5. The TEDxPhiladelphia Team came to Oat Foundry with a goal to take their sign
from the previous year (designed and fabricated by NextFab) and refresh it for
the 2015 “…And Just for All” Event held on June 11th 2015. The caveat: the
event was in 9 days.
TEDx is an international community that organizes TED-style events anywhere
and everywhere -- celebrating locally-driven ideas and elevating them to a
global stage. TEDxevents are produced independently of TED conferences,
each event curates speakers on their own, but based on TED’s format and
rules.
CONTENTS
6. Oat Foundry came to a conclusion regarding the design: typical TEDx signs attempt to hide the support structure, but
always seem to fall short. The letters are meant to look like they are “floating in space”, but it is always possible to see
the wood or metal. We also realized that we needed to choose construction methods that are fast — time was against
us.
With these conclusions in mind, Oat Foundry decided to allow our city skyline to make the statement and set it as the
backdrop for the TEDxPhiladelphia sign. Also, Erik of Top Banana USA helped us to print out a 21” vinyl “reflection”
of that skyline in the water.
TEDxPhiladelphia’s “And Justice for All” is a great step in bridging the moat currently preventing a more egalitarian
Philadelphia.
EVENT SIGN
7. The Bait Shoppe is a full-service experiential marketing agency. They are stra-
tegic partners in conception and execution of brand programming and activa-
tion. The Bait Shoppe has worked with brands like Samsung, Acura, Sonos,
General Mills, Capital One, and MTV to name a few. With each client they
start by understanding the goal, the people, and the story. They then translate
those insights into groundbreaking ideas that bring brands to life as real-world
experiences.
The Baite Shoppe came to Oat Foundry with a unique sign idea for Burt’s Bees
for an upcoming event. The catch? The event was only a week away. In only
4 days the Oat Foundry team aligned on the design, came up with a fabri-
cation plan, executed, and delivered in time to bolster the Burt’s Bees brand
experience at the event.
CONTENTS
8. Once Oat Foundry was provided the Burt’s Bees logo and some design direction from the Bait Shoppe team, it was
time to get to work crafting a fabrication plan. The design aesthetic included 2ft lettering in the style of the Burt’s Bees
logo lined in 5” sections of reclaimed wood lath from West Philadelphia.
The team got to work straight away routing the letters out of medium density fiberboard. In parallel, the wood lathe
was cut and sanded to match. Over 500 individual pieces of wood lathe later, the sign was ready to be assembled.
Adhesive was applied to each piece of wood lathe, then nailed directly to the fiberboard. Finally, once each letter was
backed and lined with wood lathe, a fresh coat of Pantone 135 was applied to give the sign its signature Burt’s Bees
color. A few angle brackets were applied to the backs of the letters for mounting and the sign was delivered.
BURT’S BEES SIGN
9. United Entertainment Group is a global marketing agency specialized in
entertainment, sports, and lifestyle. UEG is a unique partnership between DJE
Holdings, United Talent Agency, and marketing pioneer Jarrod Moses. With
offices in NYC, LA, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, Austin, and Dallas, United
Entertainment Group services a wide variety of clients including the likes of
turnkey delivery service Grubhub.
United Entertainment Group came to Oat Foundry looking for two signs for
their client GRUBHUB to put on display at two different events, one in Austin,
TX and one in Scottsdale, AZ. In short order the signs were designed, fabri-
cated, packaged, and shipped ready and waiting to be put on display – in only
four days.
CONTENTS
10. The 4’x2’ signs are a white acrylic with embossed lettering painted red. The acrylic was prepped and machined to
expose the lettering. Each letter then had evenly spaced holes marked and drilled, followed by a fresh coat of paint.
Evenly spaced lights were affixed to the acrylic to give the sign a marquee styling while the painted MDF boarders
and backing provide depth and structural rigidity to the design. The battery operated lighting allows the sign to be
transported and setup anywhere.
GRUBHUB SIGN
11. After seeing our wooden Core Value medallions at Saxby’s, Rick Nucci, CEO
of Guru, approached us with a novel challenge: interweave the unexpected
combination of a naturalistic wooden element with an ultramodern LED glow
in order to create a brand sign that would stand out, literally and figuratively,
at the Guru headquarters in the heart of Philadelphia.
Guru is reinventing the way your team captures knowledge, providing access
to verified information from experts on your team; where you work and when
you need it most. Whether you are on a call, in your inbox, or in your CRM,
Guru is a layer of knowledge that lives where you work. Have confidence
that verified information from experts on your team is right at your fingertips.
Guru is founded by successful SaaS innovators Rick Nucci and Mitchell Stewart
and is based in the heart of Old City, Philadelphia.
CONTENTS
12. Oat Foundry got the chance to expand our sign-building capacities and work in new mediums with this neat project
from Guru, an innovative, Philadelphia-based developer helping companies to centralize team knowledge and
streamline employees’ information-gathering and workflows. We were tasked with recreating the Guru emblem in
a totally unique way: through finding a means by which to scale and replicate the logo into a 24”x48” sign, using
materials that fit the stylistic bill while also providing for diffusion of LED lighting.
We brought smoked and clear acrylic, wood, stainless steel standoffs, and an LED lighting system into the mix for
this project, working with Adobe Illustrator to scale the dimensions and our own twelve hands and six brains to find
the best way to achieve the results that the guys at Guru had sketched out in initial consultations. Our primary design
challenge was coming up with a way to configure the LED wiring between the wooden and acrylic lettering panels
while keeping the sign streamlined and allowing for ideal light reflection (plus, as a bonus, providing an easy way to
change the LED color in the future).
The end result? Guru sign glowing like a couple of kids in love (and a happy client - we’re into that, too).
LED SIGN
13. Saxbys came to Oat Foundry looking for some custom brand medallions to
make their new local openings stand out. Saxbys CEO Nick Bayer maxed out
his AmEx card to create Saxbys Coffee in 2005 because he wanted to provide
a welcoming space with consistently good coffee. Since then — thanks to an
unparalleled focus on hospitality and community — Saxbys has expanded to
30 cafés. Their mission statement is to Make Life Better, which permeates
through everything we do — engaging with guests and remembering their
names and orders, partnering with local businesses, and volunteering in the
community. As a team, they embrace being O.D.D. (Outgoing, Detail oriented,
and Disciplined) so we can focus on hospitality first.
