Holdfast
RCA 2012
Holdfast is a concept for a furniture collection that uses a simple clamp as a joining device. The clamp element has the ability to hold a range of pieces together with a simple form typically used for holding materials to the surface of a workbench, without the need for any additional mechanical fixings.
The clamp components are manufactured in mild steel using a computer controlled wire bending machine and then powder coated to finish. The clamp components are then inserted into corresponding holes in wooden sheet material, forced into place, creating tension in the vertical leg and in turn making a strong stiff supporting structure for shelves as well as side tables, stools and other occasional home furnishings.
Photography by James Champion / Sam Weller
Cinematography by Sam Weller
Making Holdfast
Holdfast stemmed from the exploration of the clamp as not just a tool, but a mechanism to hold material together outside of the workshop space and into the home.
Holdfast was a key part of Sam’s masters program at the Royal College of Art’s Design Products course, exploring the boundaries between an initial idea, the process of making and industrial production.