Broc Cattley, Ormiston, QLD

Untitled
Grey gum, bloodwood, blue gum, New Guinea ebony
380mm x 220mm x 72mm

Materials:
I choose to use recycled or salvaged timber for most of my work. I feel that there is enough of this resource lying around; you just have to make more of an effort to find it. The box consists of figured grey gum for the main construction, blood wood feature panel in the lid centre and some blue gum for the internal dividers of the box. New Guinea ebony was used for the handle and hinge pins. A tan suede has also been used to line the bottom of the box.
The grey gum came from a larger slab and has been floating around the shed just waiting for the right piece. The blood wood was cut from a fallen log on a friends farm when I was still at school and the blue gum I used was a 4 x 4 inch post left lying around at an old rental I used to live in. The ebony was given to me when I lived in New Guinea many years ago.
Method of Construction:
I constructed the lower half of the box using through mortise and tenon and for the lid I used haunched mortise and tenon with the centre panel floating in an internal groove within the frame. The ebony handle is set into a rebate on the front face of the lid. The hinges are turned out of ebony and are set into a stepped hole; which stops the box lid sliding from side to side, with brass retaining screws in the back edge of the lid. The bottom of the box consists of a tenon frame, which in turn holds the suede panels and is held into place with 4g brass screws from the underside of the box. The internal dividers are a friction fit with Tightbond II glue that has also been used for the rest of the box. To complete the box I used two coats of Feast Watson floor seal and fine buffing oil on the outside. On the inside of the box, I used one coat floor seal and a furniture wax to finish.
Concept:
The concept of my box started about eight years ago when a friend asked me to make a box that was a little bit different. The result was to use through mortise and tenon for the joinery, purely for its honesty and strength. Over the years my design has been refined to include the frame and panel style bottom and pin hinges as I prefer the challenge of making my own fittings rather than purchasing them. I look for decorative timber for the feature panel, something that will be a contrast to the box itself, making each and every box I make an individual one.

Photos: Stacey Hall