CONTENTS
14. Oat Foundry approaches each brand medallion differently based upon the location it is going into and the vision
Saxbys has for its fit into their space. Oat Foundry sources reclaimed wood from our local lumber yard that fits the
size needed for the space. Cut from a single piece of wood, Oat Foundry engineers lay out the logo and stylings needed
for each brand medallion using software, then utilize a CNC router to make multiple passes following that layout
to achieve the desired look for each unique medallion. Once routed, each sign is ready for some finishing touches
like cleaning up the lines and recesses and apply the necessary paint or staining needed to complete the look. Once
complete, we hand deliver and install in one of the many new Saxbys locations popping up around the country.
BRAND MEDALLIONS
16. Founded in 1995 by Stephen Starr, Philadelphia based STARR Restaurants is
one of the largest multi-concept restaurant companies in the country with 31
to-date. Philadelphia restaurants include Buddakan, Morimoto, The Continen-
tal, Barclay Prime, Fette Sau, El Vez, Pod, Parc, Frankford Hall, Ranstead Room,
and more. Starr Restaurants also has outposts of Morimoto, Buddakan, and El
Vez in New York City, along with locations in Atlantic City, Bal Harbour, Miami,
and Washington D.C.
Starr Restaurant Group approached Oat Foundry with a problem. They
needed 18 totally custom sconces along with 50 unique candle stick holders
made for the newest addition to their restaurant portfolio: A whimsical french
restaurant titled ‘Le Cou Cou’ in Soho, NY. “Custom” by the common parlance
means a few off the shelf parts mixed with some good old fashioned elbow
grease. Custom for Stephen Starr is defined by individually cast and hand fin-
ished pewter molded components, over 100’ of brazed pewter sheets, entirely
unique hand blown glass shades, precisely laser cut steel backplates, and a
trip to a UL agent for all the proper certifications.
CONTENTS
17. BB
1/4" for Wall mount
Front Elevation
5
8"
3
16"
6
7
16"
3
16"
11
1
2"
3
3
8 "
3"
R1
1
8
"
R21
4"
1
3
8"
11
16"Typ.
1
2 " thru-hole for
electrical wiring
3
16 " Finial Rod, typ.
7
8"
1
5
8 "
2"
7"
R3"
1
4"
1
2"
13
16 " Typ. Scallop Width
A
A
1/4" Cast Bubble Glass Shade
to match RW2 glass
Cast Pewter Scalloped Tiara
to match RW2 metal
CNTRSNK Rivet
Secures Trim to Base
ISO
Scale 1:4
Scale 1:4
SIDE ELEVATION PLAN
Scale 1:2 Scale 1:2
4
A
123
B B
A
2 134
1
DO NOT SCALE DRAWING
Sconce Assy
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SIZE
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NAME DATE
COMMENTS:
Q.A.
MFG APPR.
ENG APPR.
CHECKED
DRAWN
FINISH
MATERIAL
INTERPRET GEOMETRIC
TOLERANCING PER:
DIMENSIONS ARE IN INCHES
TOLERANCES:
FRACTIONAL
ANGULAR: MACH BEND
TWO PLACE DECIMAL
THREE PLACE DECIMAL
APPLICATION
USED ONNEXT ASSY
PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS
DRAWING IS THE SOLE PROPERTY OF
Oat Foundry LLC. ANY
REPRODUCTION IN PART OR AS A WHOLE
WITHOUT THE WRITTEN PERMISSION OF
Oat Foundry LLC IS
PROHIBITED.
Designed by the famous interiors firm, Roman and Williams, Oat Foundry embarked on an exciting journey at
breakneck speed to accomplish a herculean task: build an entirely unique prototype sconce, subject it to the most
critical eyes in the industry over two rounds of intense design review, and then hand build 18 more … in just 50 days.
Oat Foundry pulled out all the stops: creating high temperature silicone molds from SolidWorks designed, 3D
printed parts; hand-casting each of 18 beautiful tiaras; and welding and bending sheets and sheets of pewter. Then,
after creating a 100 year patina on every piece of exposed metal, each of these sconces was individually UL Listed.
Finally, the units themselves were hand delivered to the new restaurant at 11 Howard Street in SoHo, complete with
instruction manuals on how to assemble.
BUBBLE GLASS SCONCE
18. After finishing up with the sconces, Starr Restaurant Group approached Oat Foundry with another endeavor. They
needed 50 unique candle stick holders, which first needed internal alignment on design with famed firm Roman and
Williams, then to be fabricated and finished to match the sconces in a few short weeks after that. With pewter casting
and finishing expertise in hand, Oat Foundry went to bat. In about a month Oat Foundry was able to design and
create molds, cast 150 components in pewter, complete all finishing work, and deliver to the restaurant to provide a
candlelight meal for all of Le Cou Cou’s patrons to enjoy.
The structure was broken down into three main components, the top cylindrical structure, the middle decoratively
fluted structure, and the base. Within a week, a salvaged antique was used in conjunction with a uniquely modeled
base to create the high temperature silicone molds needed for pewter casting. The first prototype was subsequently
casted, and minor design changes agreed upon. From there, it was time to get to work on making 50 more.
Oat Foundry began casting pewter replicas of each of the three main components. Each base was precisely CNC
machined to ensure each candlestick would sit flush on any surface. The bases were then undercut to provide a
decorative ledge, finely sanded, and drilled and counter-bored to allow room for hardware assembly through the axis
of the candlestick. The decorative middle component was sanded and faced on both the top and bottom surfaces then
drilled to make room for the threaded hardware hidden within the candlestick. Finally, the top piece designed to hold
the candle was sanded, then drilled and tapped to mate perfectly with the hardware protruding from the base through
the middle structure. Each piece was painstakingly patina’d along the way, ensuring each exposed surface was covered
and made to match the sconces that would be dawning the walls of the restaurant.
