The Cube

I had an idea to build a bridge out of craft sticks that people could actually walk across. Before attempting something that large, I wanted to see whether a circular structure could support the weight.

So I built The Cube as a proof of concept.

What surprised me was how strong it could be in one direction and how easily it could break when twisted. It supported around 300 pounds, but a twisting force could make it fail surprisingly easily. That taught me a lot about the forces I would have to account for if I wanted to build a full-sized bridge.

I actually came pretty close to building that bridge. But my wife kept asking a very reasonable question: Where are you going to put it?

Eventually, I accepted that our house didn’t have room for a twelve-foot bridge.

Instead, I started finding other uses for the pieces I’d already made. Some became part of Becoming and Growth. I still have a few straight sections waiting for their turn.

The Cube no longer exists. I broke it while demonstrating how vulnerable the circular structure was to twisting.

I never finished the bridge, but I learned a tremendous amount trying. And I’m still finding new things to make from the pieces.