Most complex *one piece* item ever? (not clickbait)

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If the same chap originally conceived and designed it then I’m in awe. If he didn’t then great craftsmanship and I’m in awe of another bloke who did conceive it.

I’m a keen puzzle solver (metal, wood, rope etc) and pretty good at it. My brother tries every year to find one I can’t do. Each year he fails. He once said he thought I was a genius. Nope the bloke who designs the puzzle is the genius.

Fitz.
 
rafezetter":irxwxe26 said:
Youtube threw this vid at me - I'm glad it did, and more than a little stunned by the complexity of this item, all crafted with basic hand tools.

Enjoy :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBQF_6TQks0

(and I thought the guy making wooden pliers out of one bit of wood was impressive...)

I particularly like his vise. I also have a tree and a rag. Why didn't I think of that?
 
Fitzroy":2tp69lqu said:
If the same chap originally conceived and designed it then I’m in awe. If he didn’t then great craftsmanship and I’m in awe of another bloke who did conceive it.
Fitz.

The stool design is credited to the "father" of Chinese woodworking, Lu Ban - from around 500BC. Very interesting guy for woodworkers. He is said to have invented around half the tools used in Chinese carpentry including the saw after cutting his hand on the edge of a serrated leaf.

Apparently regarded as a god in Chinese folklore

Hence the Luban range of handtools from Quansheng
 
Amazing work, but I can't help thinking these things are a triumph of misplaced ingenuity. So many easier ways of making stool the same height. Including starting - and finishing - with a block of wood not much more than twice the thickness ! The design obviously dates to an era when labour was cheap.
 
Sheffield Tony":1a3jyt0l said:
Amazing work, but I can't help thinking these things are a triumph of misplaced ingenuity. So many easier ways of making stool the same height. Including starting - and finishing - with a block of wood not much more than twice the thickness ! The design obviously dates to an era when labour was cheap.

I don't think these were designed for mass production or general use. This kind of thing would be a novelty for the upper and middle classes to show off and take travelling. Not only is it far too time consuming (and hence expensive) for the average man, but I doubt the majority of craftsmen had the skills and tools to make it.
 
Oddly enough, I watched the video and thought "why". My belief is that clever engineering achieves the cheapest and simplest solution to a problem. It is skilled but somewhat pointless.
 
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