CANDLE STICK HOLDER
19. Starr Restaurants had yet another challenge for the team at Oat Foundry - create an exact look and feel replica of a
vintage sconce. Everything from the weight, to the finish, and all of the decorative details in between needed to be spot
on, and with little time to spare.
The Oat Foundrymen received the vintage sconce in question and went to work breaking the sconce down into
components, creating custom molds, and sourcing assembly and electrical components to take the place of the vintage
wiring. The team was able to cast several complex pieces without losing a grain of detail, all the while maintaining
the heft and feel of the original vintage sconce. Once the components were broken down and cast, they were quickly
finished to match the same vintage look, speeding up the aging process to achieve a like for like replica of the original
vintage sconce - can you tell which is which?
VINTAGE SCONCE REPLICA
20. Mann-Hughes Architecture is a firm based out of Doylestown, PA that focuses
on architectural design, interior design, planning and structural design. Their
portfolio consists of a number of different designs and plans for educational,
professional, industruial, ecclesiastical, recrational, residential, institutional,
commercial, and public buildings. One such project for a facility required a
marquee sign which Oat Foundry needed to design and fabricate from the
ground up. The sign was to feature “the table” on two lines approximately five
feet by nine feet and include a wood lathe backing with sheet metal outline
and light bulbs spaced evenly within.
MANN-HUGHES
ARCHITECTURE
CONTENTS
21. A marquee “the table” sign was needed - the architect chose the font, and Oat Foundry did the rest. The letters were
CNC routed with holes for Candelabra sockets and channels for wires. Wood lath reclaimed from a West Philadelphia
basement renovation were affixed to the front and flush cut by hand to match the letters. After a bath in a fire
retardant coating, the letters were populated with the electrical components, wired and then trimmed in sheet steel bent
by hand. Finally, the letters were delivered and installed with French cleats.
The design of a marquee sign is rather straightforward, but careful attention to detail design must be made to keep
the fabricators from striking. The most critical design prerogative was to have the robots (the CNC router) do as
much work as possible and for this reason features such as light socket holes, mounting hardware recesses and wiring
channels were included. With the letters cut from MDF, the wood lath and the sheet metal trim could be cut and bent
to the same shape with relative ease and all electrical components fell into their precut recesses.
MARQUEE SIGN
22. Pop! Promos came to Oat Foundry looking for some unique fabrication for
their new location just outside of the Old City district in Philadelphia. Pop!
Promos began as an idea in a dorm room. In three years it has grown into a
multimillion-dollar full-service promotional products company with offices in
three countries and a staff of more than 20 people.Its employees were previ-
ously working out of 2,000 square feet on Fourth Street in South Philadelphia,
but were moving to a space three times as large and needed some custom
fabrication.
Pop! Promos’ product line has grown, too, to 17 items in all, including woven
beanies, lanyards, knit gloves with touchscreen sensors, iPhone chargers, and
sticky wallets. The expansion has been in response to requests from clients,
the majority of whom are no longer the schools themselves, but, rather, pro-
motional-product distributors whose customers are many of the Fortune 500
companies.
CONTENTS
23. Pop Promos engaged Oat Foundry in the late fall 2015 to outfit their new headquarters based in Northern Liberties.
Turning the unfinished storage space into a sleek office space, with just a hint of its former self, required major design
changes. To achieve this, one of the alterations was to knock out the over- head garage door in the rear of the building,
and replace it with industrial casement windows to let in more natural light.
Over the course of 2 weeks, Oat Foundry fabricated the new steel framing in 2 large grids, which were then tied into
the existing steel framing. The casement windows were then glazed in place, each with individual angle iron sash
frames. Timing was a sensitive issue during the install, which took place mid December 2015 – the existing garage door
was knocked out roughly 10am that morning, and the breach in the building needed to be closed as soon as possible.
Within 18 hours, the Oat Foundry site team worked to fully install the frames, glaze and seal glass, and install security
film over the bottom 2/3 of the wall. In this way, natural light would still be allowed to permeate the expansive, open-
air co-working space, while still providing necessary privacy for a private business.
GLASS WALL
151
5
16"MetalFraming
119" Metal Framing
C
2" Sq. Tube Framing,
Anchored to Existing
Metal Frame
(hidden hardware)
Bottom 4 Rows
to receive
3M Security Film
Tempered Glass
(first row only)
Annealed Glass
5
32 " All Around Glass Assembly/Rubber Shoe
Fill with weather resistant sealant
to seal and secure windows into frame
G
G
DETAIL C: Typ Glass Frame Det
SCALE 1 : 12
Existing Metal Framing
1/16" Thk. Weather Resistant
Neoprene Trim
to be installed
all around 2" Sq. Tube Metal
Jamb, Sill and Head
2" Sq. Tube Framing,
Anchored to Existing
Metal Frame
(hidden hardware)
Alum. Rivets
anchor Glass Framing
to 2" Sq. Tube Framing/
Adjacent Glass Frames
Alum. Rivets
anchor Glass Framing
to 2" Sq. Tube Framing/
Adjacent Glass Frames
Rubber Shoe to accept
1/2" Glazing Assembly,
Trim all around
1/16" Thk. Weather Resistant
Neoprene Trim
to be installed
all around Glass Framing
5
32 " Gap All Around
Glass Assembly/Rubber Shoe
for Weather Resistant sealant
to seal windows into frame
SECTION G-G
SCALE 1 : 12
1/16" Thk. Weather Resistant
Neoprene Trim
to be installed
all around 2" Sq. Tube Metal
Jamb, Sill and Head
Alum. Rivets
anchor Glass Framing
to 2" Sq. Tube Framing/
Adjacent Glass Frames
Rubber Shoe to accept
1/2" Glazing Assembly,
Trim all around
1/2" Double Paned,
Insulated Glass Assy
Front Elev: Garage Door
2" Sq. Tube Framing,
Anchored to Existing
Metal Frame
(hidden hardware)
4
A
123
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A
Garage Door
Assy
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TITLE:
810 N Hancock
NAME DATE
COMMENTS:
Q.A.
