# MCAD Furniture Class



## Caliper (Mar 12, 2007)

*Beginning of the Course*

In November of 2007 the Minnesota Woodworker's Guild held the annual Fall Seminar at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD). It was an excellent two and a half day event hosting Marc Adams of the Marc Adams School of Woodworking. I highly recommend Marc as a speaker at a guild or club event if your group plays host to speakers.

Part of what made the event such a good time were the facilities available at MCAD. They not only have a commerical class wood shop, metal fabrication, and casting facility, but their staff was very accommodating and knowledgeable. Over the course of the weekend, I learned from on of the committee members that they offer 10-week Continuing Studies courses for a VERY nominal fee - $385 for ten weeks of 3 hours classes on Saturday monrings and then all the shop time you can squeeze into your schedule between 8 am - 1 pm and 6 pm - 9 pm Monday through Friday. The shop is also open 12 - 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday. For a Minnesotan without a heated shop, this was the best deal I'd heard of in a long time! I signed up for the class the first day of open registration.

The class was led by a guy named Willie Willette. Willie operates a one-of-a-kind studio in Minneapolis. He and his team do some fantastic stuff. His website is WillieWilletteWorks.com. He comes a background of museum work and has been running his studio for about 17 years.

The first day of class was insteresting as we talked about design, function, and what makes furniture "successful" vs. simply a studio piece. This lead us into a discussion about one of the basic tenets of the class. Willie challenged us to stretch our boundaries but to design a piece that was contemporary as well as functional. The class ended with an assignment to research at the library, some suggested studios (in addition to his), and any other inspirational source that we could find. I hit the library.

I had no idea what I was going to do for sure. I didn't know the class was going to have as much of a direction toward the Contemporary aesthetic as Willie was giving us. I decided this was a good thing though. I had a few things in mind but was going to keep my mind open and just let something that really caught my eye dictate my direction. I checked out 8 books and brought them home and started pouring over them.

I won't go into all the subject matter i reviewed or the designers. However, something did jump off the page at me. It was in a book titled Tradition in Contemporary Furniture edited by Rick Mastelli and John Kelsey. The title alone was not that inspiring but it did have a great piece of furniture on the front.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Caliper said:


> *Beginning of the Course*
> 
> In November of 2007 the Minnesota Woodworker's Guild held the annual Fall Seminar at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD). It was an excellent two and a half day event hosting Marc Adams of the Marc Adams School of Woodworking. I highly recommend Marc as a speaker at a guild or club event if your group plays host to speakers.
> 
> ...


Good luck. Hope to see the results of your studies.


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## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Beginning of the Course*
> 
> In November of 2007 the Minnesota Woodworker's Guild held the annual Fall Seminar at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD). It was an excellent two and a half day event hosting Marc Adams of the Marc Adams School of Woodworking. I highly recommend Marc as a speaker at a guild or club event if your group plays host to speakers.
> 
> ...


Looking forward to hearing more about it.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Beginning of the Course*
> 
> In November of 2007 the Minnesota Woodworker's Guild held the annual Fall Seminar at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD). It was an excellent two and a half day event hosting Marc Adams of the Marc Adams School of Woodworking. I highly recommend Marc as a speaker at a guild or club event if your group plays host to speakers.
> 
> ...


Jeff,

This is a wonderful opportunity for you. I am looking forward to more posts on your experiences as well.


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## Chipncut (Aug 18, 2006)

Caliper said:


> *Beginning of the Course*
> 
> In November of 2007 the Minnesota Woodworker's Guild held the annual Fall Seminar at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD). It was an excellent two and a half day event hosting Marc Adams of the Marc Adams School of Woodworking. I highly recommend Marc as a speaker at a guild or club event if your group plays host to speakers.
> 
> ...


This sounds like a great school. It's cheaper than heating your own garage.

It's amazing how generous they are with the use of their shop.

You should learn a lot.


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## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Beginning of the Course*
> 
> In November of 2007 the Minnesota Woodworker's Guild held the annual Fall Seminar at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD). It was an excellent two and a half day event hosting Marc Adams of the Marc Adams School of Woodworking. I highly recommend Marc as a speaker at a guild or club event if your group plays host to speakers.
> 
> ...


Saw the second entry first; had to come back here so I could get the full story. This is exciting - I'm glad your sharing your experience here!


