Foam can be a convenient medium to work in. Shaping is
fast; handtools are quiet and don't dull; and the results
can visually mimic many materials while staying lightweight
and exceptionally strong in compression. Also, it is
usually an easy material to scrounge or salvage.
These RTA foam furniture projects sought to improve
particle-board RTA furniture production by utilizing
foam-board technology to reduce the overall weight and to
simplify the assembly (and dissassembly) process by
eliminating the need for fasteners or glue of any type. The
resource-utilization debates of petroleum-based polystyrene
vs. scrap-wood particle-laminate are inconclusive and it is
probable that niether are an environmentaly-friendly
solution to furniture production. Polystyrene was used
simply because it was readily available at building
suppliers and as scrap at construction and corporate sites.
The inspiration for the interlocking panels was a balsawood
model kit of a dinosaur-skeleton I received a a child.
A funny note: The table had a mischievous streak: you could
evenly load it's two tiers with up to ten lbs. of
bric-a-brac and it would hold without flinching. However,
set something on it haphazardly and even the smallest
weight imbalance would cause a gradual and very subtle
twisting of the legs until eventually (hours or days) the
legs would suddenly twirl and courtsey, tilting the
table-top to a 15-35% incline, dropping everything to the
floor, and springing smartly back upright -exactly in
place, as if nothing had happened.