| Evan
Dunstone, Queanbeyan, NSW
Manuka Bedside
Table
Tas myrtle, jarrah and myall
600 h x 500 w x 450mm d
Design
logic
The brief from the original clients was
for a pair of bedside tables with a single
drawer and a door that concealed one adjustable
self. They loved one of my tables (The
Dancer) but were aware that the round
carcase and top and the long flowing legs
of this piece would not translate well
to a bedside table. The bedside tables
were designed in conjunction with a Queen-size
bed.
I quickly settled on a four sided carcase
made up from panels of a larger radius.
The piece would still have curved sides
but the shape would be practical for the
purpose. The legs have an elliptical cross
section (which has become a signature
shape for me) and attach directly to the
outside of the carcase. The wenge foot
detail gave the original piece lift and
the Tasmanian myrtle gave it a delicate
look (that another darker timber might
not have).
For this competition I wanted to use only
Australian native timbers and to give
the piece an even more feminine feel.
I had liked the effect of the myrtle and
chose a very dark jarrah as the detail
timber. I wanted the contrast to be as
much about tone and texture as it was
about colour. The handles are made from
myall, which is very dense and a dark,
dark brown. The whole piece will darken
over time and long after the original
colours have subdued, the tone and texture
play will remain.
This is not meant to be a dramatic, room
dominating piece (perhaps an unwise choice
for a competition!?) but rather it is
intended to be one element of a whole
room. It is often harder to do a subtle
piece than a loud one.
Construction
The piece is made from a single board
of 200 x 38mm Tasmanian myrtle in a combination
of solid and re-sawn veneers. The side
panels and door are 1.8mm veneers over
six sheets of 1.8mm bending ply and were
laid up in a vacuum bag. Using the combination
of solid and re-sawing from the one board
gave me the greatest control over the
look of the timber. I wanted a classic
even ‘myrtle’ pink with a
light shimmer.
Cutting the correct angles on the corners
of each panel was achieved with a jig
on the table saw. Some fine-tuning was
needed to be done by hand to get the miters
correct. The shaping of the legs was done
on a router table and the legs come from
the same stock as the rest of the piece.
The handles were made with the drill press,
linisher and by hand.
The door is constructed in the same manner
as the sides and the jarrah trim conceals
the plywood. One of the more technically
difficult aspects of the piece was to
get the grain alignment of the front sweet.
Any error with the miters was transferred
to the front of the cabinet, making hanging
the door a challenge.
The drawer has solid sides and bottom
with a curved laminated front. The laminated
front is done as plywood made out of myrtle
sheets (to limit movement and to hold
the shape exactly. The dovetails are concealed
behind the jarrah trim.
Glues,
finishes, hardware
The piece has an oil/varnish finish (waterbased)
and I used Brusso offset hinges. Polyurethane
glue was used for the laminations and
cross-linking PVA (303) for general construction.
Jamie Latham and Alex MacFarlane played
a support role and assisted with sanding,
laminating and finishing. The design,
choice of materials and fine work is mine.
Photo: Lisa Battagalene
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