Blog
Last weeks Ellen's Design Challenge - No.5
By Karl Champley
Our winning bullet proof acrylic table & chair.
I am very proud of these two pieces.
Katie & I worked super hard on this one as we rushed against the clock to create not one but two pieces in limited time!
In this challenge both the designers and carpenters were blind folded & driven to an out of the way location in Los Angeles. We had no idea what was in store for us. It was not 50 shades of Grey but a salvage yard.
We were given one hour to design & gather salvaged material for the challenge. This was a great idea as repurposing materials is something we all should consider doing. The day was a hot as hell and you can see we were all excited about this challenge.
Did you say one hour ?
So the furniture work begins.
We found sheets of 1 1/2" bullet proof acrylic salvaged from a bank as well as common 12 gauge electrical wire.
We also found many other terrific materials however in transit they managed to get broken. No worries, we just had to be creative with what we had left.
After mapping out the table and chair I used the Festool circular saw to make most of the cuts. I used the JET drill press (seen above) to cut my internal chair leg radius. A very difficult material to cut and build with due to been pre used.
Take a look at her smile - she really is an amazing human being!
Once I cut, sanded, pre-drilled and polished all pieces I temporary positioned the angled backrest to get Katies approval before assembly. As I placed it in a position I thought was correct she responded, "perfect!" Katie is such a dream to work with!
I then assembled all pieces being super careful not to crack or chip any of the components of the chair or table. The predrilled holes had to be the exact diameter and depth for the screws. The connecting pieces had to be tapped (threaded) for a better connection & every screw was lubricated with a clear oil to ensure a solid connection with ease.
The used electrical cable before I stripped & cleaned it down.
Once I assembled the chair I drilled 10000000000 holes for the wires :). The master weaver Katie weaved the cable in this particular pattern to enable comfort and appearance. Comfortable and bullet proof :)
The workmanship had to be floorless as it is 100% see through.
Assembling our table.
Both the legs and shelves where recessed to enable a more structural bond as well as the two shelves to be cantilevered.
We also made some of the assessories to help stage it with the Wayfair pieces.
Its all done - we made it!
We are both very proud to have won this challenge and to have won carpenter of the week once again!
Posted on 03/02/2015 at 08:31 AM
