When a deer's antlers are fully grown, they are shed of an outer velvet and left temporarily blood red. Combining traditional and contemporary methods of woodworking and finishing, Stag reflects the permanence of the past and the turbulence of the present.
Initian Ideation
Exploring "Ulna and Radius"
Stag Inspiration
Antlers and Spears
First Direction
Dining Chair?
![Step Stool](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/aacd18f6-fc2d-45a5-a764-3be714370939/b0d1e030-e65f-4ab9-a99d-310510d73bc4_rw_1920.jpeg?h=edb9f0ac258c64e3f68ecc3603879273)
Step Stool
![Like a thicket of branches.](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/aacd18f6-fc2d-45a5-a764-3be714370939/3a19702c-11b8-4690-9243-62dd4e556d8b_rw_1920.jpg?h=e8e11a4f827e7cce228dbf28c22634ac)
Like a thicket of branches.
Small models were made from laser-engraved MDF to understand possible joinery and variations. I made a kit of parts and experimented with multiple compositions.
![Version 1](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/aacd18f6-fc2d-45a5-a764-3be714370939/b02ce0dc-c97f-41d8-b0e3-6de427d29dbd_rw_1920.png?h=c645959eb712defe605f74ae99da5132)
Version 1
![Version 2](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/aacd18f6-fc2d-45a5-a764-3be714370939/b9fa6863-3c41-46bc-ae71-0a82b8c153a2_rw_1920.png?h=31d0f96dc541ed4aaed68e99777c36c6)
Version 2
![Version 3](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/aacd18f6-fc2d-45a5-a764-3be714370939/a6d5d399-dde5-4289-a450-134269705b63_rw_1920.png?h=0b6085fec725287f56f238b4d69d050e)
Version 3
![Version 4](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/aacd18f6-fc2d-45a5-a764-3be714370939/f893d2a5-61a0-416c-9d8f-32bb06628285_rw_1920.png?h=bfd623fe22d11422bb578d2219256915)
Version 4
![Final](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/aacd18f6-fc2d-45a5-a764-3be714370939/5bf17389-69c0-4920-8c0c-71dfd59e3a75_rw_1920.png?h=11c09755c637e84b4edb0b88262c9aea)
Final
Various CAD iterations were explored while physically prototyping.
The final design incorporates two CNC cut plywood legs, a CNC Reuleaux Triangle seat, and a hand-carved solid wood leg.
The hand-carved maple is juxtaposed by the flat-painted plywood, emphasizing a tension between traditional and contemporary woodworking.
While the red and modern antlers fight each other, the entire stool would collapse without the sturdy, traditional, carved leg. As the present is ever changing, the past remains the same.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/aacd18f6-fc2d-45a5-a764-3be714370939/b5835d81-706a-45cd-8269-861542aa97f5_rw_3840.png?h=9caba203807f56c1ba7eb5b8300519be)
CNC Layout for Stag and Tote
VCarve
CNC Cutting
Happy Results
Prep
Veneering
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/aacd18f6-fc2d-45a5-a764-3be714370939/b1b500aa-0ebd-45e6-8755-54fcbd55960d_rw_1200.png?h=e2cdcf40cae028318ed1ca4286a66f45)
Stag was a part of the RIT Industrial Design Senior Studio II show titled "Step Up," an exhibition of stool designs based on utilitarian archetypes.
Stag: Solid Hand-Carved Maple, Baltic Birch Plywood, Maple Veneer,
Linseed Oil Paint, Linseed Oil Wax - May 2024