piste spice rack

spice rack · wenge

Wenge is not known for its flexibility, but its highly linear edge grain makes it well suited for bent laminations. Each ply is 1/16" thick, and at that thickness the Wenge bends to a 9" radius without cracking.

This piece is suited to variation. A different size case as well as more or fewer shelves of varying sizes and depths are all possibilities here. 

wood
wenge
size
18″ w × 2¾″ d × 39″ h
finish
hardwax oil
price
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availability
built to order
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local pickup / local delivery / shipping

the empty spice rack in its pill-shaped opening the spice rack set into a kitchen wall, filled with jars a divider meeting a shelf, with fiery wenge grain shelves and dividers against the curved side
a long shelf edge in raking light the grain of the wenge back panel

process

Leading up to this project, I began to feel obsessed by the idea of a piece featuring a profusion of small drawers and openings. When I sketched out the dimensions I realized this thing would have to be quite enormous to be built as drawn. And open shelves made a lot more sense than dozens of cubbies. Plus, although the drawers played with symmetry and asymmetry in a compelling way, they weren't very practical. Next time I make the piste spice rack, I'll make a curved bowl that fits into the bottom curve for storing garlic. And I'll probably make the case wider too.

pencil sketch of the spice rack: a tall pill-shaped frame with a grid of small shelves and rounded compartments at top and bottom thin wenge plies laid side by side on the bench, ready for bending clamps along the edge of the laminated wenge case during the glue-up looking down on the bent-lamination glue-up: the wenge plies wrapped around a curved form, with a ring of clamps radiating out

let's make
something.

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