Sawdust Furniture Collection and Offcuts Vase Collection

The Offcuts Vase is made by gluing scrap offcuts of maple, cherry, bass, birch, oak, ash and pine wood together, then carving the combined block on a lathe. The mycelium cast of the Offcuts Vase is grown using a substrate of sawdust, soy husk, used coffee grounds, water and reishi mushroom inoculation liquid. Mycelium is 100% natural and biodegradable, and using it as a casting material allows for forms to be replicated with incredible detail without creating unnecessary waste. The Sawdust Vase is made using the scraps from the wood turning process of carving the vase, and is molded into the form of the vase in the mycelium cast.

The ‘Sawdust Furniture Collection’ displays how solid wood and its waste product can be combined to complement the functionality and aesthetic of the material, while diminishing the waste output of furniture creation. The Sawdust Space Divider combines a solid cherry frame with panels made with a sawdust and agar agar bio-composite. The panels were made using sawdust combined with a solution of water and agar agar, then formed, baked, and laser cut into their final forms. The cut-out patterns originate from cross sections of ambrosia maple. Ambrosia beetles are nature’s woodworkers – they manipulate wood by tunneling through it and using it for their shelter. The Sawdust Inlay Stool is made from solid cherry with engraved patterns from ambrosia beetle boreholes. Sawdust bio-composite paste is used as an inlay in the engraved patterns. The Sawdust Lamp incorporates a cherry stand with a shade made from sawdust panels. The panels were formed using a cherry CNC mold, the shavings of which are mixed with agar agar solution to make the panels.

The purpose of showing these two collections together is to demonstrate varying approaches to waste regeneration with natural materials.

I’d like to thank pk langshaw, Liz Xu, Tom Simpkins and Félix Beaudry for their technical guidance and support.