Heavily engineered Stool
This bar stool draws inspiration from the world of heavy engineering. Combining worm gears, Bronze cog’s, thrust bearings and salvage spanners. These items have been paired with reclaimed teak to build a substantial yet comfortable bar stool
Bar stool combining gears, coggs and industrial items with reclaimed teak
I held in my hands two planks that had in their life time, grown from a sapling around 1900s to a mature tree and fell some time in the early 1960 possibly in Asia. Milled not far from where they were felled, this is when these two planks were separated. They would have been stacked turned loaded onto lorries and transported on ships half way around the world. Yet these brothers of planks did not stray fare from each other.
When the deck winch on board my ship came to the end of its practical life span, I could not help but wonder what drove this beast. Pulling the winch apart you could not help but marvel it the skill of the engineers and machinist that put there time into building the components that drove this monster. It just seamed such a shame to allow the products of there craft to be scraped tossed aside without a care. Looking at them laying their glistening in their protective coat of oil, I was not sure what I could do with them but knew they had to be saved. Laying around in the workshop I knew something would come to mind.
One day while moving the parts about the workshop, I happened to position the shaft vertical on the gear balancing a piece of wood on top I stood back and took a look "that looks a lot like a stool to me" not wanting to jump at the first idea that came to mind I put it on the back burner for now.
Looking through a pile of reclaimed teak I noticed to planks that appeared to be a book match of each other. This is an effect achieved when a large piece of timber is sawn then open like a book giving the effect of a mirror image from one side to the other.
Landing in the Uk as a consignment of teak for the building of the off shore platforms they would of be stacked again onto another ship to be taken to the job. Here a tradesman would of sawn and drilled them fastening them down to make a deck. Nearly 60 years later demolition takes place and the ripped up boards are tossed aside.
I recovered these planks from the skip brought them home denailed, cleaned and stacked re stacked and moved again. long before they landed on the bench in front of me.
These two planks are brothers have fought all aversty to stay together, so who am i to tear them apart. Joined together as a book matched pair they form the base of the seat. The offcuts make matching arm rests.
A pair of discarded fence spikes welded end to end to make a interesting foot rest. attached to the main pillar above the bearing they will swivel with the seat.
Spanners salvaged from a sunken ferry are utilised to support the back rest. connecting to inset metal band binding the seat.
The wood work's classical design contrasts nicely with the robust harsh engineered metal work. creating a comfortable practical bar stool with a hint of steam punk.