Why are floorboards straight when trees are not? Dutch flooring company Bolefloorsays "It wasn't nature that created straight floorboards: it was the limitations of technology." They have a really interesting idea, using "wood scanning systems, tailor-made CAD/CAM developments and innovative optimization algorithms for placement software developed by a Finnish engineering automation company and three software companies in cooperation with the Institute of Cybernetics at Tallinn University of Technology."
This is not simple to do; they have to calculate the most efficient cut and piece it all together like a jigsaw. It is a difficult technique that has been done by craftsmen, but never been available to the mass market. Perhaps in a bit of an overstatement, Bolefloor claims:
Just as Gutenberg's invention literally freed the book from monastic confines, Bolefloor technology makes natural curved-length flooring available at a price not considerably more than today's fine wood flooring.
Although it is tongue and groove like conventional wood flooring, I can't imagine that installation is as easy. But by following the natural curves, they should get a lot more wood out of a tree. What a fascinating blend of technology and nature. Bolefloor, found on Springwise.
