Standing Spike Holder
03/09/2019
An original order that remarkably illustrates numerunique’s creation process.
This order came from a professional double bassist who already owned a numerunique spike holder (the four-hole model) and was fully satisfied while playing seated. But he increasingly had to play standing…
Hence his new request for a model usable without straps and, as original as it is ingenious, with a "resonance chamber."
This is precisely the right way to submit a request to numerunique: a clear goal with full freedom to respond.
The response first took the form of digital renderings presenting the project:
Validating the project was much simpler than bringing it to life.
It’s worth noting that computer-assisted object production is both rigorous and unpredictable. Rigorous because machining instructions are mathematically precise. Unpredictable because in the real world, you face unforeseen issues, machine precision limits, incidents, and the unique nature of a piece of wood, which is inherently one-of-a-kind—all part of the charm of tangible creation.
This project’s realization was particularly fraught with obstacles.
Starting with the machining prototype, made on softer wood scrap, which failed due to a mill breakdown: the spindle stopped rotating, but its movement continued, causing wood tear-out:
With a new machining strategy, the issue seemed resolved, and production resumed on the chosen wood for the final piece. Unfortunately, machining failed further along, again with the spindle stopping but movement continuing, plus a position shift:
Production resumed with another machine. But an adjustment to the tool sensor’s position lost the vertical reference, resulting in an unwanted hole:
On the third attempt, the technically intended result was finally achieved:
This standing spike holder was then handed to the double bassist for real-world testing: validated!
However, producing such an object is far from trivial. You can get a glimpse through these machining videos:
- hollowing the "resonance chamber":
- surface finishing:
In total, over a dozen steps and numerous manual interventions are needed to produce this standing spike holder, making it relatively costly and entirely incompatible with mass production.