Stress-lam table
The ‘stress-lam’ system is the result of research and development into a dry timber construction process that uses small sections and lengths of locally grown timber in prefabricated panels to construct building components. This first test piece, for a table, is a generic building section, comprising two short walls and a roof.
'Stress-lam’ employs a low-tech construction process, of generating friction between small lengths of locally grown timber, such as Douglas fir, Sitka spruce and larch using bolts, cables or even rope. It is the aim to provide a system that is easily produced using local labour in areas where glue laminating is not readily available. This alternative allows the natural quality of timber to be expressed whilst maintaining structural integrity.
The table uses 50 x 100mm Welsh sycamore bolted together over the 1000mm width at 600mm centres using stainless steel bolts. The rotational movement around the connections has primarily been counteracted by the stress/ friction generated between each lamella, therefore effectively making the table top act as one large piece of timber 100mm deep.
credit: carried out while working in Design Research Unit wales