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## Caliper (Mar 12, 2007)

*Inspiration*

As I mentioned in the last entry, I found a project that jumped off the page and gave me the inspiration I needed to start the design for my project. I picked up the book Tradition in Contemporary Furniture and started thumbing through the pages…

Here is a shot of the cover for anyone interested.









This is the work that gave my creative juices a jump-start:








Copyright 2001 by The Furniture Society. Artist: Gord Peteran, Toronto, Ontario, 1999. Photo by Elaine Brodie.

It reminded me of a marking gauge and the brass wedge is a nice touch too. I like how the height of the 'table' can be adjusted by moving the support down the beam. The round pedestal can also be moved up and down the beam. It appealed to me because of the woodworking tool similarity (how cool is that?) and it was ingenious in its simplicity.

Bolstered by this find, I got busy working on some thumbnail sketches and quickly jumped over to Sketchup. A couple of days of playing around and I came up with this design:









I've always been fascinated by cantilever designs and thought maybe I could apply that to this project…

I liked where the experiment was heading. Three simple elements. A cantilevered top. An obvious tie to my inspiration. However, the three elements seemed like they didn't quite work well enough together. Back to Sketchup.

The beam or stretcher was dropped down in it's elevation. I wanted it to be more subtle so the angle between the beam and the ground needed to be flattened out. Also, the support was a little too simple. I started playing with some different angles on all the sides. I needed to address the weight of the table top since there was probably no way I could pull off this design if I didn't get that down. I decided a torsion box top might be the way to go because it would be stable as well as considerably lighter. Here is the second idea I worked up.










All I had to do now was show up to week two and see what the instructor thought. I had my plan for a full length mirror project in my hip pocket just in case I was shot down. After all, this was an aggressive design and I knew it. Why not try? It's all about the challenges.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Caliper said:


> *Inspiration*
> 
> As I mentioned in the last entry, I found a project that jumped off the page and gave me the inspiration I needed to start the design for my project. I picked up the book Tradition in Contemporary Furniture and started thumbing through the pages…
> 
> ...


Looks like a great challenge. When are you going to make it?


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## Radish (Apr 11, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Inspiration*
> 
> As I mentioned in the last entry, I found a project that jumped off the page and gave me the inspiration I needed to start the design for my project. I picked up the book Tradition in Contemporary Furniture and started thumbing through the pages…
> 
> ...


I take it that you didn't have to reach into the "bullpen" for your reliever project. Can't wait to see the finished work. 
I think it's highly commendable that you (and John & Kristen Gizmodyne) have taken advantage of educational opportunities in your community. And it's a fair bit of genius to do this over the winter months rather than heat the shop. Bravo!


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## Caliper (Mar 12, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Inspiration*
> 
> As I mentioned in the last entry, I found a project that jumped off the page and gave me the inspiration I needed to start the design for my project. I picked up the book Tradition in Contemporary Furniture and started thumbing through the pages…
> 
> ...


Hey guys!

Karson - I've already built it but i have just a few tiny things to do with regard to the trim on the top of the final piece. And, I have to do some experiments on the approach I want to take with the finish. So, I don't have the 'Project' pics yet but I want to tell the story. There seemed to be a challenge at every corner… It was quite the saga.

Doug - I immediately thought of Jon and Kristen when I found out this opportunity existed. I remember being somewhat envious of them and then was excited I could capitalize on the same type of thing. It's great because I became acquainted with some great people and made some friends too. An all around grand experience.


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## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Inspiration*
> 
> As I mentioned in the last entry, I found a project that jumped off the page and gave me the inspiration I needed to start the design for my project. I picked up the book Tradition in Contemporary Furniture and started thumbing through the pages…
> 
> ...


Oh - this is so good Jeff - It'll be really interesting to see how you unfold this one. I really like the curve in the top of the first sketch and also the tapered "leg" (the main one that the top attaches to) of the second sketch.

Keep 'em coming!


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Inspiration*
> 
> As I mentioned in the last entry, I found a project that jumped off the page and gave me the inspiration I needed to start the design for my project. I picked up the book Tradition in Contemporary Furniture and started thumbing through the pages…
> 
> ...


Jeff,

This is a unique design and I am certain it was a challenge to build. But that it what makes us grow as woodworkers.

