Sharp List: Fletcher Capstan Table
In the age of crystal-clear flat-screen TVs, gene sequencing and potato chips that taste exactly like ballpark hot dogs, it’s easy to forget that the workings of some modern innovations are still visible to the naked eye. Such is the case with the Fletcher Capstan Table.
Crafted in England from woods like Brazilian mahogany, Macassar and European walnut, with a core of honeycomb aluminum for added rigidity, on its surface the Capstan looks like a beautiful round dining table. Which it certainly is. The magic, however, is hidden beneath: turn the table’s top 120 degrees and watch as 5,000 precision-milled pieces work together in perfect harmony to increase its surface area by 73 per cent. It is as much a piece of furniture as it is a mechanical marvel.
