Practising the Opening/What’s next

Today I had a go at cutting the slot out of my bin which the food waste will go into. Luckily I practised on my mark 1 prototype first, as it was a lot more difficult than I anticipated. I’ve decided that the best way to do it is to drill four corner holes then jigsaw between them but getting the angle of the drill right is quite difficult on the curved surface.

I’m going to have another go at it tomorrow then move onto the actual one. I think I will also put a small wooden surround on the opening just to make sure it looks as neat as possible.

The next big decisions are the name of the project and what is going to go on the little plaque/card below the opening. I’ve had a few ideas regarding this but no concrete decision has been made.
I’m thinking it’s either going to be a sort of explanation of the project and/or something which the user takes out and keeps after the bin is full and has been disposed of.
I could also go a bit more out there with it since my project already exists in a sort of fiction (as in it’s a bit more of critical/discussion piece – not something practical that people would buy) and make it a sort of dystopian “This card states that you have wasted all the food that you are allowed to.” kind of thing.

Final Decisions

Since my last update I’ve made a firm decision that it is important to the project for the bin to be sealed and for people not to be able to empty/re-use it. I’ve also decided that it will definitely exist as some sort of a critical design piece – not necessarily an everyday practical object. 
I’would also like to somehow communicate this through the way it looks – so that a person looking at it for the first time would be able to understand immediately.

My mark 1 prototype presentation went reasonably well and I’ve decided to continue with the traditional woodworking techniques as I think these quickly and concisely communicate the amount of effort and craftsmanship involved in the process. The only negative feedback I received was due to the mark 1 not having a lid/top and this sending some mixed messages about the project. Also, being able to see inside  was again confusing as it still looks somewhat unfinished and rough. One suggestion on where to go next was to think about the lid – take it to extremes and come up with some completely unworkable designs then try to narrow that back down to something more pragmatic.

The size of the piece is the next big factor – right now I’m thinking roughly 3 times the size of my mark 1 prototype as I want it to be a tabletop/worktop sized object yet still stand out – so that it’s not easily hidden away.

Making Mark 1 – Part 2

Continuing to make my mark 1 prototype.

Gluing the seven layers together with the chipboard on each end to attach to the lathe. Using all the clamps the workshop has to offer.

Turning.

Beginning to take shape.

Finished turning, ready to saw off the chipboard and sand.

Making Mark 1 – Part 1

Over the last couple of days I’ve been planning and making my first major prototype. I’ve been taking time over each step of the process to ensure that the end result communicates the amount of effort and skill involved as this is an integral part of the project.

Started out by getting my two bits of wood cut by the technicians in the workshop into pieces of equal dimensions.

Then spent a few hours cutting and sanding these strips into exactly equal segments with 22.5° angles on each side.

Gluing and clamping each of the seven layers.

Once these dry they’ll be ready to be glued vertically and have the chipboard attached to the top and the bottom in preparation for being turned on the lathe.

Beginnings of a Mark 1

Today I took the first steps towards what I think will be the mark 1 prototype. After drawing up plans for the food waste bin and having a conversation with Malcolm in the workshop I decided that it was probably best to practice making parts of the prototype with cheaper wood rather than jumping straight in with the stuff I got at the wood mill.
And although its only the mark 1 prototype I do feel its important to make it out of reasonably high quality materials as part of the project will be seeing how people interact with the object and what message it communicates.

Basically the bin will be made up of 7 disks of wood each with alternating light and dark segments (these will then be stuck together and turned on the lathe). Technical drawing and first attempt at creating the segments. 

The first attempt at making one layer was not bad but some of the angles were off – creating slight gaps that would be problem when turning. I made another, more carefully measured this time which was better (less gaps) but its still pretty difficult to cut and sand 8 identical pieces of wood all with a perfect 22.5 degree angles. So for tomorrow I’ve made some MDF templates for the segments which I can draw round and cut – making them all (hopefully) identical.

Phase 2: Desk in need of a tidy.

Form, Materials and Initial Prototyping.

This week I’ve been looking into what shape my food waste bin will take and what kind of materials will be used. In order to get people to value the bin and be aware of the effort exerted while producing it, I’ve been trying to use shapes and materials that would give it a a real ‘craftsmanship’ type feel. Something handmade but not tatty or sloppy – made by a skilled hand.
I’ve also been trying to think of ways that the user will be able to put food waste into the bin without any way of getting it out again (i.e. sealed so the whole thing must be discarded once used).

On the craftsmanship side I’ve been taking inspiration from a variety of sources as well as looking at some of my grandad’s work – he used to make wooden table lamps (amongst other things) that I really like and think communicate well the amount of skill and effort involved.

I’ve been taking inspiration from these, especially the chequered one with the light and darker woods.

Some quick initial idea sketches.

Some quick sketch prototypes – playing about with different forms using blue foam. Two done on the lathe and two just using hand tools. (Obviously they are at different scales!)

End of Phase 1

Today marked the end of Phase 1 of the project and the beginning of Phase 2. Phase 2 is the final stage and means I need to start prototyping the final concept (prototype mark 1 is due on 25/02/13). To mark this, heres a video of all the pages in my main note/sketchbook for the project. Its mainly text but hopefully that’ll change now I’ve decided on my concept and am about to start prototyping.