OBDF 311 Project 1 Proposal

The first project this semester is "The Bespoke Object." Bespoke meaning either custom-made or specially made for a particular person. As the person who is keeping this object, this led me to thinking about objects that would be able to live in my space, particularly my home, comfortably.

So my concept for this project is a dragon shaped bookshelf. Currently. I have a lot of books that are being stored in a box under my bed but I am very particular about shelf space, especially since I want a space for some of my larger sketchbooks. The dragon part of the concept came from the idea of hoarding. And since I was on the idea of hoarding, I think it'd be good to have a lot of shelf space that has the potential to hold other odd shaped items, such as plushies and small craft items.

Initial sketches:

My initial sketch was looking at the rough shape this would take, as I want this to be the sort of bookshelf that can stand alone rather than be wall-mounted. (This meant that the bottom HAD to be flat.) Another one of my first steps was measuring the doorframe to see the absolute limits regarding size. The door itself is approximately 32" x 83" (or 81 x 212cm) but I am losing about 1/2in (2cm) on both sides and the top due to the stops in the door frame.

Looking at my bedroom walls, I gestured with my hand the approximate height and depth that that felt "like a good size". (We are going based off vibes here). If it was too tall, I'd have troubles reaching/seeing the back of the top shelf (this is important to maximize storage space in a small living area) but too short would also feel like wasting space. Afterwards, I took a measuring tape to see the actual height of where I'm gesturing. The preferred height was around the 150 - 160cm range, but the very top should be under 180cm. I decided that width would be dependent on the proportions caused by the design. The depth of the bookshelf, including material, shouldn't be more than 14 inches or about 35cm. The reason for this is that I think it might stick out too far from the wall.

In my sketchbook, I also made note of "distance requirements" (the space between each shelf without material) so that things such as my sketchbooks and my manga collection could be properly accommodated. The differing shelf spacing is so that I'm not wasting 4 inches of storage height on a shelf that'll only hold 8 inch tall manga.

After sketching the generic shape, I did another pencil drawing with a more defined shape. Something else I wanted to include in my design was hooks on the wings so I can hang up items such as my keys or my hats. Something to note about this design is that the horns and scales are meant to be decorative or complimentary to the design. Maybe instead of using 3/4-inch plywood (this is the industry standard for bookshelves), I can cut 1/4 plywood.

I also made some vague notes about color choices. I like the idea of natural wood coloring but the cost of solid wood instead of plywood is not quite worth the difference. For durability purposes, I think I should probably avoid softwood. If I decide to paint it (likelier option with plywood), I'll probably go with plain white or a very light tone (such as yellow/orange) to keep the room bright.

From here, I wanted to see how realistic my desired proportions are to the sketch, so I cleaned up the design digitally. I also tried to see what this would have measured out to that based off the linework. 

Using the sketch, I took the second bottom shelf and scaled a ruler so that it was approximately 31cm. (This measurement is equal to the height of my sketchbook, but I wanted to also have at least one other space that could hold larger heavier items close to the ground). From there, I used that same (digital) ruler to find out what the heights of the rest of the shelves would be, excluding material heights. The ruler is in centimeters, so for each millimeter on the ruler, I counted it as a centimeter for a "real life" measurement.

With this, the base of the bookshelf would be approximately 95cm wide, with the longest horizontal length of 185cm. Again, these are just rough numbers so I could map out how much space this would take up if placed against a wall.

After taking a bit of a break, I realized some aspects of my design had room for improvement, particularly with the face shape. I think that if I extended the shelf by the jaw, I could reduce the amount of curves I needed, in addition to increasing usable shelf space.

And below would be the bookshelf if I included scales on the dragon's back. Material wise, I briefly considered foam for those details but I'm not sure about the longevity of using foam.

Processes & Tools:

Regarding tools for this project, I hope to use the CNC router in the woodshop to cut the larger pieces, and maybe the laser cutter for the detail pieces (horns/scales).

The biggest challenge with this design is how I will bend the wood forming the curved silhouette. I am not overtly familiar with how to do it, but methods I've looked into were hot water/steam and kerf bending.

From what I understand, methods using steam or water require soaking the wood, using a curve template and then letting it dry while clamped for a few hours and repeating the process until the wood is at the desired curve. I'm not too keen to use this method since I'd likely have to make my own template in addition to running the risk of snapping the wood from bending too fast.

The other option, kerf bending, is a woodworking process where precise small notches, also known as "kerfs", are cut partially into wood to create flexibility allowing it to bend.

Below images: https://www.woodmagazine.com/woodworking-how-to/joinery/kerf-bending

I would like to try kerf bending since I feel like I'd be able to have good control modeling the cuts in rhino before using the CNC router.

The other physical considerations I have for this project is the assembly, particularly joinery. While I could just nail/glue everything together using butt joints (see image below), I think it'd be better to utilize the CNC router to make stronger joints.

To hold the shelves in place, I briefly looked into a few different woodworking joints that I could use.

Dado: (https://mtwdesigncraft.weebly.com/housing-joint--feiralt.html)

Pros: Relatively concealed, works well for a flush connection, and there is a larger area for gluing and better alignment. Also only need to process one piece of wood (simple)

Cons: May be weakened if too much material removed and if the joint isn't glued, it can pull out.

Rabbet: (https://www.finewoodworking.com/project-guides/joinery/rabbeting-a-shelf-strength-vs-appearance)

Pros: very stable for box-like structures

Cons: Vulnerable to cross-grain stress, less glue surface area than other joints, not adjustable after cut

I also found some combination joins of dado & rabbit joints: (https://www.craftsmanspace.com/woodworking-joints/dado-woodworking-joints)

Pros: Can be used both horizontally and vertically

Cons: More cuts require more precision (can't adjust once cut), difficult to align and only works for wood with straight edges.

From what I was able to find, "The rabbet joint is an ideal choice if the project requires joining two blocks at right angles. The dado joint is a perfect choice if the project needs a sliding motion. Dado joint also offers better strength and support to a connected member, making it useful for loaded conditions. Rabbet joints also offer better distribution of load over its length." (https://www.electronicshub.org/dado-vs-rabbet/). Another option that I could consider would be the dovetail joint.

Dovetail: (Left: https://technologystudent.com/joints/dovejts.htm Right: https://www.craftsmanspace.com/woodworking-joints/dovetail-woodworking-joints)

Pros: strong (resists force in all directions besides sliding back) and visually impressive/beautiful 

Cons: complicated (if not cut properly, any gaps would weaken the connection). Sliding dovetail (right) likely requires hand tools, otherwise the joint is limited to edges.

I also had the realization that the joinery is going to be used mainly for connecting the back piece with the shelves, so I'm not sure if I can or should even use this type of connection.

Of course, this is also something that didn't particularly take into account the possibility of using a thinner wood for the backing, but I think that due to inevitable scraps from the complex shape, I'd look into whether said scraps could be used for either smaller length shelves or the detailing (in the case I get a thinner wood than shelfs). Before I fully commit to using wood, it'd be a good idea to make a maquette out of cardboard (maybe craft plywood) on the laser cutter. In terms of digital processes, I plan to do all my modeling in rhino.