| Project by Todd A. Clippinger | posted 575 days ago | 821 views | 0 times favorited | 13 comments |  |
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This is a stairwell barrier that I designed and built. It is made of black walnut, black walnut veneered panels, brushed steel, and 1/2” tempered glass.
You do not need to have a handrail and balusters for a stairwell barrier. The clients wanted something unique here. The architect’s ideas and designs were not unique enough, they were the standard variations appropriate to the Prairie Style. The front double entry door has an Asian graphic design in it. We laid the design in the floor when we did the tile work, and I came up with the idea of Japanese torii gates holding sheets of glass.
I had to veneer the panels that the glass is mounted to. The solid stock that I had was out of control with movement, and I knew that there would be a liability issue. The great thing was that it created a symmetry on all four torii gate stands. Many people have commented on it wondering how I got the same pattern out of a single log. They thought it was all solid wood.
These were technically quite challenging to install because everything had to line up so perfectly plumb and straight. The stands are bolted clear through the floor and floor trusses with 12” bolts and back plates underneath. I also had to core drill through the tile to mount the units on the flat subfloor. Install took me 3 days.
I have to say that I was excited about the clients chosing my design. But to tell you the truth, the architect started a great painting that I had the rare opportunity to add just a few of my own brush strokes.
-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com
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13 comments so far
dennis mitchell
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2931 posts in 795 days
posted 575 days ago
Interesting Design. Very good.
-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com
Don
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2586 posts in 657 days
posted 575 days ago
Superb, design, Todd. When you do a commission like this it must be a bit like leaving a part of you behind when you hand it over to the client. I really like the Asian them that is developing in the place.
-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.canterburybaptist.org/
Roger Strautman
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496 posts in 614 days
posted 575 days ago
If only you could have created grooves in the edges of those standards/legs for the glass then you would have had some adjustments. Yes, again no margin for err in this project. In projects like this the adage measure twice and cut once is so very true. Well thought out!
-- " All Things At First Appear Difficult"
MsDebbieP
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11909 posts in 641 days
posted 575 days ago
my jaw is dropped, mouth open and head is shaking in disbelief.
Amazing beauty—and functional. You can’t get better than that.. You just can’t!!
I’m in awe.
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
oscorner
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4576 posts in 791 days
posted 575 days ago
Interesting, great wood contrast and colors. You’ve been busy, haven’t you?
-- Jesus is Lord!
David
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1819 posts in 619 days
posted 575 days ago
Todd – I am trying to catch up on all the LJ postings this morning (an impossible but fun task). I spent some time exploring your work and postings. Absolutely beautiful work. I really like this project – something about the combination of wood, glass, steel and the contrast with the rockwork. Please keep these coming.
By the way your shop is wonderful. How fortunate to have two shops to work in . . .
-- http://foldingrule.blogspot.com
Bill
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2514 posts in 642 days
posted 575 days ago
Very cool Todd. What an amazing piece of work you did.
-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com
Karson
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12893 posts in 881 days
posted 556 days ago
Todd:
Were the panels attached by drilling through the glass and then running bolts through the veneered panels and the glass.
And then how is the glass attached to the stands?
-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com
scottb
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2942 posts in 808 days
posted 554 days ago
Fantastic!
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Vincent Van Gogh -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/
Dick, & Barb Cain
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5039 posts in 780 days
posted 554 days ago
I hope you got the credit for that design, it’s beautiful.
-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1
Todd A. Clippinger
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2538 posts in 580 days
posted 554 days ago
Karson,
The “buttons” that you see on both sides of the panels hold the glass and the panels all together. There is a 1/2” spacer between the glass and the wood panel. (The cleaning lady isn’t too crazy about me for this design.)
The buttons are commercial grade fasteners with a threaded stud that can be had in various lengths as required. An allen set screw keeps averything tight.
Since the glass is tempered, the holes have to be drilled in production of the glass before it is fired for the tempering process. I set the torii gate stands first, then made plywood templates for the glass guys, everything turned out perfect.
-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com
woodchips
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162 posts in 445 days
posted 414 days ago
Todd, that is truly beautiful. You really did a great job on this. The glass really highlights the asian influenced torii gates, outstanding!
-- Isaac, "It's no coincidence that Jesus was a lumberjock too"
mot
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4840 posts in 517 days
posted 406 days ago
Really nice, Todd. This is something that I would be proud to have in my house. Wonderful design!
-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)