MFG APPR.
ENG APPR.
CHECKED
DRAWN
FINISH
MATERIAL
INTERPRET GEOMETRIC
TOLERANCING PER:
DIMENSIONS ARE IN INCHES
TOLERANCES:
FRACTIONAL
ANGULAR: MACH BEND
TWO PLACE DECIMAL
THREE PLACE DECIMAL
APPLICATION
USED ONNEXT ASSY
PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS
DRAWING IS THE SOLE PROPERTY OF
Oat Foundry LLC. ANY
REPRODUCTION IN PART OR AS A WHOLE
WITHOUT THE WRITTEN PERMISSION OF
Oat Foundry LLC IS
PROHIBITED.
24. Oat Foundry also provided fabrication for the Pop Promos conference room. Massive barn-style, overhead roller doors
were desired to match the high ceilings and generous space offered by the expansive co-working area.
An industrial look was desired for the roller doors, which would match the casement factory windows and rough,
unfinished look of the railings previously installed. In order to meet these design criteria, while matching a tight
materials budget, Oat Foundry got creative with fabrication.
Sourcing 5’x10’ sheets of ¾” ply, Oat Foundry sheathed the doors in aluminum flashing, accented with brass studs, and
stained the visible edges of the door to provide a lightweight, rough-yet-refined look to these roller barn doors. This
union of wood and metal was further emphasized by the beautiful, solid walnut handles, resulting in an impressive set
of custom conference room doors that look good from anywhere in co-working.
CONFERENCE DOOR
107"FrameOpening
118" Frame Opening
18" Track Anchors
O.C. typ.
108"Doors
120" Doors
EQ. EQ. 3
8 " A.F.F.
Bottom of Door
12" O.C. typ spacing
Alum. Tacks to pierce and
secure Alum. Sheathing
12" Alum. Sheathing
42"Handle
Height
Black Iron Track,
1/4" x 1" x 8' LengthsTrack End Stops
Roller Guides
anchored into floor
within frame opening
A
B
3
4 " Plywood,
Sandwiched by Alum. Sheathing
@ 0.010" thk
1" Door to Wall
clearance
DETAIL A: Track Hardware
SCALE 1 : 4
Black Standoffs
Hardware thru
into Door Head/
Studs behind drywall
Spaced 18" O.C. typ.
Black Iron Track,
1/4" x 1" x 8' Lengths
Roller Door Hardware
Black, Matte
Track End Stops,
Black, Matte
Alum. Tacks to
pierce and secure
Alum. Sheathing
10"
1
1
2 "
DETAIL B: Handle
SCALE 1 : 8
Solid Walnut Grip w/
Grooved Channel
for fingerhold
10" x 1-1/2" x 1-1/2"
CNTRSNK woodscrews
hidden under Alum.
Sheathing
3/4" Plywood Core
118" Frame Opening
113" Max Clearance
57
1
2 "
Roller Guides
anchored into floor
within frame opening,
Hidden at Fully Open
Front Elevation: Conference Doors - Closed
Front Elevation: Conference Doors
Open
4
A
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B B
A
2 134
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Rolling Conf
Doors
SHEET 1 OF 1
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REVDWG. NO.
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SIZE
TITLE:
810 N Hancock
NAME DATE
COMMENTS:
Q.A.
MFG APPR.
ENG APPR.
CHECKED
DRAWN
FINISH
MATERIAL
INTERPRET GEOMETRIC
TOLERANCING PER:
DIMENSIONS ARE IN INCHES
TOLERANCES:
FRACTIONAL
ANGULAR: MACH BEND
TWO PLACE DECIMAL
THREE PLACE DECIMAL
APPLICATION
USED ONNEXT ASSY
PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS
DRAWING IS THE SOLE PROPERTY OF
Oat Foundry LLC. ANY
REPRODUCTION IN PART OR AS A WHOLE
WITHOUT THE WRITTEN PERMISSION OF
Oat Foundry LLC IS
PROHIBITED.
25. In order to further espouse the “rough industrial” look, Pop Promos also employed Oat Foundry to fabricate and
install black iron pipe railings for their ADA ramp, mezzanine stairwell, and 80’+ of railing in their mezzanine area.
Working with the architects and designers, Oat Foundry provided submittal drawings for the railing assemblies, and
then fabricated from approved drawing sets. During installation on site, major adaptations needed to be made to
accommodate some changes in the site construction – namely, a missing wall! Oat Foundry was able to get creative on
site with our pre-fabricated railings, doing some on site cutting and welding, cleverly allowing the railings to tie into
the altered site conditions.
The result was a successful, on time and on budget install. The railings provide the rough and unfinished industrial
look desired, further bringing cohesion to design aesthetics in the new co-working space.
RAILINGS
64' 5" (Confirm Site Dim)
64' Rail-to-Rail2
1
2 " Pipe O.C.
to F.O. Wall
2
1
2 " Pipe O.C.
to F.O. Wall
2
1
2 " Pipe O.C. from Mezzanine
Confirm Dim?
Mezzanine
A
2
1
2 " Flange O.C. to
F.O. Wall
96" Typ. O.C.
21"
42"
DETAIL A
SCALE 1 : 16
1" Black Iron Pipe, Typ.
Black Iron Tee
Black Iron Cross
Black Iron 90 Elbow
Mezzanine Railing to consist of
8 repeating rail sections -
8' Length each
4
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A
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REVDWG. NO.SIZE
TITLE:
NAME DATE
COMMENTS: Mezz railing to match Mezz
stairwell railing fabrication design -
5/8" exposed thread at each pipe
fitting joint
Q.A.
MFG APPR.
ENG APPR.
