Oval slats

The name is Slats, Oval Slats.

I thought I’d explore a bit more about my pinned slat construction. This is a very minor evolution of the form, but I’m pleased with the outcome.

Things I learned:

• You need a lot of brass rod to complete this. Each pin was 2.5” and there are 24 of them so you need five linear feet of brass! It’s a surprising amount for such a small finished piece.


• The materials are all 1/8” thick hardwoods.


• I wanted to bring out the contrast of the woods so I thoroughly wiped the edges with alcohol, no other finishing was done.


• I am glossing over many things here. Definitely read about the first slat project, I went into more detail there. The power drill trick in particular is 100% necessary.

The overall layout was an easy design. The idea of the stripe just fell in my lap, but I think the overall effect was what I was looking for: simple and bold.

The close up on the edges shows an artifact in the design. Out of habit I kerf adjusted the pieces, inkscape can introduce artifacts to paths when you do so. Unfortunately there was a small displacement on two nodes where there should have been one, as such you see small overburns on every piece. Especially noticeable on the maple.

The contrast between the woods really jump out when viewed from an oblique angle. This would be enhanced if I were to oil the woods. I may take the time to try finishing them at some point, but for now I’m leaving it as is.

The slats make for interesting shadow patterns inside the “box”. Is this a box? Is it a basket? I’m not sure what to call it so for now it’s oval slats.

Final thoughts? In terms of stability, the structure is fairly sturdy. I glued the bottom run to the base and glued the pivot points of all of the top layer. When that set, all of the inherent flexibility of the structure was suppressed; the result is a rigid structure. I’m not sure I’d call it strong per se, but I don’t feel like I have to baby it either.

A plywood would probably be a stronger option but since you’re looking at edges primarily here just remember how that will affect your outcome. Painted-edge plywood could look very cool.