These twin tables were designed for containing Milk Chocolate Bowls and were made from two different materials. I applied natural walnut for the first piece and the second piece was made of plywood for construction.
Comparing the prices of these materials, walnut is 20 times more expensive than plywood. I examined how two different materials could be juxtaposed in the same form.
Although these tables have the same form, I had to build them in different ways. In the case of the walnut piece, I used general woodworking techniques such as domino jointing and wood turning (except for CNC routing, when the hole on the center of the table top was made).
In contrast, in the case of plywood table, laminated plywood does not have strength to endure the pressure occurring on the lathe while I turn it as a spindle. Therefore, I had to put a 1/2-inch thick steel rod into the laminated plywood.
Work Process
This shelf is the marrying of the Milk Chocolate Bowl and a natural walnut slab. Cracks on the walnut slab were joined by butterfly joints, which are known as George Nakashima’s icon for woodworkers.
I manipulated the CNC router to make a hole on the slab for fitting the bowl into. The combined shape allows audiences to imagine the shape of a cow and its udders.
Work Process
The Acupuncture Points Chair V certainly reflects my concept on furniture which is intended for daily use. As is well known, most pregnant women suffer from edema due to their decreased kidney function. I designed this piece for the relief of my wife’s symptoms during her pregnancy. After a discussion on her favorite styles of chairs and types of woods, we came to an agreement on a modern Danish chair and dark brown wood.
For the design of this chair, I firstly measured the location of my wife’s kidney acupressure points on her back. Their location was 240mm above the 440mm height seat. I then used AutoCAD and 3D Studio Max to create two bumps on the right position of the 3D-modeled chair back. The 3D model was created by using a CNC router on a laminated mahogany block.
I applied eight bumps for pleen and stomach acupressure points. This chair was designed for a 5'9" male's digestion.
For acupuncturists, the spleen is regarded as the root of depression. I assumed that the depression was the main reason for indegstion, also causing stomach problems. Therefore, I anticipated that if my my chair could stimulate both acupressure points at once, the effect will be more synergistic.