2015
brass tube, delrin, LEDs, electronic components
2011
American walnut, steel, lighting hardware, electronic components, coding in Arduino
an American black walnut lamp with a dual faceted base for on/off positions.
2015
brass, LED, electronic components
flashlight
2012
ash, sandblasted glass, LED, wireless communicator, electronic components, coding in Arduino
2011
beech, aluminum
candleholder; for defense against the dark(side).
hand-turned walnut and birch with aluminum base in flat black and silver finishes
Spending many hours watching and re-watching sci-fi and action movies with my father as a child, the LIGHTSTICK is an analog lighting device that pays homage to the simpler design choices of a classic sci-fi trilogy.
2012
American red birch, wireless communicator, electronic components, coding in Arduino
Indicator dials. It’s been a reoccurring item in a lot of these projects, but mostly as just another component. With the Remote Control, it’s all about the indicator dial. The profile is a “truncated octagon” of sorts - only 7 sides exist, but each are 45 degrees apart from the next side. Two of the sides come to a 90 degree point, creating a reference of indication.
This profile actually came about by accident. I was preparing turning blanks for a project that involved woodturning in a public setting, almost as a performance. To make my life easier for the performance, I decided to take my square blanks and “45” the edges along the length, to create an octagonal profile. This action gets the blank closer to a circular profile, thus making turning easier once mounted to a lathe. Before the last cut was made, I noticed something interesting - an indicator dial was created in extruded form.
The Remote Control is made of solid wood (birch), as a reference to the wooden blocks I spent hours building civilizations with as a child. There is no indicator light, or visible on/off switch. Nothing that would tell you it has a brain inside capable of reading angles wirelessly control power outlets.
In many ways, this combines a lot of the features of previous projects. The coding allows the Remote Control to act as a dimmer knob of sorts - as the indicator rises, more things go on. This is my intention, but as this is an open device, you may have a different program in mind. Perhaps you want facet #3 to only output outlet #3 (as opposed to outlets 1-3), while facet #2 outputs all even-numbered outlets. However, instead of reading a potentiometer typical of dimmer knobs, the Remote Control uses my beloved accelerometer to read the angles of each facet.
As the remote roles from position 1 - position 7, another outlet is activated.
The Remote Control is a reaction to my utter disdain for universal remotes and home automation systems. Most of these items are over-complicated, and use multi-layered digital menus to cycle through. They drive me nuts. I love simple, almost dumb, interfaces, and so the Remote Control was born. It is a simple, analog interface to control a rather complex digital system. As a child of the 80’s, I cannot let go of my analog world. I pity the children today who only know the faux world of Instagram, but have never held a Polaroid in their hand as it developed into a crisp image before their eyes.
2013
maple, walnut
After cross country practice in high school, most of the team would head over to our beloved fast-food chain to replenish some much needed calories from our run. These shakers honor those times together, immortalizing the iconic shaker design in American walnut and maple.
2016
brass, lead, Bic Crystal pen cartridge, steel
Pen, Pencil, & Scribe
2011
walnut, steel, electronic components, coding in Arduino
The DIM(SOME) BOARD is an exploration into how light can grow through two methods: intensity and quantity. The user can create more light by turning on more bulbs with one knob (quantity), while a second knob adjusts the brightness of the light emitted from each bulb (intensity). This object is meant for the lighting aficionados who desire to manipulate light in their home without the hassle of demolition or installation work.
2012
cast bronze, vintage photography equipment, rgb LED, electronic components, coding in Arduino
This project started as almost a joke. I saw the LED housing assembly on Sparkfun, and the visual language just read the same as my wooden Lightsticks. I ordered it immediately and realized during the build that this wasn’t going to fit in any wooden profile I was working with. Some research was needed.
In the original movies, the props specialists used light synchronizers as the base to create a particular character’s weapon. Various hardware was added, cuts were made, paint was applied. It just so happens I was able to get my hands on a vintage Sun King Light Synchronizer on Ebay. 60+ years old, but still new in box and only $20. Not too shabby.
2011
lighting hardware, electronic components, coding in Arduino
2012
lighting hardware, electronic components, coding in Arduino
18 individually controlled incandescent bulbs
A chandelier that explores the idea of how light can grow through both intensity and quantity, through the familiar interface of dimmer knobs.
The user can create more light by turning on or off more bulbs with one knob (quantity), while a second knob adjusts the brightness of the light emitted from each bulb (intensity). At each adjustment level of quantity, intensity can also be manipulated.
2014
lighting hardware, wireless communicator, electronic components, coding in Arduino
As part of the Dim(Some) series, the Dim(Some) Phonezone allows the user to control each LED bulb individually with a special iPhone app by Red Bear Lab. The user can create more light by turning on or off more bulbs with individual sliders.