JOHN HENLEY
WORKARCHIVEINFO

Table

A table designed and assembled with a constructivist nature and aesthetic. Hand-chiseled Japanese joinery use wedges to eliminate the need for glue and fasteners. The table's frame serves as a primary form supporting the surface, rather than being visually subdued. The form language draws parallels between the human relationship with a table and the form-creation process of the potter's kick wheel, which served as aesthetic inspiration.

Duration

7 weeks (Fall 2023)

Materials

Cherry

Processes

SolidWorks 3D modeling, woodworking/fabrication

Initial joinery research of mechanical, wedge-based mortise & tenon connections.

Aesthetic inspiration: the Western-style potter's kick wheel. Frame supporting fly wheel and wheel head. Juxtaposed visual (and literal) weight with effortlessly primitive interaction affording form creation.

Joinery refinement and test: three-way wedged-tenon.

Dimensions finalized in Solidworks 3D CAD model.

Table top fabrication:

Frame fabrication:

© 2026 John Henley