You have a unique opportunity for advancing your woodworking talents by attending this furniture class. I am sure that you will enjoy it and come away with some novel ideas.

Keep us posted on your progress.


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## jjohn (Mar 26, 2008)

Caliper said:


> *Inspiration*
> 
> As I mentioned in the last entry, I found a project that jumped off the page and gave me the inspiration I needed to start the design for my project. I picked up the book Tradition in Contemporary Furniture and started thumbing through the pages…
> 
> ...


I actually like the first piece over the second as far as it looks lighter and wants to cry out: "I'm defying gravity". Both are Great designs and am looking forward to seeing the finished product.


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## croessler (Jun 22, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Inspiration*
> 
> As I mentioned in the last entry, I found a project that jumped off the page and gave me the inspiration I needed to start the design for my project. I picked up the book Tradition in Contemporary Furniture and started thumbing through the pages…
> 
> ...


Great design Jeff. I am looking forward to seeing the finished product.


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## Caliper (Mar 12, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Inspiration*
> 
> As I mentioned in the last entry, I found a project that jumped off the page and gave me the inspiration I needed to start the design for my project. I picked up the book Tradition in Contemporary Furniture and started thumbing through the pages…
> 
> ...


Thanks for all the feedback guys. It's interesting some of you like the design for the top in the first concept. Says something to me about instincts. However, I thought it was like a fourth element if you will. It was too overt and distracted from the fact it was a cantilever. The curve and the slant at the back kept pulling my eye the opposite direction; against the grain of the cantilever, if that makes sense. I appreciate the feedback about the sweeping curve though. It was actually an element from some other ideas knocking around in my head. It may pop up again…

I should be posting the final SU images of the design I went with today in the next entry. It is a slight modification to the second concept above.


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## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Inspiration*
> 
> As I mentioned in the last entry, I found a project that jumped off the page and gave me the inspiration I needed to start the design for my project. I picked up the book Tradition in Contemporary Furniture and started thumbing through the pages…
> 
> ...


I see what you're saying (I think). All the visual interest of the curve and the beveled end, focuses your attention there, and not on the cantilevered length out toward the "far" end, which is your intended focus?


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## Caliper (Mar 12, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Inspiration*
> 
> As I mentioned in the last entry, I found a project that jumped off the page and gave me the inspiration I needed to start the design for my project. I picked up the book Tradition in Contemporary Furniture and started thumbing through the pages…
> 
> ...


That's right Dorje. The visual tension needs to be at a different point than the fulcrum. To me, the whole thing should have a counter-clockwise flow. The beam and the leg meet at a 90deg angle but the cantilever adds the rest of the tension to the whole assemblage. It's a bit hard to verbalize the aesthetic but I believe you and I are on the same page. Bacially, the defiance of gravity first and then the second look takes you into the details of the beam being a giant through tenon and then the leg to top joint is another large mortise and tenon situation.

Perhaps the front view without perspective helps this make more sense. What do you think?


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## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Inspiration*
> 
> As I mentioned in the last entry, I found a project that jumped off the page and gave me the inspiration I needed to start the design for my project. I picked up the book Tradition in Contemporary Furniture and started thumbing through the pages…
> 
> ...


I get what you're saying - though now - looking at the front view, my eyes head towards the right, and then back over to the left, with my head questioning, "Where's the other leg," and then, "How is that possible?" - the defying gravity perspective…

I think the angle created between the top and the beam/strecther lead the eyes towards the vertex or center point of where the angle would originate in space. I think that's what draws my eyes over to the leg/joinery side fairly naturally. But, again - I then go right over to the end of the cantilevered end and try to wrap my brain around that!


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## Caliper (Mar 12, 2007)

*Design Presentation and Final Modifications*

The next week of class was consumed by each student presenting and speaking to their design what their main tenets would be for the project. Part of the previous week's assignment had been to pick your tenet or tenets and be prepared to stick with them. My main tenet was to see the design through and devise a way to pull off the cantilever. I knew it was going to be tough just by all the drawing work I had put into SketchUp. *Seriously, there are only 6 90-deg corners* (aside from all the joints in the torsion box) in the whole design. I was truly worried I would be told this was too aggressive.

