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Using a Minimal Amount of Thin Plywood to Make Sturdy Seating

Product designer Martha Schwindling's Bevel series

By Rain Noe - March 3, 2022

in Furniture Design

Here's a great example of a designer wielding minimal materials in such a way as to wring structure out of them.

"The Bevel series is entirely made out of thin plywood," writes Berlin-based product designer Martha Schwindling. "Its stability comes from the sophisticated cutting and assembly of the wooden boards alone."

"This usage of plywood takes the traditional bevel construction to the extreme, giving the pieces an almost weightless appearance while providing a surprising degree of stability."

"The stools and benches are infinitely stackable."

I imagine that the glue-ups have to be dead perfect, to get the strength; I wouldn't want to be the shop assistant clamping these up! But overall I love the concept.

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Zach W

2 years ago

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Another false and misleading title.... "minimal" amount of plywood? Solid sheets for the legs and seat is minimal?
I'll bet $1,000 the standard Ikea 3-leg stool uses less wood than any of these designs.

Please stop using false eco-claims as clickbait for your articles. This is not "minimal" at all.

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- Roly S
  
  Zach W
  
  2 years ago
  
  Z
  
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  To be fair, it does say "Minimal Amount of Thin Plywood" and the 3 legged Ikea stool, KYRRE, is quite thick by comparison.
  This is closer to an Ikea BENGTHÅKAN formed plywood stool. I own a couple of these and have noticed they're susceptible to warping in the sun and feel quite 'flexy'. This design would be more rigid, but I don't imagine the extra work involved in all the cutting & gluing would be cost effective compared to forming (the longer bench seat version may be the exception).
  
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