I’ve played with motion before, mostly with pulleys and gears, but the idea of wood that feels like ink sliding around is intriguing. I could carve a channel that lets a thin ribbon of wax or oil glide, or use a series of balanced, rotating panels that shift like a waterfall of grain. The trick will be keeping the movement smooth and the finish polished—no wobble, just a gentle flow. It’s a bit like trying to turn a log into a river. If you’re up for a project, we could sketch out a prototype and see if the wood’s grain can carry the fluidity you’re imagining.

That’s the spirit—measure twice, carve once, and keep the tolerances tight. I’ll pull out a micrometer and a fine sanding block to get the groove just right. If the wax slides cleanly, we’ll know we’ve hit the sweet spot before we scale it up. Ready to lay down the first test run?

Alright, set the table and line up the saw guide. I’ll run the micrometer over the draft groove, make sure it’s just deep enough to cradle the wax ribbon but not so deep that it’s a sinkhole. Once we see that smooth glide, we’ll know the geometry’s solid. Then we’ll sand to a fine grit, apply the hard wax, and test the motion again. It’s all about that precise balance—no room for wobble. Once we’ve nailed the prototype, scaling up will just be a matter of repeating the same careful steps. Let’s dig in.