When my turn came to present my concept I prefaced my comments with the fact that I intended to attempt a design with a cantilever in it. I discussed my inspiration piece. Our instructor liked the beam table (see the previous blog entry). This was a good sign… I unveiled my second design concept and Willie (the instructor) instantly commented it was a strong design but in the same breath noted the complexity. I jumped right in and spoke to the ideas I had about how I could strengthen the joint by bolting the top to the main support.









The gap in the torsion was intended as a slot for a flush-front drawer. He ultimately could see that I had put a lot of effort into accessing the problems I would face and supported my decision to build it as long as I 86'ed the drawer. I was ecstatic and surprised at the same time.

After everyone had talked about their proposed projects we each got to spend a little time in one on one !discussions with Willie. He reemphasized the challenge ahead of me but also told me he would like to see me succeed. We set about addressing the top and it's weight. Rather than execute the design as it was, why not just make the whole top a torsion box? It would further cut down on the weight and since it was a torsion box, there would be plenty of strength even with a 5/16 skin of plywood on the top of the box. I agreed I would take the next week to modify the drawings. The only problem was, at the end of design presentations, our new assignment was to bring a model to class the following week…

Here are some views of the final design where the whole top would be a torsion box.

*Plan View*









*Front Elevation*









*Right Elevation*









*Left Elevation*









*Isometric views*


















Now, all I had to do was build a model. Here is a sneak peak of the 1/6th scale model. In the next entry, I'll discuss what the model helped reveal about the design.


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## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Design Presentation and Final Modifications*
> 
> The next week of class was consumed by each student presenting and speaking to their design what their main tenets would be for the project. Part of the previous week's assignment had been to pick your tenet or tenets and be prepared to stick with them. My main tenet was to see the design through and devise a way to pull off the cantilever. I knew it was going to be tough just by all the drawing work I had put into SketchUp. *Seriously, there are only 6 90-deg corners* (aside from all the joints in the torsion box) in the whole design. I was truly worried I would be told this was too aggressive.
> 
> ...


Intriguing!


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Design Presentation and Final Modifications*
> 
> The next week of class was consumed by each student presenting and speaking to their design what their main tenets would be for the project. Part of the previous week's assignment had been to pick your tenet or tenets and be prepared to stick with them. My main tenet was to see the design through and devise a way to pull off the cantilever. I knew it was going to be tough just by all the drawing work I had put into SketchUp. *Seriously, there are only 6 90-deg corners* (aside from all the joints in the torsion box) in the whole design. I was truly worried I would be told this was too aggressive.
> 
> ...


Jeff,

This is, in a single work, fascinating. You have a wonderful opportunity presented to you and are taking full advantage of it.

Keep us advised about your progress. I, for one, am enjoying this.


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## benomatic42 (Oct 21, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Design Presentation and Final Modifications*
> 
> The next week of class was consumed by each student presenting and speaking to their design what their main tenets would be for the project. Part of the previous week's assignment had been to pick your tenet or tenets and be prepared to stick with them. My main tenet was to see the design through and devise a way to pull off the cantilever. I knew it was going to be tough just by all the drawing work I had put into SketchUp. *Seriously, there are only 6 90-deg corners* (aside from all the joints in the torsion box) in the whole design. I was truly worried I would be told this was too aggressive.
> 
> ...


Jeff,

It's impressive to see you take full advantage of this course and instructor, and perhaps more importantly, pushing your own limits. The design looks excellent, but the model tease is cruel… We gotta see the whole thing!

-b


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## Greg3G (Mar 20, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Design Presentation and Final Modifications*
> 
> The next week of class was consumed by each student presenting and speaking to their design what their main tenets would be for the project. Part of the previous week's assignment had been to pick your tenet or tenets and be prepared to stick with them. My main tenet was to see the design through and devise a way to pull off the cantilever. I knew it was going to be tough just by all the drawing work I had put into SketchUp. *Seriously, there are only 6 90-deg corners* (aside from all the joints in the torsion box) in the whole design. I was truly worried I would be told this was too aggressive.
> 
> ...


Great Design. I too would like to see the finished verison. Anythoughts at to wood selection and finsihes yet?


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## Caliper (Mar 12, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Design Presentation and Final Modifications*
> 
> The next week of class was consumed by each student presenting and speaking to their design what their main tenets would be for the project. Part of the previous week's assignment had been to pick your tenet or tenets and be prepared to stick with them. My main tenet was to see the design through and devise a way to pull off the cantilever. I knew it was going to be tough just by all the drawing work I had put into SketchUp. *Seriously, there are only 6 90-deg corners* (aside from all the joints in the torsion box) in the whole design. I was truly worried I would be told this was too aggressive.
> 
> ...


