Scanned Boards Custom Cut into Curved Hardwood Floors

This goes on the list. You know, the one I keep of AWESOME THINGS THAT MUST BE DONE... someday... when I can afford them...  in a dark hardwood...  (yes, "in a dark hardwood" is a category on the list.  Because that's just the way I roll, baby!)

[Picked up from Dornob, Filed under New Materials or in the More category ]

We have so much technology to design and build these days, but it is all meaningless without an application like this: a device scans each board that passes through the machine, evaluates its natural curves and structural properties, then slices it into perfectly-fitting but uniquely-shaped floorboards.

The technique itself is not new, strictly speaking – master craftsmen have done things like this for ages. But the work has historically been laborious – time- and labor-intensive to the point of being cost-prohibitive. Digitized by Bolefloor, it becomes mass-producible … yet remains customized.

Aside from the amazing visual effect of having organic-looking floors, each board nesting into the next, the process also strategically eliminates knots and other structurally-troublesome deformities while maximizing the amount of use from each board.

Further, each tree is tracked from the time and location it is cut down to the final destination of its installation. While eco-friendly cork and non-wood materials have made their way steadily to market, it is nice to see an actual new-wood alternative that still considers environmental impacts.

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