Year 9’s Wooden Table Project – January 2025
We recently visited Year 9 during their Design class where students were at various different stages of making their very own intricately designed wooden tables.
The brief given by Mrs Cracknell, Head of Design, was for students to base their design on Parquet-style and Art Deco patterns and designs, using contrasting coloured wood, ahead of creating paper, then cardboard templates to use to cut out pieces of wood to create their chosen pattern. She explained,
“Students were encouraged to research designs, taking inspiration from those that they liked; they also looked at pieces of furniture and woodwork they had seen and liked.”
She continued,
“It’s a challenging project, as working with wood you have to be precise and exact to avoid gaps in the design, and that can mean that cuts can be too lean and cause issues with the pattern. It’s all part of the learning process, in terms of appreciating the work and skill that goes into pieces of design we see every day, as well as the skills and techniques students need to develop and hone in order to create precise pieces.”
The classroom was filled with very different but equally creative and challenging pieces of woodwork. Some of the students are a little further along and now creating the legs for the table which are to be made from aluminum. All in all the design project has been challenging yet somewhat pleasing as the symmetrical designs have come to life! We took time to meet some of the students, talking to them about what stage of the design and production process they were at, and what their hopes and aspirations are for their final finished piece of furniture.
Meet Erin
Erin was busy building the pattern of her woodwork piece, laying the final pieces carefully, making sure the fit was snug and secure. Talking firstly about the design she’d chosen she shared,
“I researched lots of different designs online before I began, but once I’d decided on what I wanted to create I set about creating my template for the individual pieces of wood, cutting them out first on paper then on cardboard ahead of cutting the wood”
She also added,
“I like working with wood as a design material as I like the way it looks, and how each piece can be completely unique. The biggest challenge for this project so far has been making sure the carpentry cuts are precise – avoiding gaps in where the edges of the wood meet within the pattern; lots of trial and error! I like carpentry though, and I love making practical things, so I’m really enjoying this project.”
Meet Albie
We met Albie sanding his finished woodwork element of the table; he’d already finished cutting and gluing the pieces of wood into the pattern he’d chosen and he was really pleased with how it looked so far.
“I’m just sanding the table top now, to make sure it’s all smooth as well as remove any marks that the pieces have picked up during the cutting and placement part of creating the pattern. Once I’ve finished this I’m going to varnish it for a really nice finish, which I’m hoping will bring out the different textures and colours and bring the pattern to life – like it’s three dimensional even though its flat in the table top piece. I think, like everyone else, the biggest challenge has been making sure there are no gaps between the pieces of wood in the pattern, it’s been tough though as you have to be so precise, but it’s a custom made piece of woodwork, so precision is the challenge really!”
He continued,
“I’m definitely choosing Design for my GCSE options, I really enjoy it and I love making practical things. I think I’m going to use this as a bedside table to display things on.”
Meet Emilia
Busy waxing her finished table top, Emilia shared her thoughts on the hard work it has taken to get to this stage of the design,
“It’s been quite tricky, making sure all the pieces fit and there aren’t any gaps, but I’m now at the stage where every part of the design is in place and secure, so now I have to wax the wood – it’s hard work as you have to go over the wood several times and ensure it all gets an even coating.”
Speaking about her chosen design she shared,
“I’ve combined two different elements in terms of my design, I wanted a centre and an edging and I’m really pleased with what I’ve achieved, it’s really aesthetically pleasing which is exactly what I wanted. I think I’m going to give this to my Granny as a gift!”
Meet Henri
Having finished his table top, Henri was busy securing two metal legs to complete his project, but it wasn’t as easy as it (might have) looked (to some)! He shared,
“I’ve used a cardboard template to cut out two pieces of metal, which I’ve then bent using specialised machinery, to ensure I get the perfect, and same angle on both legs. I love using the machinery in Design, it’s great fun and really interesting to find out how it works – then watch it work as you create your projects. I find metal quite easy to work with, well this metal anyway, it’s quite easy to bend and it behaves! It’s going to be a challenge to secure both legs to the table top in the correct place, making sure they’re both exactly where they should be, but I’m almost there!”
Mrs Cracknell, Head of Design spoke about the Year 9 project saying,
“The students have the opportunity to think creatively, experiment with designs and use the machinery which is a great experience for them. Learning and honing new skills, they experience the reward of seeing their projects take shape and come to life – it reinforces all the reasons Design is such a fun and interesting subject to study. Being able to visualise their creations, see others’ work, both their fellow students as well as designers they might have researched, is all part of the learning and inspiration process. I’m looking forward to seeing their tables completed – and so are they!”
