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Historically, wooden furniture were made by assembling pieces of wood together; a structure and some panels. Tail and groove, dovetail, tenon and mortise, half lap and dowel were the solutions available using basic hand tools. On top of that, metal hardware were used for the moving parts like doors but also to reinforce the structure.
When joinery was essentially mechanical, vegetal and animal glue were also available but, regarding their rather low holding power, they were mainly employed to clad veneer on top of massive wood. The invention of synthetic glue (like polyvinyl acetate) stronger than the binding agent of the wood called lignin revolutionised woodworking. The complexity of the joinery and the manufacturing time could be reduced which drastically changed the craftsmanship as well as the aesthetic of furniture. When it comes to table tops, an edge to edge glue up is sufficient in terms of strength but, flying tenons like "dominos" are usually used to align the boards. Apart from being longer than the previous coffee table, the client desired a contemporain design yet not too geometric. The first idea was to balance the simplicity of the slightly curved edges of the rectangular table top with the structure by embedding the legs into it. Since I would use dominos for the glue up, I thought that instead of hiding these structural elements I could turn them into ornament. The result is a solid oak table top with a pattern of connectors showcasing the construction process. DOMINO COFFEE TABLE
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