Thanks fellas. It really did take me to the limits and stretched my confidence to a point where I'm probably just cocky enough to be dangerous and will surely make a slew of massive mistakes on the next project. 

ben, I don't mean to be cruel.  Next entry to come soon.

Hi Greg. The piece is Mahagony and will likely be dyed a couple of shades darker and then simply oiled. Perhaps a coat of more protective finish on the just the top. Not sure yet.

Thanks for following along. The posts will start to get more interesting now as I get into relating all the challenges with building it. I built no less than 5 jigs for this project…


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## johnjoiner (Sep 28, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Design Presentation and Final Modifications*
> 
> The next week of class was consumed by each student presenting and speaking to their design what their main tenets would be for the project. Part of the previous week's assignment had been to pick your tenet or tenets and be prepared to stick with them. My main tenet was to see the design through and devise a way to pull off the cantilever. I knew it was going to be tough just by all the drawing work I had put into SketchUp. *Seriously, there are only 6 90-deg corners* (aside from all the joints in the torsion box) in the whole design. I was truly worried I would be told this was too aggressive.
> 
> ...


Hi Jeff.

This sounds like a very cool class. I will keep following this series as I've been interested in the MCAD classes too.

I really like your table design. Two questions:
1) Is the top of the upright part of the base going to come all the way through the table top? Or will you hide that under the skin?
2) It looks to me like the table will be a little tippy (in your 'plan view' image, tipping to the lower right). I wonder if you might have to make the end of the beam that touches the ground wider some how to add stability. Have you or Willie talked about that, or tested it somehow?

Best of luck.


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## Caliper (Mar 12, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Design Presentation and Final Modifications*
> 
> The next week of class was consumed by each student presenting and speaking to their design what their main tenets would be for the project. Part of the previous week's assignment had been to pick your tenet or tenets and be prepared to stick with them. My main tenet was to see the design through and devise a way to pull off the cantilever. I knew it was going to be tough just by all the drawing work I had put into SketchUp. *Seriously, there are only 6 90-deg corners* (aside from all the joints in the torsion box) in the whole design. I was truly worried I would be told this was too aggressive.
> 
> ...


Hey John. I don't know how I haven't made the connection in 217 days… I wondered if there was anyone else in the guild that frequented this site. I've shown it to Charlie but I don't know if he is lurking or not. We'll have to see what kind of questions I get the next time I go to a meeting wearing the LJ shirt I received as random selection in the bookshelf challenge (thanks again, Martin).

To your questions -
1) At one time there was a consideration to go through the top and use wedged tenons but as this is going to be our desk in the office/spare room, I didn't want to kludge up the surface of the top. So, it will go all the way through the torsion and stop at the underside of the skin.

2) Plan view - Did you mean lower left rather than lower right? If so, good eye and good question. It was a concern I had too but I decided to leave it to the model as an experiment. And, the model did tip but I had no way know how much pressure in the real world it would take to tip it. I'm happy to say that the Mahogany is plenty hefty and keeps it well grounded. I think the top would actually be damaged first before any tipping but that remains to be seen.

As for stability, there is a solution that I will elaborate on in a future entry.

Thanks for the compliment and your interest.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Caliper said:


> *Design Presentation and Final Modifications*
> 
> The next week of class was consumed by each student presenting and speaking to their design what their main tenets would be for the project. Part of the previous week's assignment had been to pick your tenet or tenets and be prepared to stick with them. My main tenet was to see the design through and devise a way to pull off the cantilever. I knew it was going to be tough just by all the drawing work I had put into SketchUp. *Seriously, there are only 6 90-deg corners* (aside from all the joints in the torsion box) in the whole design. I was truly worried I would be told this was too aggressive.
> 
> ...


Jeff a nice looking job.


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## Caliper (Mar 12, 2007)

*Building a Scale Model*

As mentioned in the previous entry, at the suggestion of my instructor, I modified the design such that the whole top would be a torsion grid. This approach did present its own problem though. Since the design called for the 'leg' to act as a massive tenon seated in the underside of the top, I would need a lot of bulk around the leg. I considered laminating solid wood pieces to build it up. I decided against that; I can't recall why.

