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The Atlas Table: How the Heck Did They Make This?

By Rain Noe - January 30, 2015

in Furniture Design

Berlin-based The Fundamental Group works within the realm of what they call "the architecture of fascination," and their Atlas Table bears this out. Made from alternating, angled blocks of oak and smoked oak, just thinking about what the glue-up must have involved gives me a headache.

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Seriously, I cannot envision how they clamped this thing up. Do you reckon they did it in sections? Rows? While you figure they must have made some correspondingly-shaped jig to hold the sides during clamping, wouldn't making the jig be just as complicated as the actual tabletop? There's no mention of CNC usage in the video of the team discussing the project:

Then there's the matter of planing the surface flat after the block were glued up—how do you reckon they pulled this off? Router sled? Belt sander followed by handheld planer or (shudder) block plane? I've watched the video twice and can't see any clue-providing tool marks during the close-ups, but I imagine they'd have sanded those out anyway.

Whatever methods they're using—and I'm hoping one of our more clever readers will have some insight in the comments—the team's website says they can turn one of these around in three weeks.

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Alex

9 years ago

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Glue it together upside down. MIND BLOWN
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- Jason Sokolic
  
  9 years ago
  
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  lol
  
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- Solomon Choi
  
  9 years ago
  
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  and sand carefully
  
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Eli Ellis

9 years ago

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I'm thinking a vacuum table was used. No clamps. Each piece was slid into place with glue on it and the vacuum did the rest. If this is true then the walnut may have been applied and attached to the oak before each component was cut to its final shape..... Just guessing. Cool table.

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