Sebastian Cox explores the physical properties of red oak, using pressured air and ink

Along with our team of designers and makers, Sebastian has been using high pressured jets of air and ink to explore the unique physical properties of red oak; forcing this brightly coloured ink through the structural ‘veins’ from the tree. 

Supported by the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), we have created an experimental jig and ‘injection’ process to effectively colour the wood from the inside. When cut or machined, the internal colouring is revealed to highlight the distinctive porous nature of red oak.

Having worked with red oak in previous projects and collaborations with AHEC, Sebastian has always been keen to explore how this wood could be worked in ways as individual as its physical makeup. It is a uniquely porous wood. Woodsmen have been known to blow bubbles in water through pieces of kiln dried red oak, using it as though it were a straw. When sawn thinly, light is able to shine quite literally through its incredibly open grain.

This experimental work will lay the foundations of a larger creative collaboration between the Sebastian Cox design studio and workshop and AHEC; what form it takes is as yet unknown.