CHECKED
DRAWN
Unfinished
FINISH
MATERIAL
INTERPRET GEOMETRIC
TOLERANCING PER:
DIMENSIONS ARE IN INCHES
TOLERANCES:
FRACTIONAL
ANGULAR: MACH BEND
TWO PLACE DECIMAL
THREE PLACE DECIMAL
APPLICATION
USED ONNEXT ASSY
PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS
DRAWING IS THE SOLE PROPERTY OF
Oat Foundry LLC. ANY
REPRODUCTION IN PART OR AS A WHOLE
WITHOUT THE WRITTEN PERMISSION OF
Oat Foundry LLC IS
PROHIBITED.
26. Saxbys came to Oat Foundry looking for some unique furniture and fixturing
for their headquarters as well as some new local openings. Saxbys CEO Nick
Bayer maxed out his AmEx card to create Saxbys Coffee in 2005 because he
wanted to provide a welcoming space with consistently good coffee. Since
then — thanks to an unparalleled focus on hospitality and community — Sax-
bys has expanded to 30 cafés. Their mission statement is to Make Life Better,
which permeates through everything we do — engaging with guests and
remembering their names and orders, partnering with local businesses, and
volunteering in the community. As a team, they embrace being O.D.D. (Out-
going, Detail oriented, and Disciplined) so we can focus on hospitality first.
CONTENTS
27. This powerful piece is a statement, whether used as a dining room table or a conference table. Crafted from six slabs of
beautifully figured, salvaged Pennsylvania Black Walnut, the two tabletops sit on handmade steel plate legs and reveal
a white oak center detail. Chamfered edges and a incredibly smooth, high-gloss, water repelling finish complete the
messages behind this piece: Detail, beauty, elegance. The tables is 62” L x 96” W x 29” H.
CONFERENCE TABLE
28. This coffee table is made from four quarters cut from a single walnut slab. The live edge around the circumference
compliments the beautiful connecting wood grain. This table is approximately 48” in diameter and 16” high.
SALVAGED WALNUT TABLES
29. Oat Foundry has helped provide furniture centerpieces, signature Saxbys signage other fabrication solutions for
multiple locations around the greater Philadelphia area, so it was only natural that Oat Foundry be involved in the
new Saxbys UPenn storefront.
For their new storefront, Saxbys wanted the interior to be as inviting and hospitable as their company core values,
and for the centerpiece for the store, Saxbys approached Oat Foundry with the desire for large co-working tables –
specifically, two of them. Both tables, one 9’x4’ and the other 14’x4’, would provide an open pallet for groups of any
size to collaborate freely and without feeling cramped.
Both tables were constructed of square stock tube framing, each welded as one piece. The entirety of each frame was
then cladded in ¾” walnut veneered plywood, mitered at all joints to create a sleek and beautiful form. To emphasize
the clean lines of the mitered joints, the table shows no visible hardware, which the Oat Foundry team was able to
accomplish with a precise build plan. The tables were then protected with a water based polyurethane, polished to a
silky smooth finish, and then delivered and installed onsite for the location Grand Opening.
14’ VENEER TABLE
30. Saxby’s called us on a Tuesday afternoon in need of some serious short-term fab: The inspector was coming that
Thursday afternoon and without the Certificate of Occupancy, the café would not open the following Monday.
We stayed up for almost the entire 40 or so hours from first cut to delivery. It encompassed all of the tenets of Oat
Foundry’s humble beginnings — talented engineers rolling up their sleeves and scrappin’ and hustlin’ to get.it.done.
HANDRAILS
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31. Bryn and Dane’s Health Food offers fast, affordable and most important-
ly, healthy food for the savvy consumer. Expanding from their headquarters
location in Horsham, PA, Bryn and Dane’s have partnered with the Ambler
YMCA to provide excellent food options for its patrons. Their kiosk “cube” is
an attractive, steam punk design with deliberate material choices that really
make the storefront pop; rusted angle steel framing, translucent corrugated
cardboard, and reclaimed wood that give the kiosk a comfortable, organic
feel. However, the previous fabricator dropped off midway through the proj-
ect, and Oat Foundry was approached to pick up the project, and to finish the
design and construction.
CONTENTS
32. Oat Foundry was poised to quickly jump-in and pick up the pieces of this half-finished kiosk design. Portions of the
previous metalworking needed to be completely redone, as well as fabrication of entirely new panels to comply with
desired design changes. Additionally, Oat Foundry provided engineering design assistance for the intricate, folding door
designs yet to be built, tested or implemented.
After completing much of the metal work at Oat Foundry HQ, it was necessary to do the delicate install work late a
night when patrons of the local YMCA were not present. This meant middle of the night, on-site installs to meet the
aggressive construction deadlines. Oat Foundrymen came in at close and worked well into the next morning until the
project was completed. With the intimate knowledge of the design and fabrication process of this cube, Oat Foundry
and Bryn and Dane’s are looking to partner together in 2015 to open more cube locations identical the YMCA kiosk.
KIOSK
33. Servicing over 1,000 customers a day when the Convention Center is in full
swing, DiNic’s Roast pork is at the heart of Philadelphia cuisine. Over 60 years
of roast pork tradition has led to a streamlined system of taking and filling
orders for mouth watering sandwiches and hoagies. Still, even a well-built
machine need some tender love and care, and it is Oat Foundry’s continuing
honor to provide for the DiNic’s Roast Pork iconic Reading Terminal Market
location.
CONTENTS
34. In September 2014, DiNic’s first approached Oat Foundry for rework of an unstable steam table and bread organizing
station. Needing a no-hassle solution, Oat Foundry came in to the Market early in the mornings to take site
dimensions of the table, and used those to design and fabricate custom bracketing system.
Within a few weeks, Oat Foundry had designed, fabricated and completed the install of the steam table brackets. These
4 custom stainless steel brackets were designed to not only remove any instability in the steam work table, but to also
provide a simple removal process for cleaning of the wooden workboards. The brackets were riveted to the existing
steam table early one morning, and the roast pork making machine has been back to a comfortable purr ever since.
