The Cardboard Chronicles
Extruded Prism Bookshelf
After building two tables (see below), I felt I should branch into another spectrum of cardboard structures. This time, I wanted to explore structural integrity. It so happened that my apartment was in desperate need of a something to keep miscellaneous items off my floor but still within reach (i.e. my remote, wallet, keys, etc). Inspired by seeing some cubic floating bookshelves, I decided to make a bookshelf that would look as though it was comprised of several interconnected floating shelves.
I already knew that layering corrugations perpendicularly provided strength and more resistance to bending, but I wanted a thick bookshelf. So what do you do when you want your structure to look so thick that layering cardboard becomes impractical? Ribbing of course.
I already knew that layering corrugations perpendicularly provided strength and more resistance to bending, but I wanted a thick bookshelf. So what do you do when you want your structure to look so thick that layering cardboard becomes impractical? Ribbing of course.
I made an initial sketch on isometric paper, then dimensioned each of the extruded prisms. I began by building a structural framework of cardboard ribbing and attaching it to a backboard. Once all the ribs were in place, I plated the ribs with rectangular panels until there were no more ribs showing. After three separate 4-6 hour nights of crafting, the shelf was done. The finished product exemplifies the crisp elegant look of clean-cut cardboard, and in my opinion just looks impossibly cool.
Extruded Prism Floating Shelf - Image Gallery
Miscellaneous Small Works
The cardboard items I build are not always as large-scale as a table or multi-faceted floating shelf. Lamps, simple shelves, and other smaller works are also among the collection of cardboard things I've designed and built. These works are organized on a separate page, MISCELLANEOUS SMALL WORKS.
Cardboard Tetrahedral Table
(Creative Sustainability)
Cardboard is an amazing material. It is common, easy to produce, sturdy if used correctly, and extremely versatile. This project was my attempt to combine the themes of environmental awareness, structural engineering, and aesthetic design.
The original plan for this table was to be an abstract representation of an hourglass. Symmetry was achieved by constructing two nearly identical tetrahedrons and fusing them at their points. Since the fusion point is a very delicate aspect, it was designed to be directly below the "center" of the top triangular surface. This minimizes any potential torques that could be incurred by surface loadings, such as a TV or careless friend's heavy beverage. |
Cardboard Table v1.0 - Image Gallery
tetrahedral_table_project.pdf | |
File Size: | 562 kb |
File Type: |
Cardboard Table v2.0
After table no. 1, I decided that the junction point of the two tetrahedrons was a weak point, and that cardboard could be made much stronger by layering stacks so that corrugations were perpendicular to one another. This way, there was not a preferred way for the cardboard to bend unintentionally. The table was redesigned from the ground up, and a model was built first this time (that helped to sort out otherwise very annoying kinks). I recently edited the images below so they accentuate the table's crisp lines, similar to the documentation for the tetrahedral v1.0.
A short story about this table: over summer 2013, the table spend a little too much time in the back seat of my car, and as you might imagine, the hot glue seams didn't take kindly to the Louisiana heat. All of the glued junctions fell apart, and the table sat at my house in disrepair for at least 4 months. I have a friend who had always admired my cardboard work, so as a birthday present, I repaired the table and documented it with some pictures before putting a bow on top and giving it to him. Now, cardboard table v2.0 has a home in my grateful friend's apartment.
A short story about this table: over summer 2013, the table spend a little too much time in the back seat of my car, and as you might imagine, the hot glue seams didn't take kindly to the Louisiana heat. All of the glued junctions fell apart, and the table sat at my house in disrepair for at least 4 months. I have a friend who had always admired my cardboard work, so as a birthday present, I repaired the table and documented it with some pictures before putting a bow on top and giving it to him. Now, cardboard table v2.0 has a home in my grateful friend's apartment.
Cardboard Table v2.0 - Image Gallery
Sincerely, the box that rocks your socks (13-Mar-2015)