A Striking Chaotic Pattern Wooden Sphere Made Out of Triangular Cuts of Pine Scrap

Skilled woodworker and filmmaker Frank Howarth crafted a striking chaotic pattern sphere using pine scrap that he cut into 30° triangles thrice. Howarth explained that he started out with a series of pine blocks that he cut into identical lengths and went from there.

I cut the scrap pieces of pine wood into short lengths and stack them together to make a length of end grain material. Then I cut this at a 30° angle to start to make a pattern of angled segments. I did this three times. Then I cut the chaotic pattern into equilateral triangles and glued them into an icosahedron.

He then fashioned the sphere on his lathe and stepped back to admire his work.

Finally, I finished the sphere on the lathe. I had meant for this to just be a prototype to play with and study how the patterns work, but it ended up being a nice project in itself so I made it into a video.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.