Even More Fun with Plywood

This is fun, and probably more mainstream than it seems, a laser cut plywood light bulb-shaped lamp. Now I know you're laughing hysterically as the marketers intended (a lamp in the shape of a light bulb made of wood of all things-get it?) and that's the way it's being sold on the SUCK UK website.

But take a moment and look again--actually, it's a pretty nice lamp. The instructions say you can hang from the ceiling or lay it on the floor (like a large trouble light).

In any case, I think it's attractive. I don't want one particularly, but it wouldn't kill me to look at one now and then, especially against that sexy black background.

Lots of photos here.

Plywood Furniture

The title Plywood Furniture may conjure up images of some really bad-looking, poorly-build objects that barely qualify as furniture. Well, prepare to be pleasantly surprised.
This article at the Design Crave website has ten examples of beautiful (mostly) pieces of furniture built from plywood. The Poltrona Suave Lounge Chair in the photo is a good example. From the website, "Brazil’s Julia Krantz creates her pieces by stacking and laminating sheets of plywood and shapes seating like a relief. With its grain, sheen and organic undulations, the Poltrona Suave Chair looks whittled from a solid piece of wood, but vertical lines hint at its plied origins." (Click for larger view.)
The article also has links to online plywood furniture projects you can built. They won't look quite like the Poltrone Suave Chair, but hey, what does?

More Fun With Lasers

The Amazon Kindling--I should have thought of this. It's the result of a collaboration between the guys at Cockeyed.com and EvilMadScientist.com. (Click on image for a larger view.)

It's vaguely reminiscent of something that I mentioned here a couple of weeks ago. But I'm a sucker for goofy stuff.

[Thanks BoingBoingGadgets]

Applying Edging

Gluing hardwood edging to plywood has never been one of my favorite tasks. It’s always tricky to keep the edging from slipping while tightening down the clamps. So to help hold the edging in place, I made some special clamping blocks. These blocks have a shallow, wide groove on one side that's sized to just fit over the edging and plywood. This holds the edging flush with the plywood. (Click on the drawing for a larger version.)

In case you're wondering, to prevent the blocks from getting glued to the workpiece, I apply wax to the surface of the blocks before using them.

You can have tips like this delivered to your computer every week from the editors of Woodsmith Magazine. They're free.

Fine Plywood Homes

One of the many things I like about the web is the collections of old photographs and advertising illustrations you can find here. One of the best sites for art from the 1950's and 60's is Plan59.com.

Looking around there a few days ago, I came across this 1959 illustration for the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. (Click on the illustration for a larger view.)

Plan59 has something for everyone. The hats, the cars, and the now politically incorrect portrayal of the role of women are a hoot.

Design with Plywood

When we use plywood in a project, we typically cover the edges of the panels to hide the plies. But as I look around at what furniture designers are doing these days, I'm seeing more designing with plywood as plywood. And it looks terrific.

Here's an example, a plywood crib from a company called 4-pli. It's made of Baltic birch plywood and finished with low-VOC milk paint. Visit their website to see what else they're doing. Some of it is really beautiful.