BRACKETS
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DINICS_STEAM_TRIANGLEGUSSET
550 State Rd. Suite 108
Andalusia PA 19020
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NO CHANGE IN THE PART, PRODUCT, OR IN THE SUPPLIER'S PROCESS
OR COMPOSITION OF THE MATERIAL WITHOUT PRIOR NOTIFICATION
TO, AND WRITTEN APPROVAL OF, THERAKOS
1) BREAK ALL SHARP EDGES
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WISE NOTED
35. 3rd generation DiNic’s manager Joey Nicolosi also made it clear that he was looking for a more streamlined way for
employees to log in and out of work in the hustle and bustle of an average day in Reading Terminal Market. Worried
about the safety of his iPhone used for this task, which until then had been loosely floating around the kiosk, Joey
commissioned Oat Foundry for a solution to give him piece-of-mind about his device, while making it accessible to the
comings and goings of employees.
To provide Joey with a secure employee login station, Oat Foundry designed a stainless steel lockbox construction to
snuggly fit his iPhone 4S, engraved with DiNic’s logo and mounted sleekly to the wall in a secure location. The lockbox
allows access to the touch screen for easy access employee login. Of the multitudes of problems Joey needs to contend
with each day managing the chaotic Reading Terminal Market atmosphere, this is at least one solution he can rely on
each and every day.
LOCK BOX
36. Alterra Property Group, LLC came to Oat Foundry looking to spruce up some
of its chandeliers in the south street section of the city – we were more than
happy to supply. Alterra is a diversified real estate investment, development
and management company based in Philadelphia, PA. The company employs
a highly qualified team of professionals that handle all aspects of real estate
development, investment and management, including but not limited to: ac-
quisition, entitlement, project/construction management, asset management,
property management, accounting and underwriting.
During the past decade, Alterra, its three principals, and its predecessor com-
panies, have executed over 100 real estate transactions across 15 states, (re)
developed over 2MM square feet of real estate into over 1,000 new condos/
apartments, office space, medical office, retail and senior housing. In total
over the past decade, Alterra and its current and former affiliates have raised
approximately $200MM in investment capital, completed over $300MM of (re)
development projects, and closed approximately $1B of real estate transac-
tions.
CONTENTS
37. Alterra Properties met Oat Foundry through mutual channel partners one evening and after hearing about Oat
Foundry’s wide berth of projects, contracted Oat Foundry to refurbish their beautiful yet aging chandeliers.
Located between 21st and 22nd on South Street, the chandeliers hanging in the foyer, elevators and stairwell had
multiple missing or broken glass panes. Original glass records were not available, so Oat Foundry took dimensions for
the curved, 1” fluted glass panes. The glass was special ordered and slumped at BJ’s Custom Curved Glass in Ohio and
shipped to Philadelphia, where Oat Foundry finished the pieces with multiple layers of frosted glass coating.
In addition to the fluted glass pieces, the bottoms of some of the chandeliers also needed to be replaced. To expedite the
process, and reduce cost, Oat Foundry substituted the ¼” thick, 14” diameter glass bottoms with a clear acrylic. The
frosted glass finish was achieved via high grit sanding, providing the same light diffusion and look, at a fraction of the
cost. Oat Foundry then came to the properties to install and remove all old and broken panels.
CHANDELIER
38. Modern
Furniture
Oat Foundry has taken on a number of modern furniture projects displaying
at various instituitions in the Philadelphia and New York City area including
the Philadelphia Invitational Furniture Show, Selct Fair, Affordable Art Fair, and
more. In general, we wanted to convey a deliberate choice of raw materials.
The butcher block tables are maple and walnut with black iron pipe. They are
a minimalist design that highlights the marriage between the craftsmanship of
nature with the craftsmanship of man. With the slab benches/tables, we want-
ed to make nature the star of the show. The hairpin legs magnify the promi-
nent single wood piece, as it seems to float in space. The grain is what we find
beautiful – let’s show it off.
CONTENTS
39. These tables are inspired by years of high school art class messes, which we beautifully preserved with multiple layers
of epoxy sealing each two inch thick table top. The table tops are reinforced and fully supported by our very own
custom welded steel frame for additional support.
The table top is composed of Hard Maple boards sourced in south eastern Pennsylvania. They are rough cut, jointed,
and layed up together. With a full slab, the top is planed down to uniform thickness and sanded from 180 grit to 220
grit. The top of this table weighs approximately 300lbs. To compliment the top, Oat Foundry takes steel, cuts it to
size, and TIG welds the pieces to create a structurally sound base.
Maple is an American Hardwood. It can take a beating. For this reason, highschools around the country typically
use it for their work surfaces. It lasts a lifetime. The true intellectual payoff of these tables comes from the layers of
destruction and creation embedded in the grain and sealed in epoxy.
After layers of weathering, distressing, and painting, we pour on the first coat of epoxy resin. This first coat is called
the “seal coat”. After 24 hours, the seal coat is cured. We then go back and add on more layers of paint to add depth
and shadow. These finishing accents highlight how an art table would be refinished by a school over and over again
throughout the years.
ART TABLE
40. Oat Foundry craftsmen locally source high grade walnut, cherry, and maple boards for the table and bench tops - each
table and bench set is composed of layups of 2 different woods, visually patterning a message in Morse code for those
with an eye for subtlety. The wood layups are sealed in rugged two-part polyurethane, complimented with sleek black
iron pipe for legs.
BUTCHER BLOCK TABLE
41. These mid-century slab coffee tables highlight the wood using minimalist steel hairpin legs. We add a few bowties and
finished with a beautiful, safe water-based varnish for exceptional surface hardness and water resistance. Use if for
your drinks, put up your feet, or sit all day.
Made by hand from salvaged Pennsylvania Black Walnut. We hand pick the wood slab, cut it to size, plane it, sand it,
and add bowties to keep the table strong. The hairpin legs are made from welded steel, capable of supporting several
hundred pounds.
SALVAGED WALNUT COFFEE
TABLE & BENCH
43. Philadelphia Distilling came to Oat Foundry looking to develop a research still
that could reduce the batch sizes on some new recipes they were looking to
tinker with. Oat Foundry found the best company in the arena to work with,
the Copper Brothers in Portugal, and promptly modified it to mimic their large
scale still. Oat Foundry also developed control systems to allow for better
monitoring and temperature control of the system.
