Couchtable

This is a table I built a month ago but I haven´t had the chance to post about it.
Simple design but I think it works quite well.
The tabletop is made from Scaffoldingboards that I took to my friends at the woodmill to have it planed.
My favorite thing about this table is the edge of the tabletop - there is no endgrain visible because i covered the crosscut with a really thin slice cut off from the side of a board. it´s a little detail but effective because it looks really clean.

But this table already found a new home. So next week I will post my new Couchtable that I built last weekend.

UO "Motel-Sign"

I am a huge fan of signs especially the old Motelsigns in America - i like everything about them- the shapes, fonts, lights, materials, rust, colors...all of it.
When I built the "Spacelord Motherfucker Sign" a while ago i knew I had to do more stuff like this...and now I finally found an opportunity to do so.
I have to mention that i built the entire thing out of recycled materials i had lying around in the workshop. The only thing i needed to buy was a sheet of 0,5 mm steel. it was around 30 euros. the rest was "free".
That is why the proportions are slightly off. If i´ve had enough budget to buy everything i needed, i would have build a bigger "outfitters-lightbox" to match the Urban better...but i think it´s fine as is. 
"every little defect get´s respect"

 

This is the finished sign...

 

I started with this ugly green sheet of MDF I never used because I hate the color.

In this case it doesn´t matter because it will be covered with a sheet of steel. 

 

I used lots of Sprayglue.

 

Here I roughly scetched out the type.

    I never worry too much about being super exact it´s more important to get a feel for the size and the proportion.

 

If your steel is not too thick you can simply jigsaw it by hand. I used 0,5 mm steel - it worked fine.

I started with cutting one side of each letter and used this jig to make sure all letters have the same width. that was a huge help!

 It is really important to make the letters look old, as if they were hanging outside for 30 years. That way the Sign will look authentic. I left all the sawdust on the steel and spraypainted over it. when the paint is dry you can sand over it and it will get a really nice distressed finish. It´s cheap and easy.

I also used acid to get a bit of rust.

And that´s it.

Next I started building the lightbox for "Outfitters"

This is the same technique i use to build the "thank you for the music lamp" (i posted a making of video a while ago. so if you´re interessed in how it´s done please check out the video)

After that i cut out and painted the lightningbolt...the same way I build the Urban.

And that´s it.

I cut some 2x2s to build a frame where all the elements can sit on and wired up the lightbox.

i´m really happy with it.

And I got some new ideas for the next sign during the build.

 

Swiss-Army-Keys

So, one post per week, right...here we go

This is a little project i did a couple days ago.

It is very much inspired by my personal hero Jimmy DiResta and his Key Card.

So when i found an old and broken Swiss Army knife in my shop i gave it a try.

It is basically a quite simple project once you figured out the layout.

Originally i wanted to keep the knife in place but it didn´t work out because there wasn´t enought space.

This has definitely potential, i will look out for more knifes on the next fleamarket.

resolutions 2015

so, 
for 2015 i have the plan to post more about my projects even if it is just little things or quick snaps. i hope it will be on a weekly basis...we will see
also i´m thinking about making how-to videos to show in detail how things are done.
i really like the idea but i need to figure out the easiest way to do this. (so i actually do it)

by the way, my favorite maker/builder/genius is JIMMY DIRESTA (youtube videos) he has tons of how-to videos and also works for one of my favorite magazines makezine.com.
i love how his videos are done...just straight forward documentaries of his work. no bullshit, just input!

so i will start to post little things by showing some jointing techniques i am working on...

Urban Outfitters Barcelona

Yeah, I was one of the 10 lucky Display Artists in Europe that got to go to Barcelona to open the first Urban Outfitters in Spain.

Here are some snaps of projects i was involved in.

If you have a chance to check out the store-DO IT! It´s beautiful!

 

 

The first project i got to work on was the "Bagwall". The idea was to make the whole wall look like one unit with different depths. I got to work with Tamas (he trained me a year ago) LOTS of 45 degree cut, LOTS of filling and sanding. but i really like the endresult. it´s massive beast!

 

Then Tamas and I built the "cold weather wall". I used a concept i came up with for a backdrop in cologne...only this time it´s more than doupble the size and we got to use super nice materials for this one. it´s walnut veneered ply with inlets of pine. the shelfes are made of walnut, pine and black mdf.

i really like the use of negative space in this one.

 This is a scaffolding structure Tamas and i build.

once we figured out thelayout it was a pretty quick job with a nice impact.

That´s a Plattform I made from solid 13 x 13 beams.

Here is the Vinyl Area we built.

 

Here are the Shoerisers i built. i love how sharp and perfect the edges are eventhough it´s a pretty soft foam.

 

See all these wooden triangle shapes in the top windows?

we had big squares of ply with these solid-wood-triangles staples on to...

that might have been the most exhausting job i did in those 10 days because they were heavy as shit and it was quiet difficult to get into those top windows. have you seen indiana jones "the last crusade" where he has to take the leap of faith? this is what it felt like...only with a very heavy piece of wood in your hands :)

It was worth it though...it looks incredible!

 That´s me trying to think...

Dumpster Chairs

Hello again, 

this is a snap from 2 chairs and a little table i built completely built from dumbster wood.

i think i like these projects the most. It seems like your more likely to be happy with the results if you didn´t pay any money for it...

Illustrated Shoewall For Frankfurt

Here is another Project i was asked to do for the Urban Outfitters Store in Frankfurt.

I was a bit heartbreaking to do all the Illustrations and then cut through it to build the boxes...but i gotta say i´m really happy with the result.

 

That´s the finished gridwall.

 

Here are some of the MDF Sheets I drew on...altogether I covered 5 Sheets with Illustration.