[Robby Cuthbert,] an artist and designer based out of Fort Collins, Colorado is creating stable cable television tables that are concurrently a accomplishment of engineering and a work of art.
[Cuthbert’s] tables are held together by 1/16″ stainless steel cords that exert oppositional tensions that result in a structurally stable and visually attractive coffee table. In his video, [Cuthbert] leads us through his process for creating his tables, step by step. [Cuthbert] starts by cutting out bamboo legs on his CNC mill. He then drills holes in each leg for cords and mounts each leg on his customized table jig. Then, he attaches the stainless steel cabling taking care to alternating tension direction. The cords are threaded through holes in the legs and attached with copper crimps. After numerous cables, he has a mechanical structure that can support his weight that also looks fantastic. all in all, [Cuthbert’s] art is a fantastic example of the intersection of art and engineering.
If we’ve whet your appetite, worry not, we have featured many tension based art/engineering hacks before. You might be interested in these computer-designed portraits or, if the thought of knitting by hand provides you the heebie-jeebies, the Autograph, a string art printer might be much more your style.
Video after the break.