Yes it’s skateboard time again. No, I’m not going to step on a board. I do mean by skateboard time that I want to show another upcycle design made out of skateboard material.
The colourful layered beauty of discarded veneer strips
And this time it’s a collaboration project by MapleXO. The design is called Skatelamp and is a stunning design piece. The shape, the material, the colors and of course it being a lamp, make it so incredible. MapleXO did it again, first ‘Skateback‘ with Grove and this time Skatelamp with Paul Sykes of Sykes Wood Fenders.
Lindsay Jo Holmes, (owner of MapleXO): “Sykes is an incredible woodworker from Portland OR, who makes everything from wooden bicycle fenders to hi-end furniture and store fixtures. His obsessive attention to the details of function and aesthetic make his pieces true works of art.”
Collaborating with MapleXO was a natural progression for Sykes, as she credits him with teaching her everything she knows about woodworking and power tools. If you want to know more about this then you should read this article on the blog ‘Cheap Wine And Panty Lines‘.
Lindsay Jo Holmes:
“We sort out the colored veneer and start with glueing and slicing. We’re basically making veneer-veneer! Once we have our colorful striped strips ready (and no, we don’t dye them… the colors come straight from the skateboard scrap), we square, sand, steam, and bend them.”
Photos © MapleXO
The Skatelamp is a beautiful showcase of what craftsmanship is all about. You would never guess that this design was made out of strips of maple veneer. The wood comes straight from the dumpsters of a skateboard factory in Tijuana. Since skateboards are basically a hot dog shape cut out of a rectangle, these perfect strips are left behind.
One of the most challenging parts of the Skatelamp is the channel for the cord. It’s a very labor intensive part of the process. But having the cord out of the way, running through the lamp is certainly the finishing touch. Great to know that the cord can easily be replaced.
Design by Sykes & MapleXO | Facebook | Instagram
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