Im designing a coat hanger/umbrella holder for a new client.  Theyve given me a lot of creative freedom and Im taking full advantage.  They like my kibako bookstand so thats a good start. Ill use the 1.5″  bamboo countertop material ripped into 1.5″ x 1.5″ strips.

They also like my use of the sumi ink for contrast.  Their criteria function wise are somewhat relaxed.  They have a closet for coats right by the entry so this coat hanger would be mostly for sculptural purposes.  They require it to hold 2-3 coats and 2 umbrellas with the reality being that most of the time there would actually be nothing on there at all.  Nonetheless, the design of this piece is driven by function.  What are the different ways to hang coats and umbrellas?  How is the structure going to be stable and not fall over?  I need to consider the possibilities of free standing, wall mounted, suspended, and any combination.

My initial inspiration is the form of a tree.  I like the idea of branches holding the coats.  Another gesture that comes to mind is a field of long grass or a bamboo grove.  Upwards movement would be nice in this space.   There is a window at the height of 67″.  The horizontal line of the sill is something I need to fight to get the feeling I want.

I narrowed the possibilities down to three concepts and made 1/3 scale models out of plywood scraps and my trusty hot glue gun.  The overall height is about 7ft

I met with the clients and we have decided to proceed with the center design direction.  Time to input the model into sketchup and play around with proportions and color.

Here is the latest edition modeled in sketchup in two colors.  I concentrated on staggering the distances between the “branches” to create more movement in the piece.  At  the bottom they are closer together and become more spread apart as you go upward.    I was looking for a progression similar to a sine curve or fibonacci sequence.  The height has been increased quite a bit to go over the window sill plane.

The latest design change.  Client has requested it handle 3 coats and 2 umbrellas.  I raised the whole thing up by 10″ so that the third one up is at 40″, an acceptable height for hanging coats.

Construction commenced!  Dadoing out the slits for the splines with a tenoning jig in this photo.  Splines are made with katalox, a dark mexican hardwood.  The splines create the joint at the elbows and also create some visual interest.

Lowering the center of gravity on this piece is a concern.  Its really tall and I dont want it tipping over under a load of coats.  The base needs to be made heavier.  I drilled multiple 1/2″ diameter holes on the undersides of the base and filled them with molten lead which i melted down using a camp stove outside my shop.  Lead has a very low melting point for a metal.

Dont try this at home kids.  Notice I am wearing a respirator, safety glasses, and welding gloves.  I have never done this before so I had no idea if the lead would splatter or explode or anything like that.

I figured out through trial and error that the lead pours best if you let it cool down slightly.  When its too hot it boils when you pour and it also catches the bamboo on fire (not good)

Crazy idea but it worked!  The base is very very heavy now, and you cant see that there is metal in there at all from the top.  I chiseled away the excess and sanded it down.  I covered eve

rything with a thick epoxy to keep the lead sealed, just in case.  What a fun day of experimentation.  And just think… the brain damage wont hit me for years down the line.  YEs!

Detail of the base.  I added a corner brace of sorts.  The lead filled legs really lower the center of gravity.

Looks right at home outside my shop!

Here it is in action.  This will be a fun piece for the clients to play with.

Another build by the Bamboo DNA crew.  We built a 80ft tall 10ft diameter bamboo structure at the All Points West Music Festival at Liberty Point State Park featuring Radiohead and Jack Johnson.  There are no mechanical fasteners- everything is held together in tension by woven bamboo slats.

The setting was nothing short of spectacular.  The NYC skyline, Ellis Island, and the statue of liberty right in front of us.  The park is so huge and wide open it was a strange experience to be so close to manhattan and feel so alone.  The structure consists of 30 20ft long guadua bamboo poles.  We built a temporary 2×4 framework whose dimensions and positions were calculated in advance.

Bamboo poles were temorarily lashed to the framework.  Then, the real fun begins.  20ft long bamboo slats are woven into the structure in an alternating pattern.  Opposing forces create structure with enough redundancy and the framework can be removed.  This work is brutal, requiring teams of 3-5 people shoving the slats through inch by inch.

