Colin Trigwell, Tolga, QLD

Terrapin
Red cedar, maple
250 l x 150 h x 100mm w

Concept
The idea for this box came to me after a recent holiday I had in China. While there, I was keen to observe all the woodwork and carvings I could find. I liked some of the simple ideas and designs I saw and was inspired when I started making my box.

Materials
All the materials came from Far North Queensland. The red cedar came off an old dairy farm on the Atherton Tablelands. The tree had been blown over by Cyclone Winfred around the mid eighties and then milled and put in the shed by the farmer. I recently made a bed for his son’s wedding present and this was the end of one of the bed legs.
A local Atherton farmer had planted a stand of maple trees around forty years ago. When he sold his farm the new owner asked a friend of mine if he wanted some of the trees. So he bought some, then milled and dried it. He gave me a small piece of this maple for the lid .The handle and feet are of an unknown hardwood that was given to me by an old windmill fixer.

Method of Construction
The bottom of the box started out as a 4 x 4 piece of red cedar. I drilled out the inside with a large forstner drill bit after marking out the shape. Then by carving with a large gouge and various other carving chisels I cleaned out the interior, finishing it off by hand sanding down with various grades of sand paper. Happy with that, I then bandsawed the outside and smoothed it off with a belt sander set on its side. A dremell was used to inscribe the decorative design on the ends, wiped over with a little black stain to highlight it more. Hand sanding then to 2000 grit gave it a smooth surface.
The lid was done the same way as the top by drilling bandsawing and chiseling, finishing it off by hand sanding to a fine grit.
The handle and feet were cut on the bandsaw and then shaped on a sander. Bamboo skewers and a little wood glue were used to attach the handle to the top.
All surfaces were finished with natural bio natural wood oil, wiped on then off , sanding between several coats.

Photos: Michelle McLennan