Instead, I opted to take what I call the weight machine approach. I would laminate several pieces of dense materials together like the stacks of weights on a machine at a gym. The thought was I could get 1) a solid area to bore out a mortise and 2) more weight by putting together several pieces of MDF together (nasty, toxic material, I know). I knew I would be making some jigs for this so I went with it and Willie confirmed it would be an okay approach.

I modified the SketchUp file so I could refer to it later for actual measurements on the cut list as well as knowing what the dimensions would be so I could scale it accurately. I was off an running.

Willie, our instructor, wasn't particular about the materials to use for the model or how 'tight' the model should be. I told him I wanted to build the model pretty accurately because I thought it would give some good insight to the actual process. He suggested Basswood since it's tight grained even though it is soft. Actually, he thought I should build the torsion out of Basswood too since it was so light and would not be seen. I was surprised but did a little research and discovered it weighs 26 lbs per cubic foot making it one of the lightest domestic woods readily available. It's also pretty cheap. I went to Rockler and got a small stick.

As it turned out, building a detail model was a great idea. The first realization I made was the number of cuts that would be necessary. Lots. Also, the realization that there were going to be a lot of setups. Not only were there few right angles but there were few parts with the same dimensions. The cutting of the parts for the model was tedious but necessary to see if this concept had a chance of succeeding. I really didn't want to invest the funds in expensive wood and cut it all up only to become firewood.

Why so tedious you ask? Well, this was in February and being in Minnesota, my shop doesn't get used between September or October through April because its in a detached, unheated garage. So, the bulk of all this fun and games was being done with exacto knives, exacto saws, a small bench hook and a block plane… I could have gone to the shop at school and used the bandsaw but by the time I got out of work, drove to Minneapolis from St. Paul in rush hour traffic I had about an hour and a half of shop time. Between gas prices, lack of familiarity with their machines, and competing with full-time students for 'open shop' time, it was problematic.

The situation was what it was. Here is the result of a weeks worth of evening work on the kitchen counter:



















When I was working on the leg/main support, I second guessed myself on the thought of a simple friction fit between the top and the leg. I for some reason thought cutting an actual tenon at the top of the leg would be a good idea. I think I reasoned it would make fitting it in the stacks of MDF easier.



















In my previous post there is a detail shot of the tenon inserted in between the stacks. All in all, despite my experiment with the tenon, the model was solid! I got brave and tried squeezing the top/torsion frame from both the sides and the end. I even tried twisting it. It was stable. The one part I couldn't test was the beam/stretcher strength. I didn't actually cut a through mortise for that on the leg. I just glued it so technically it wasn't completely accurate for judging the physical strength of the design. I felt relatively confident with it though…










My iPod weighs 14 oz. I didn't do any math to determine it's real world weight. Frankly, I don't know the necessary formulas to accurately calculate what the real-world weight of an object that size would be. I do know that the deflection of the top from level was minor and I attributed a lot of that to the fact that the fit between the tenon and the stacks was not as snug as it would be when actually built. Also, I did put my 17oz #90 shoulder plane on the model but didn't have the camera close by at the time. (I know. No pic, didn't happen…) The model supported the plane but I was nervous about the glue holding the beam to the leg so I didn't push my luck more than 10 seconds or so.

In summary, I truly believe building a model is a valuable undertaking when the design before you is involved or unproven. Were I to do it again, I would perhaps make it at 1/3 scale so the process was less finicky. At that size, a person could also use something like corrugated cardboard or foamcore but that might not provide accurate feedback as to the physical abilities of the design but would likely be adequate for seeing the piece in 3D so you could do as many walk-arounds as it took to be sure you were satisfied.

As always, thanks for following along and your critique is truly invited.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Caliper said:


> *Building a Scale Model*
> 
> As mentioned in the previous entry, at the suggestion of my instructor, I modified the design such that the whole top would be a torsion grid. This approach did present its own problem though. Since the design called for the 'leg' to act as a massive tenon seated in the underside of the top, I would need a lot of bulk around the leg. I considered laminating solid wood pieces to build it up. I decided against that; I can't recall why.
> 
> ...


Jeff a great post. Nice job and a great discussion item.


