Craftsmanship in perfection: shape gluing for curved lamps
Craftsmanship in perfection
The art of mold gluing
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Planning & Drawing:
The cornerstone of any mold gluing is planning and drawing. For successful gluing, you have to think about the thickness, width, size and bend in advance. For a better idea, we visualize our thoughts with a technical drawing. When considering this, you should always keep in mind that you will still be planing and sanding the surface. So add processing waste to your desired dimensions! If you are happy with your planning, you now need to create an outline for the template. The plan should show your desired bend perfectly, because that's exactly what your blank will look like later!
T ip: When planning and drawing, make sure that the solid wood retreats slightly after being removed from the template and does not correspond 100% to the shape!
3D model of our curved floor lamp "Solara"
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Construction of the template:
We need a new, individual template for each product. You should choose a thick and stable base plate for the stencil. We chose a 24mm thick OSB board. The base plate must also be long enough for your project. We can then use our finished drawing to place the solid wood pieces on the OSB board in order to bend the slats over them later. The wooden blocks must be screwed securely onto your template because you are stretching the wooden slats over the blocks and this creates a lot of pressure!
Construction of the template
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The solid wood selection:
One of the most important points is the careful selection of wooden slats. We rely on first-class solid wood from regional, sustainably managed sources because we believe that the quality of an end product depends directly on the quality of the materials used. Especially when gluing shapes, your wood must be dry and have a moisture content of 8-10%. In addition, wooden slats with cracks and many knotholes are unsuitable for successful gluing. For the form gluing we primarily use standing annual rings so that the wooden slats do not have so much tension.
Tip: Find a reputable wood dealer to buy your solid wood, pay attention to the wood moisture and the annual rings.
For more information about wood science, click here .
Dry solid wood
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Preparing the solid wood:
Our solid wood planks have been drying in our old warehouse for years. For our wooden floor lamps, we separate the planks and cut thin wooden slats with a fine saw blade. Thanks to the sharp and thin saw blade, we minimize waste and ensure that the cutting quality is perfect for direct gluing. The thickness of the wooden slats depends on the desired bend. The stronger your bend needs to be, the thinner your wooden slats need to be. We used 8 mm thick slats for the moderate bend of the “Solara” floor lamp.
If you don't have the opportunity to cut your wood yourself, you can also buy the slats ready-made, but be sure to pay attention to the quality and condition!
Preparing the solid wood
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The final step: mold gluing
The wooden slats are generously dabbed with wood glue . The wooden slats are then pressed into the template and secured with clamps. To minimize the pressure on the solid wood, always stretch your clamps from the center outwards. Since the wood glue only applies with pressure, the motto here is “better too much than too little”. That's why there should be a clamp every 5-10 cm to ensure perfect contact pressure. If slight glue bubbles form when you press the clamps, you have used the perfect amount of glue.
Our adhesives are free from harmful chemicals and meet the highest environmental standards. We make sure that the gluing process has as little negative impact on the environment as possible and that our arc lamps are not only beautiful but also safe for the environment.
Tip: First place the wooden slats in the mold without glue to check whether the bend works with the cut slats. When doing the dry exercise, you shouldn't apply too much pressure, otherwise the thin slats could break. This requires sensitivity!
The mold gluing
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Completion:
Your craftsmanship is required during completion. The lamp blank, which forms the basis for further craftsmanship, is now given its finishing touches through a combination of grinding, planing and milling. Here the steps vary depending on the location and function of your project. These points are crucial to preserving the natural beauty of the solid wood and ensuring that your project is not only aesthetically pleasing but also durable.
Our unique curved lamps
Conclusion
We at SpeicherArt are proud to keep this traditional craftsmanship alive and to lead it into the future with a sustainable eye. We continually set ourselves new challenges in order to continually improve our home accessories. Each floor lamp shines in its uniqueness and symbolizes the harmonious connection between nature, craftsmanship and aesthetics. With our curved floor lamps we not only want to brighten rooms, but also spark enthusiasm for handmade home accessories.