A collection of the best tensegrity table build videos from across youtube.
this video is a two for one – it has a sculpture and a table. It’s a little unfinished as they’re not stained or polished, and they stress test the table past it’s limit pretty much as soon as it’s built! That said, it’s a great demonstration of what can be done in a short space of time. Oh, and they only use a single string/rope!
I like how simple this is – basic tools (mitre saw, hack saw and orbital hand sander) and an easy to follow build. This one is made using chain for strength, but I think it could benefit from some way of adjusting the tension on the chains.
I was in two minds about posting this as a DIY table, but that has more to do with my lack of metal working equipment and skills than it does the video. This table is a beast, made of huge steel box section. It might not be the easiest to make, but it’s certainly sturdy!
This is a small desk ornament / table – the plant pot gives a good idea of it’s scale. It might not be a large tensegrity table, but the build demonstrates amazing craftsmanship and he even shares his “oops” moment. I especially like that he explained what knot he used to tension each of the four outer lines (a taught-line hitch).
This one is less of a table in the traditional sense, and more of a desk sculpture. It’s worth checking out though because the centre “tension” on one of them is fine using magnets – magtegrity?
this person takes the magnet idea from above to another level by embedding the magnets inside the structure. A painstaking build, but an epic (if tiny) result!
This built is a little disappointing, not least because he doesn’t show the finished item in use (there are also some questionably unsafe uses of a router too!). It does feature the ability to tension the chains though – which could help with stability, it’s just a shame he doesn’t show how well that works (or not!).
It’s getting pretty clear after watching this many videos that large tensegrity tables are not very functional, they simply wobble too much and have the potential to be knocked over.
That said, both of those issues might be able to be addresses by the use of racking. I’m going to find some tensegrity structures featuring diagonal supports (and ideally chains) to see if they can reduce or even eliminate the wobble.
The wobbliness in the above tensegrity tables doesn’t seem to be an issue when it comes to tensegrity chairs though:
It’s nice to watch someone using traditional tools and reclaimed wood. This chair turned out really nicely – though I think there a bit too much rope, that maybe detracts from the structural rope elements. Regardless, Amir is a pleasure to watch!