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## Greg3G (Mar 20, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Building a Scale Model*
> 
> As mentioned in the previous entry, at the suggestion of my instructor, I modified the design such that the whole top would be a torsion grid. This approach did present its own problem though. Since the design called for the 'leg' to act as a massive tenon seated in the underside of the top, I would need a lot of bulk around the leg. I considered laminating solid wood pieces to build it up. I decided against that; I can't recall why.
> 
> ...


very good post Jeff. excellent work on the model. I tried modeling a few times, it not as easy as it looks. I never was satisfied with my model, but it did help with the full size project.


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## oldworld124 (Mar 2, 2008)

Caliper said:


> *Building a Scale Model*
> 
> As mentioned in the previous entry, at the suggestion of my instructor, I modified the design such that the whole top would be a torsion grid. This approach did present its own problem though. Since the design called for the 'leg' to act as a massive tenon seated in the underside of the top, I would need a lot of bulk around the leg. I considered laminating solid wood pieces to build it up. I decided against that; I can't recall why.
> 
> ...


Hello Jeff, Interesting design and concept. I would like to make one suggestion. Using a tenon as you have will put an incredible strain on the tenon. By using the entire upper portion of the base, you will have full structural integrity of the upper base. It would be easy to just rip the edges of the top stacks at the proper angles to accommodate the base. You could possibly use through bolts to attach the base and top together. I also think it would be a good idea to add the torsion box ribs to the other side of the top to add more strength and rigidity for the base\top connection. This way you would be trapping the base to the top. 
I like the fact that you are researching other ways to play with wood.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Building a Scale Model*
> 
> As mentioned in the previous entry, at the suggestion of my instructor, I modified the design such that the whole top would be a torsion grid. This approach did present its own problem though. Since the design called for the 'leg' to act as a massive tenon seated in the underside of the top, I would need a lot of bulk around the leg. I considered laminating solid wood pieces to build it up. I decided against that; I can't recall why.
> 
> ...


Jeff,

Thanks for the update. This is a nice post. For most of us, the idea of a model, is somewhat foreign. We would rather just jump in and start making cuts and worrying about whether it is actually going to work later on. Good advice.

Thanks for sharing.


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## jjohn (Mar 26, 2008)

Caliper said:


> *Building a Scale Model*
> 
> As mentioned in the previous entry, at the suggestion of my instructor, I modified the design such that the whole top would be a torsion grid. This approach did present its own problem though. Since the design called for the 'leg' to act as a massive tenon seated in the underside of the top, I would need a lot of bulk around the leg. I considered laminating solid wood pieces to build it up. I decided against that; I can't recall why.
> 
> ...


If i made a model I'd get away from it somehow during the actual project. With me If I can draw it out the rest is just blind luck. But I also don't veer to far from conventional designing either.


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## jjohn (Mar 26, 2008)

Caliper said:


> *Building a Scale Model*
> 
> As mentioned in the previous entry, at the suggestion of my instructor, I modified the design such that the whole top would be a torsion grid. This approach did present its own problem though. Since the design called for the 'leg' to act as a massive tenon seated in the underside of the top, I would need a lot of bulk around the leg. I considered laminating solid wood pieces to build it up. I decided against that; I can't recall why.
> 
> ...


oh…yea, The design looks great.


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## Caliper (Mar 12, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Building a Scale Model*
> 
> As mentioned in the previous entry, at the suggestion of my instructor, I modified the design such that the whole top would be a torsion grid. This approach did present its own problem though. Since the design called for the 'leg' to act as a massive tenon seated in the underside of the top, I would need a lot of bulk around the leg. I considered laminating solid wood pieces to build it up. I decided against that; I can't recall why.
> 
> ...


Good morning! Thanks for your feedback. I think the modeling toping was discussed once 'back in the day' here on the site. I'll see if I can find that thread and bring it back to top. It would be interesting to hear others experiences.

John Ormsby, I agree with your assessment and I ultimately decided to go with the original plan without the bolts. There is a method to my madness regarding the absence of ribs in the torsion on the other side of the leg. That area is reserved as a box for counter weights.


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## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Building a Scale Model*
> 
> As mentioned in the previous entry, at the suggestion of my instructor, I modified the design such that the whole top would be a torsion grid. This approach did present its own problem though. Since the design called for the 'leg' to act as a massive tenon seated in the underside of the top, I would need a lot of bulk around the leg. I considered laminating solid wood pieces to build it up. I decided against that; I can't recall why.
> 
> ...