Philadelphia Distilling is a microdistillery founded in March 2005 in the Byber-
ry neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the first craft distillery to
open in Pennsylvania since before Prohibition. By 2011, the company ranked
in the top 10 of 300 smaller distilleries operating nationwide, and shipped
nearly 120,000 bottles of gin. The company has five core spirits brands: Blue-
coat Barrel Finished Gin, Bluecoat American Dry Gin, Vieux Carré Absinthe
Supérieure, Penn 1681 Vodka, and The Bay Seasoned Vodka.
CONTENTS
44. The research still was a request from the famous Philadelphia Distilling LLC. Currently they do not have an accurate,
repeatable way to test small batches of liquor without making over 100 gallons at a time. The distillers want to be
able to research and develop new liquors without the high cost of failure on a larger system. Anybody can buy a pre-
built still and put a gas fire burner under it. A big issue with this method is the high potential for scorching the bottom
of the still and anything inside of it. This is caused by direct flame’s inability to disperse heat evenly. Some will install
a rummager to keep sediment moving on the bottom to reduce burning, but Oat Foundry had another idea: Heat can
evenly be introduced to the wash by means of low watt density heaters. This also allows the unit to be used indoors
without the risk of propane poisoning! This still was designed to use only electric heat.
Through prior experience in refrigeration, heat transfer and thermodynamics, the heat load was calculated to bring
a 5 gallon wash to a boil in under 60 minutes. Including losses to surroundings, the necessary amount of heat was
calculated as 2800 watts. One of the requirements for this still is that it can, under no circumstances, scorch the
sediment from the wash as this would produce highly undesirable off-flavors.
In order to check for scorching we added oats to water and tested our water distillation skills. The entire 5 gallons of
water and oats came to a boil at 212F in 55 minutes. 212F is mentioned because the boiling point of an ethanol/water
mixture is lower than 212F. Actually ethanol boils at 173F, so the mixture is in between the two and is dependent on
concentration. The test proved no scorching! All that was left was the final touches. HVAC duct tape was used to
turn the still into Sputnik, and adhere insulation. Signed, sealed, delivered - and ready for distillation.
RESEARCH STILL
45. Greensgrow engages their neighborhoods in cultivating social entrepreneur-
ship, urban agriculture, and community greening.
Greensgrow is a nationally recognized leader in urban farming and is open to
the public year round. Green roof on a composting toilet, a washing machine
that spins-dry lettuce, honey bee hives atop tool shed, plants grown to mea-
sure lead uptake, Milkshake the pig, an abandoned house turned office space,
an unused church kitchen turned small food business incubator and a deck
made from old pallets and water bottles. A laundry list of crazy ideas? Yes.
And a day in the life of Greensgrow.
Everyone loves locally-grown, organic food. Sometimes, the trouble is knowing
how to prepare it! Such was the problem afoot that Greensgrow came to Oat
Foundry looking to solve.
CONTENTS
46. Greensgrow Farms came to Oat Foundry over the early winter of 2015 with the idea to make a mobile food
preparation and demonstration cart for showing off the best prep methods for some of their more popular items. The
cart needed to be lightweight, easily maneuverable, and have the ability to display the prep surface to onlookers from
afar.
Oat Foundry took these design cues and ran with them. We “upcycled” the existing stainless steel counter top from the
West Philly foodtruck, and picked up some wheel chair wheels to cut cost to the urban farm. The paneling artwork was
designed and hand-made by local artist Alexander Kuhn.
MOBILE PREP CART
47. Reid Webber, an Army Captain stationed in Germany, developed and pat-
ented an all-in-one USB power station, a device that houses and charges a
household worth of electronics. His next step to market was present the idea
to investors. For this he needed a full scale prototype to showcase his design,
but lacked the resources, facilities or expertise to fabricate the unit.
Reid approached Oat Foundry with patent sketches and a sincere desire to
have his invention built on US soil. In order to court potential investors, Reid
requested his design be translated into sheet metal design, complete with
detailed engineering drawings for each redesigned part. Oat Foundry would
use SolidWorks to completely redesign this power station for sheet metal fabri-
cation, culminating with a fully functional, beautiful prototype ready to show
to investors.
CONTENTS
eShelf
48. To outfit the design for sheet metal fabrication, it was necessary to provide entire redesigns of the modularity functions
that Reid required in his product. Oat Foundry provided this blueprint with their knowledge of sheet metal fabrication
and 3D modeling tools. Technical drawings were then sent out to a local fabricator for individual parts that would
then be welded together and assembled in house by Oat Foundry.
Due to the highly customized geometry of certain sheet metal parts, no fabricator could be found to have the correct
size bending die necessary for certain parts. Not to be disheartened, Oat Foundry used their 12-ton hydraulic press and
3D printer to create the custom bends labeled un-doable by the fabricators. As it turns out, bending 16 gauge stainless
steel with plastic is quite doable with the right tools and a little ingenuity!
Once all the parts were properly cut and bent, Oat Foundry proceeded to weld, paint and assemble the tower. The
final design offered near endless modularity of shelving options, with the entire tower itself being able to reduce to half
size in seconds, providing support for floor or desk mounted configurations. Combined with the solid construction
and spotless race car red finish, the eShelf prototype fabrication was a complete success. It was then broken down for
packaging and sent to Germany, where it rests proudly in Reid’s home: looking great, organizing and charging all of
his family’s USB electronics.
USB CHARGING TOWER
49. Caprice Audio is a manufacturer of a proprietary electronics packages which
improves the quality of high end Hi-Fi sound systems through their noise
reduction solutions. The electronics are housed within a sleek, low profile
acrylic enclosure that complements the look of any Hi-Fi system it is wired
into. Founder Luis Alberto approached Oat Foundry for development and
fabrication assistance of this acrylic enclosure for two fold reasons: he wanted
a local fabricator who could meet aggressive deadlines, and to help innovate
his packaging design on a monthly basis to meet overseas shipping and pack-
aging needs. Luis’ previous fabricator could not provide the comprehensive
attention his development required in a timely manner, and he was left with
an enclosure prototype that only came close to his products’ needs.