The work gets more difficult towards the tip of the cone.  As the radius gets tighter the tension and friction increase to the point where it takes four people lunging at once to move a slat an inch at times.  Both out of necessity and for style the slats start to angle upwards at the top.

The lift is always the most risky and exciting part of the project.  Without access to a large crane we had to do a delicate balance using a grade-all and forklift.  Luckily we have a rigging expert, Brandon on the team.  He made two rope rings that distributed the load evenly among the 12 columns for the lift.  These also became attachment points for the guy wires which he would rig later.

Once erected Brandon went to work with the guy wires.  After this point the power equipment went away and we adjusted the angle of tower purely with human power using a system of 6 pulleys.  The system creates a 6 to 1 power advantage.  With four people weighing a total of 600 lbs you can generate 3600 lbs of force.

The final day of the build was spent on touch up, building the deck, canopy feature, and lighting.  The deck is a 2x 6 structure clad in bamboo in a star of david pattern.  It also served to brace the structure during the lift.

Allen and James did a great job with the lighting.  They also setup a propane torch at the top of the spire, 80ft overhead.  All in all an impressive build.  10 people, 4.5 days.  This may be the tallest bamboo structure ever made in the US…..

Ive just completed a project in Burlingame, CA where I custom designed/built the kitchen cabinets and island, china cabinet, entertainment center, built-in bench, and dining table.

The cabinets bodies are bamboo stained black with sumi ink with inset bamboo doors.  Seeing the frame work harks back to earlier eras of inset cabinetry while also creating high contrast.  This contrast allows me to play with cabinet shapes and composition.  Rather than hardware for pulls, there are cutouts where you reach in with your finger.

The island has a 1.5″ solid bamboo slab which is my favorite part of the project.  The curves on that countertop are the only ones found on this project, making the island a centerpiece of attention.

The dining table was built out of glued up pieces of scrap from a local mill.  All of the material was cutoffs and otherwise unsellable lumber.  The process was brutally labor intensive but the result was worth it.  The legs are bamboo stained black, built as a frame of “L” shapes to have strength without bulk.  A matching smaller side table can be brought over dinner parties

The built in bench has storage underneath.  The big secret is that the right 1/3 can actually detach in seconds and roll away from the wall to allow for opening/closing of the french door.

My friend Jeff Clark came all the way up from Santa Barbara to photograph the site for me.  He is a very accomplished photographer and it was great to see him at work.   I always enjoy seeing people who are very very good at what they do.  He has posted a few teaser pics on his website www.jeffclarkphoto.com/ken

This whole ordeal my neighbor/friend Joe has gone through with his laser engraving business has gotten me thinking about the bamboo ply that I use.

Ive gone through 3 or 4 bamboo manufacturers/distributors in the last four years struggling to get consistent quality product.  People think all bamboo ply is the same but its really not.  There are big differences between manufacturers and inconsistencies within even the same manufacturer.

First I used Plyboo by Smith and Fong.  I really liked this product but had to stop using it when their relationship with their local distrubutor soured to the point where I couldnt get their products anymore at all locally.

Then I tried NW bamboo which I felt had inferior quality engineering.  Lots of voids, inconsistencies in thickness and the amber especially looked pale.

I tried Bamboo Revolutions and it was a little better but still i felt the product was not as good as the Smith and Fong.  Especially in the amber color the difference is noticeable.  The color is not as rich.

I use Teragren now out of Seattle.  They are apparently #1 in volume for bamboo flooring.  Ive been using them for six months or so now.  Ive bought around 12-15 sheets from these guys and had great results…. until this most recent batch.  Lots of excessive bowing and strange voids running perpendicular to the grain.  Im very dissapointed and the search for quality products starts once again.

Joe’s ordeal has made me realize I need to learn more about the product I use.  I need to know who makes it, how its made, and how environmentally friendly the end product really is.