William Perry, Cordeaux Heights, NSW

Document Box
Queensland maple, macrocarpa, jarrah
430 l x 310 d x 145 h

Concept
This document box was made as a 50th birthday present for my sister and has significant emotional value as some of the timber used was sourced from the family property where we grew up in the central west region of NSW. The design was developed with my brother-in-law to complement their existing study furniture and to provide a functional piece that will be used. I believe that it is important that the objects I produce are finely crafted, pleasing to look at and serve a functional purpose.

Materials
Lid frame and base: an acacia species, it is very similar to Lancewood in appearance. The tree that this timber was sourced from grew at the front of my father’s shed on the family property. I harvested it in the late 90s along with few others from the property a few years before he passed away in 2000.
Lid panel: Myrtle burl veneer on top with a plain myrtle veneer on the inside, with a hard maple (rock maple) border. The veneers were purchased from the Working with Wood show in Melbourne a few years ago.
Box and tray: Queensland maple, purchased from Anagote Timber in Sydney.
Drawer: Macrocarpa (Monterey pine) sourced from a local property in the Southern Highlands. The drawer runner is jarrah.

Method of Construction:
The lid panel is veneer on a 9mm MDF base panel, border is approx 3mm thick and mitred around the panel. The lid frame was then mitred to fit the panel.
The body of the box is 9mm thick with mitred joints. The drawer front was cut from the front panel after the box sides had been completed, just prior to glueup.
The base is a mitred frame with the feet added using the same moulding as the base frame.
The drawer has hand cut dovetails on front and hand cut box joint at the back.
The fitting of all components was done using hand tools to achieve a high degree of accuracy and finish.
Glue used for the construction was cross linking PVA, Titebond II.
The box is finished with white shellac sealer and Feast Watson fine buffing oil.

Photos: William Perry