CONTENTS
Caprice
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THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS
DRAWING IS THE SOLE PROPERTY OF
<INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE>. ANY
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WITHOUT THE WRITTEN PERMISSION OF
<INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE> IS
PROHIBITED.
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The Caprice Audio enclosure needed to be slimmed down even further from 1” profile to a 0.60” profile height for
shipping concerns, while still providing an adequate internal cavity to provide protection for the electronics within.
Reducing the profile meant dropping material thickness all around, which raised concerns of both fragility and
difficulty of fabrication. Consulting directly with Luis, Oat Foundry proposed multiple fabrication alterations to the
enclosure to accommodate these concerns and to ensure structural soundness.
Over the course of 3 months and a multitude of iterations, Oat Foundry proved to be the reliable, local fabricator to
provide the on board support that Luis needed. Using laser cutting and laser engraving processes, Oat Foundry was
able to rapidly produce and rigorously test enclosures with a whole slew of internal support variations specifically
designed to house and fit Caprice Audio’s electronics layout. The culmination of these efforts are shown below in the
beautiful, sleek and structurally sound acrylic enclosure that look as good as your Hi-Fi system will sound using it.
AUDIO BOX
51. Biome, a company developing air bioremediation technologies (air filtration
using plants!), approached Oat Foundry to develop a new line of products:
self-contained, USB powered desktop planters that clean indoor air. Biome’s
research dug up many promising plants that were capable of removing air-
borne pollutants, but needed to find a way to get the dirty air in contact with
these plants’ bioremediation engine; the symbiotic microbes living on their
roots.
The challenges included:
• For this system to be effective, a continuous stream of unfiltered air
needed to pass through the root system
• Plant health needed to be maintained
• The entire system was to be powered from a USB port
• The footprint of the system was to be comparable to a coffee mug
• The aesthetics and continuous operation of the device were to be
CONTENTS
52. To expose the plant’s roots to ambient air, Oat Foundry proposed deep water hydroponics, a method of plant
production that suspends a plant’s roots in a nutrient rich water solution. Continuous airflow would be introduced
to the plant using 5V blower fan. Water and nutrients could be supplied from a reservoir kept underneath the root
system. To avoid stagnation or the growth of algae or bacteria in the nutrient rich water, a submersible pump would
provide nutrient water into the plant’s grow medium, an inert substrate that the plant was suspended from. This would
not only agitate and aerate the water (inhibiting stagnation) but would also feed the plant in the early stages of its
development before the roots could reach down to the reservoir.
Oat Foundry designed and built the stunning unit pictured below. The body consists of laser cut birch plywood bent
using the concept of “living hinges,” a pattern of cuts that makes sheet materials much more flexible. Wedged mortise
and tenon joints hold the wood together, eliminating the use of fasteners or adhesives. The plant is supported from
clay pellets inside a netcup which is seated in a ringed fixture that rests on saddle joints, another joint that uses neither
fasteners or adhesives. The blower fan and 3D printed water reservoir are mounted directly to the body. The blower
and submersible pump are both supplied from a 5V USB power supply.
On September 7th 2014, Oat Foundry joined Biome in helping to launch the USB planter at GreenFest Philly, which
received an outpouring of support from the Philly community.
OFFICE PLANTER
54. Zsa’s approached Oat Foundry after being referred by Sweet Note Bakery –
Oat Foundry provided a lean new process for their bagel packaging, and Zsa’s
was searching for a similar, low cost, lean packaging solutionl. Not only was
Zsa’s looking for a faster and more personnel-efficient way to handle their
packaging, but they were also looking to update their brands packaging mate-
rials and look.
Zsa’s is a small-batch producer of classic and original artisanal ice cream
and ice cream treats. They work from their production kitchen located on the
Philadelphia/Montgomery County border. Their products do not use artificial
flavors or colors, and they strive to incorporate local ingredients whenever
possible, starting with grass-pastured dairy from Trickling Springs Creamery in
Chambersburg, PA. They pride themselves in making as many of their products
completely from scratch, including the cookies for their sandwiches. For most
of the year, they can be found at various farmers’ markets and public and
private events, delivering goodness via their 1963 International Harvester ice
cream truck.
CONTENTS
55. Oat Foundry was tasked with two challenges: develop a lean process for ice cream sandwich packaging, and design a
new cardboard sleeve to serve as the brand packaging for wholesale.
Phase 1 of the project focused on making current packaging processes more efficient, with the goal of being able to
pack 400% more ice cream sandwiches per hour. Oat Foundry started with a time bucket analysis of the Zsa’s process,
discretizing their steps down to the second, in order to pinpoint areas of potential improvement. The team then began
designing a low budget packaging solution to meet these goals. Sourcing conventional air-assist bag openers, impulse
sealers and cutters, Oat Foundry fabricators blended these three products into one, seamless ice cream packaging
station. The team also worked with manufacturers to provide branded wicketed bags, which the new packaging system
was designed to use. The result was a decrease of time per sandwich from 24 seconds down to 6 seconds.
ICE CREAM SANDWICH
PACKAGING SYSTEM
56. Sweet Note Bakery is a local gluten-free bagel company that is growing at an
increasing rate. They came to Oat Foundry with need for a bagel packaging
machine that would cut out a large, time-consuming step of the process.
They are committed to helping those with celiac disease, gluten intolerance
and food allergies connect with their favorite foods again. They currently offer
the first authentic, new york-style bagel that is gluten-free and free from the
top 8 common food allergens.
CONTENTS
57. Rather than buying an expensive automated solution, or retrofitting an existing bagel packaging machine to the
specialty bagels, Oat Foundry and Sweet Note Bakery decided on an intermediary solution. The idea was a complete
lean-manufacturing retooling of the packaging process along with a bagel-packaging fixture that would flat double
their capacity. Oat Foundry set out on this engineering problem solving mission, and after having tasted the delicious
bagels, we set to work!
This solution is a cost-effective way of maximizing the available bagels, the human operator, and the location.
THE BAGELATOR
