Alex Springall, Westleigh, NSW

Surprise Gift Box
270 x 270 x 165mm

Concept
I wanted to make a box that conveyed the pleasure of unwrapping a parcel to find the gift inside.

Materials
To achieve the curved sides I used New Age Veneer from New Age Veneers Pty Ltd who kindly supplied me with discontinued samples. NAV is a reconstituted wood veneer available in a large range of simulated wood grains and other patterns. The veneers are about 0.5mm thick, and bend to a tight radius in any direction.

Method of construction
The veneers for all panels of the lid and carcase were cut oversize. The top veneer of the lid panels with the ‘ribbon’ was edge joined with masking tape. These panels (the top and two sides) were laminated as one oversize panel and cut to length later.
The box side panels were laminated over a female former. These were laminated using Techniglue epoxy. All flat panels for the lid and box bottom were laminated by clamping between thick pieces of laminated chipboard.
The panels were cut to size and mitred on the table saw. A mini-mortise to hold the handle was chiselled out carefully before assembly. Before assembling the box and lid, areas around the edges were waxed to make removal of squeeze-out easier. The wax was removed with white spirit later.
The four sides of the box were laid out and joined with stretched masking tape. They were then flipped and Techniglue applied to the mitres. The sides were closed up and the last corner taped. The bottom mitres were glued and the bottom panel taped in, and the whole assembly checked for squareness.
The lid was sized to fit in the box in all directions, and the panels were glued up in a similar manner to the carcase.
The handle for the lid was formed from three veneers laminated around a circular form. This was later cut into two arcs for the stylised bow. The final step was to glue it in.
The box was sanded to 400 grit, lightly shellacked and resanded, then finished with three coats of Kunos oil 24 hours apart.

Photos: Alex Springall