That is definetly an interesting design. Models are always a great idea.


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## johnjoiner (Sep 28, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Building a Scale Model*
> 
> As mentioned in the previous entry, at the suggestion of my instructor, I modified the design such that the whole top would be a torsion grid. This approach did present its own problem though. Since the design called for the 'leg' to act as a massive tenon seated in the underside of the top, I would need a lot of bulk around the leg. I considered laminating solid wood pieces to build it up. I decided against that; I can't recall why.
> 
> ...


That's cool, Jeff.

My understanding of torsion boxes is that the skin plays a major role in their strength. So your top should even more rigid when it's complete with it's skin.


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## Harold (Nov 13, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Building a Scale Model*
> 
> As mentioned in the previous entry, at the suggestion of my instructor, I modified the design such that the whole top would be a torsion grid. This approach did present its own problem though. Since the design called for the 'leg' to act as a massive tenon seated in the underside of the top, I would need a lot of bulk around the leg. I considered laminating solid wood pieces to build it up. I decided against that; I can't recall why.
> 
> ...


First, I love the design. Can you shift the tenon cut in the rear leg further to the rear, not further back in the table top, but actually in the leg section itself. this would create the ledge or bench in which the top sat in front of the tenon as opposed to the rear. It would put this portion of the joint in compression when weight was placed on the long end of the table. I don't see why the tenon would have to extend all the way thru as you have it currently, you could acually create a mortise in the "sub" top and then use long mecanical fastners to pull the top down on and thru the tenon.


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## Caliper (Mar 12, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Building a Scale Model*
> 
> As mentioned in the previous entry, at the suggestion of my instructor, I modified the design such that the whole top would be a torsion grid. This approach did present its own problem though. Since the design called for the 'leg' to act as a massive tenon seated in the underside of the top, I would need a lot of bulk around the leg. I considered laminating solid wood pieces to build it up. I decided against that; I can't recall why.
> 
> ...


Hello Harold. Thanks for your input. I actually decided against the cut tenon. The whole leg is being treated as a tenon into the top. Check out the drawings below. These are from the final design.



















John, you're right. It did take on an increased rigidity after I attached the skin.

Gary, I've already started thinking about another model to work out the new dining room table design I have in my head. I'd like to incorporate some the same elements from the desk. The design I have in mind won't be as tricky as this desk though I don't think. Should make for quicker execution of the model. Ha! Famous last words…


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## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Building a Scale Model*
> 
> As mentioned in the previous entry, at the suggestion of my instructor, I modified the design such that the whole top would be a torsion grid. This approach did present its own problem though. Since the design called for the 'leg' to act as a massive tenon seated in the underside of the top, I would need a lot of bulk around the leg. I considered laminating solid wood pieces to build it up. I decided against that; I can't recall why.
> 
> ...


I'm still intrigued with all the work you've done!


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## grumpycarp (Feb 23, 2008)

Caliper said:


> *Building a Scale Model*
> 
> As mentioned in the previous entry, at the suggestion of my instructor, I modified the design such that the whole top would be a torsion grid. This approach did present its own problem though. Since the design called for the 'leg' to act as a massive tenon seated in the underside of the top, I would need a lot of bulk around the leg. I considered laminating solid wood pieces to build it up. I decided against that; I can't recall why.
> 
> ...


This load of this design is pretty much based on the interface between the (most red) rear section and the sides. Once the skin is on drop something on it . Dollars to doughnuts that is where it will fail. All that torsion box is just filligree. The short end of that "joint" will fail. And making the lowest element only provides an additional wedge, it should be rectangular, not triangular.


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## Caliper (Mar 12, 2007)

Caliper said:


> *Building a Scale Model*
> 
> As mentioned in the previous entry, at the suggestion of my instructor, I modified the design such that the whole top would be a torsion grid. This approach did present its own problem though. Since the design called for the 'leg' to act as a massive tenon seated in the underside of the top, I would need a lot of bulk around the leg. I considered laminating solid wood pieces to build it up. I decided against that; I can't recall why.
> 
> ...


grumpycarp, I'm not sure I follow you. What are you referring to when you say, "making the lowest element only provides an additional wedge…"?


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