Jim Athanasiadis, Preston, VIC

Georgina’s Jewellery Box
Jarrah, walnut burl
90 H x 250 L x 180 W.

Concept:
Due to my daughters name being Georgina, I got the title for this project from her name.

Materials:
Materials that I used are basically jarrah, for the main part of construction, with a walnut burl veneer for the lid top and underside. The black strips around the box are 6mm wide dyed veneer. The centre star is a bought motif and a piece of black felt is on the box base.
Method of Construction:
To construct the box I used some hand tools and some electrical tools e.g. hand chisels, router. The box was constructed by cutting 30 degree angles and gluing all sides with yellow PVA glue. For further strength I added 6mm keys, which I routed on each corner using pieces of jarrah. Jarrah was the basic material I used due to it being my favourite timber due to mainly its strength and sensational look. I bought it from a local timber yard. The walnut burl I believe matched the jarrah, and I sourced the burl from a gentleman who advertises in your magazine.
All gluing was done using yellow PVA glue, which was also used to glue the walnut veneer.
To finish the box, I gave it a coat of clear beeswax, after sanding, which started from 180 grit to 320 grit.
PS - Thanks for the competition. It was a chance for me to make something so small and detailed for the first time, especially getting mixed up with 0.6 veneers, how to cut, glue and cut in keys. I made many mistakes during construction but learnt many woodworking skills and tricks.

Photos: Jim Athanasiadis