Open Archive, The Half Sheet Bar Table

Our third Open Archive release is a celebration of Open Design and the collaborative culture it instills… Co-authoring the Half Sheet Bar Table.

If the name sounds familiar, that’s because it is. The original Half Sheet Table (designed by Lynton Pepper) has long been a feature of the Opendesk furniture collection. With over 2,600 downloads, it’s a bit of a household name.

Lynton published his design under the CC - 0 licence (creative commons - zero). In brief, this license quite literally mean you can use the design for whatever you wish. Version, hack, re-distribute, copy, in any context. Its is the most “open” of creative commons license and imposes no restrictions on use.

The lack of control a designer has over this license makes it rare in a hardware context. Choosing the CC - 0 license is a design statement - a willingness to embrace the open design movement and power a new collaborative design culture.

By the very definition of this license, I was able to take Lyntons original design, and create my own design variant. I downloaded Lynton’s original Half Sheet Table file and used it as my core design language on which to base a new design - a bar table. It was important that my bar table variant echo’d the design language from the original design. In this way, Lynton and I could grow a range of products, based around the aesthetic principles set in his original Half Sheet Table design. This is not limited to Lynton and I. Anybody can do this. Open Design in motion - A dispersed group of otherwise unrelated individuals co-authoring products.

Now we want to share the design with you…

Included in this blog :

  • Cutting file (.dxf)
  • 3D model (.skp)

We want to see the design being downloaded, made by DIYers and versioned by designers! It’s important to state that use of these files in a production context will require input from the user, to source appropriate material / hardware, according to their geographic location. As a result, it may be necessary to adjust the cutting files to suit material / hardware that is sourced.

Cutting File

Download the cutting file here and access the very files we used to manufacture the Half Sheet Bar Table in London UK and Chicago USA with a local makers. The drawing is mastered in metric units. Those more accustomed to imperial units will need to convert in their CAD software.

3D Model

Access the SketchUp model here, downloaded over 35,000 times! If you don’t have SketchUp CAD software, you can download it for free here. Use the 3D model to understand how the table is assembled. This is not a technical asset and should not be used to direct manufacture.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that, if you are interested in the Half Sheet Bar Table but lack the time to make your own, contact us and we can manage the process for you, through our network of independent fabricators. Get in touch with our team here!

The Half Sheet Bar Table was designed by Lynton Pepper and Josh Worley