As my first woodworking project at Valldaura, I aimed to choose a simple design to familiarize myself with the tools and the process of working with this unique material. Being new to this, I was eager and excited to begin.
The project began with my fascination and appreciation for the natural qualities and weathering of wood.
It became clear to me that there was an abundance of offcuts with live edges, considered “waste wood” from other projects, available for me to experiment with.
I started by researching references and case studies that highlight the beauty and imperfections of wood’s natural qualities, including a design by Thomas Roger, a French design studio.
Next, I sketched my own design and approximated measurements to serve as a guide for processing the wood in the carpentry lab.
With the assistance of Alkis and the Bobcat machine, I carefully selected a few large pieces of this “waste wood” and transported them to the carpentry lab. I processed each piece by hand, starting with cross cuts on the chop saw, then creating a flat surface on the jointer, and finally refining the dimensions on the table saw.
After processing the waste wood, I found there was enough to create a second stool, this time without live edges, offering an alternative style to experiment with.
My next step is to develop an assembly method. The reference design combines small visible nails to suspend the front exterior pieces above the ground, along with concealed elements to secure the remaining planks.
