Curvy hardwood flooring

[Richard Moore]

Not something we are likely to see outside of a super-customized home...but very cool use of available technology.

http://www.bolefloor.com/en/#p=home

I think it would look terrific in the great room of my multi-million dollar hunting/ski lodge. []

[David Meiland]

Holy smokes is that cool!

If you decide to go with an island waterfront place instead of a ski lodge, let me know, I'm your man. We do have hunting here, during tourist season, which opens in a couple of months.

[John Kogel]

It does make a groovy floor, but I'll wait and see if it really catches on.

I see you need to use the planks exactly as they are laid out in the factory. Like a jigsaw puzzle. I don't know what happens if you find a big check or some other defect in a plank. You can't just toss it aside or use it in another spot like a closet. So you send the whole floor back???

They follow the grain on some pieces, but then they have to cut the grain on the next piece to make it fit. It isn't natural to saw planks like that. []

[kurt]

Flooring for folks that never get outside to see actual trees.

Another contrivance for the bourgeoisie to make them feel natural.

It is cool looking, though I wonder why........

[Richard Moore]

If you decide to go with an island waterfront place instead of a ski lodge, let me know, I'm your man.

I've already got one of those moveable waterfront places. Center of the photo, just right of the plane. You should recognize the harbor.

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Back to the flooring...I think, as a woodworker, I am more taken with the ability to joint long boards like this than with the actual look. I know that if I had walked into a house and seen this for the first time, my mind would have been boggled imagining the work involved.

"...available at a price not considerably more than today’s fine wood flooring." I wonder what that actually means?

On the "defect in a plank" concern...I was reading the accompanying story and it stated that the company keeps the individual CAD files on record and could reproduce any board if one was damaged.

[gtblum]

It does make a groovy floor, but I'll wait and see if it really catches on.

I see you need to use the planks exactly as they are laid out in the factory. Like a jigsaw puzzle. I don't know what happens if you find a big check or some other defect in a plank. You can't just toss it aside or use it in another spot like a closet. So you send the whole floor back???

They follow the grain on some pieces, but then they have to cut the grain on the next piece to make it fit. It isn't natural to saw planks like that. []

I bet they make every order to spec and dry fit it before it's shipped.

Looks like they might not even sell it to an individual. Check out the installation link. They want it glued down and it looks like they want trained installers to do it.

You can probably make your own with a band saw, a planer, a router, beer, and a whole lot of ambition.

[kurt]

I see where they're recommending sapwood stripes "when more vitality is desired for a surface's mood."

[David Meiland]

I've already got one of those moveable waterfront places. Center of the photo, just right of the plane. You should recognize the harbor.

You were up here and didn't give me a ride? That's just mean!

A customer of mine bought a table from Urban Hardwoods, down your way. It's a couple of big slabs of Madrona joined along curved lines that follow the grain, and it's perfect. I believe they do it with CNC but I'm not sure.

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[Richard Moore]

We'll be back. The wife has an long time friend in Friday Harbor, so it's a natural stopover for us. Also just a cool place to hang out, as you already know. Perhaps a beer next time?

I could do a joint like that using just a router and a simple MDF template but, yeah, there's probably CNC in all but the smaller workshops nowadays.

[AbsoluteInspector]

I've never come across that before, but now I need it for my living room.

[Jim Katen]

I used to live in a house in Vermont that had tapered floorboards that followed the taper of the tree. As far as I know, they didn't do it to be cool but because those thrifty Yankees couldn't stand to waste any of the wood.

[Chad Fabry]

I used to live in a house in Vermont that had tapered floorboards that followed the taper of the tree. As far as I know, they didn't do it to be cool but because those thrifty Yankees couldn't stand to waste any of the wood.

I do that when I glue up table tops and such. I run each side of S2S lumber through the jointer with no concern for parallel edges.