Cardboard-yin-yang-bookshelf DIY advice requested

rolion

Hello,

I've seen this online and i would like to replicate it with my own resources,
Any idea how that can be built with what ever i can find in city's DIY !?

Thanks.

kdouglas

You could make a template out of mdf or something to the inside curve shape, then you'd want to get some really thin plywood (1.5mm is the thinnest you can get afaik) and using hot water to soften the wood, clamp it to the mdf form and allow it to cool. This would give the basic shape, but it would be quite thin, you'd have to use several layers and glue them together to make something similar to the thickness you see in the picture.

Alternatively (and easier) you could use bendable mdf, this has lots of cuts in it to allow it to be shaped, you then clamp it and glue it into place.

e.g.

looksee

Building with cardboard is very satisfying and not particularly difficult once you have figured out the basics.

I would suggest getting a box from a large flatscreen tv, (ask on your region of Boards) they are very strong, usually 3 ply corrugation and you get a nice big area of flat card to use. Cut two circles and glue them together with pva adhesive to make the back. You can use a stanley knife (with a NEW blade) or you can use a jig saw, but don't do it in the house, it makes a horrendous amount of fine dust that floats everywhere.

You can make the shelves out of the same cardboard, but you will need something a bit more pliable to make the curved bits. Try and find single corrugated card (a flat layer, a wavy layer and another flat layer) that is reasonably soft- packing for things like fridges and furniture is the kind I mean. Decide how deep you want the rim - probably about 10 to 12 cms I would think - then cut strips with the corrugations going across the width so it will bend easily. Role the strips to make them curve, if necessary just cut through the top layer in the same direction as the corrugations to make it easer to bend.

Then you have to get artistic. Mark the centre point of your back/circle. Then mark another centre half way between the rim and the actual centre. Draw a circle touching the rim and the centre, then do another circle on the opposite side of the disc. You should then be able to use sections of the circles to make the yin yang shape. You will have to freehand a bit of it to make the lines flow into the rim.

Stick a good few bits of masking tape on the back of the disc, sticking out like rays of a sun, sticky side up. Put pva round the edge of the disc and place one of your curvy lengths of card on edge, bringing up the bits of masking tape to hold it. Go round then go inside and round again, put a bit of glue to hold the two layers together but you don't have to be fussy about it.

Butt join the strips as you go, put pva on the yin yang lines and stick the card strips to follow the lines, use bits of masking tape to hold them in place, but do it tidily. Put on a second layer to make it sturdy. Cut shelves out of the thicker card and glue and tape them in place.

You should now have a background with the yin yang shapes on, like the pic but messy and cardboard looking. You are going to finish it off with papier mache and if it is carefully done you should end up with something like your photo.

This has turned into an epic, I will come back and do the paper mache instructions tomorrow. If anything above is not very clear I will explain it.