Space+Materiality Assignment #7- Wood necklace and mechanical connectors

This assignment asks us to create a wood necklace using scraps with metal mechanical connectors.

First, I sketched out ideas and decided to create a triangular shaped pendant necklace that resembles the minimal pendant necklaces I normally wear.

 

To create my triangular shaped pendant, I cut out three pieces and connected them together with metal rings.

Using scraps from the woodshed, I traced out the shapes and cut them out using a small hand saw. I carefully cut out the shapes and then sanded the edges smooth.

Then, I drilled in small holes with a drill screwdriver. I hooked metal rings through the holes and fastened the ends. I did the same with the second triangle shape and connected the first two triangles with two smaller rings. Then for the third shape, I cut out an arrow shape and drilled a hole through the bottom corner and attached the rings. Initially, I attached the rings through one hole, but I went back and drilled two more holes on each side of the arrow to keep it more secure and stable. The support from the two rings on the sides kept the bottom attachment more steady and connected with the first two triangles nicely.

For the necklace, I used a chain to connect my pendant. I used pliers to reattach the hooks of the chains and evenly replaced it with metal rings as a decorative element. The pattern of the metal rings creates a nice additional touch to the necklace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reflection

Overall, I found this assignment very helpful and fun to do. I was able to become familiar with working with mechanical connectors as functional and decorative purposes and be creative with it. This helped me get used to working with wood and tools to carefully cut out the desired shapes of my design. Now, I am more comfortable using wood as a medium, and I hope to incorporate it into future projects.