#248 | Cuttlery

Item #248 is an ambidextrous cutlery that can be held as either a knife or a fork depending on the holding orientation.

Have your cake, eat it too and serve it to others without extra silverware!

A cake can be both sliced by one of #248 instances and a pair of them can be used in unison to form a cake server.

Both orientations has dedicated resting spots to apply pressure via index finger for improved finesse and control.

Using two instances in unison can give the user the same mobility as using salad tongs or a cake serving spade.

Item #248 is highly stackable as it’s flat surface makes it easy to store.

In my first year in NABA, our Technology of Materials Laboratory class assigned us design and make objects for various kinds of materials and process.

In there get to explore the ergonomics of mainstream silverware, mainly forks & knives for a part of the assignment.

Over three separate iterations for different manufacturing methods I achieved a hold of putting them in users palm and controlling the tip by pressing the index finger.

Example cases were:

-People often switching the knife hand (R) to use a fork in absence of knife usage (eating pasta or cake comes to mind).

-Using two forks as the same time in cases of de-boning fish or some dishes like pulled pork.

Material choice for it be better wooden such as bamboo to cut costs, prevent user related injuries that may come from the knife side/function and as a two-person only cake server this would not hinder it’s intended ability or function.

The other considerable method of manufacturing stainless steel by sheet metal press cutting as this object is directly intended to be proposed to Alessi.