Tony Frangou, Paddington, Qld

Display Cabinet
1600 x 400 300mm
Tas blackwood, African ash

My entry was made in the 10 weeks immediately preceding the deadline for entries and proved a real challenge to find the time to devote to completing it.
The materials used in construction are Tasmanian blackwood and African ash which provides a nice contrast. The black feature timber is ebonised Tasmanian blackwood. I sourced the timber through Gold Coast supplier, Teak and Fancy Timbers which I have used for many years; they are specialist suppliers to the marine industry and carry an excellent range.
Joinery is hand cut through dovetails for the carcase. The various panels and the base have hand cut tenons and machine cut (hand finished) mortises. A sliding dovetail joint (cut with a hand held router) was used for the centre panel of the carcase.
Glue used in construction was Weldbond Professional Wood Glue (PVA).
The piece was finished with two coats of Feast Watson Fine Buffing Oil (solvent based) and two coats of natural beeswax furniture polish (made by Mother of Pearl and Sons Trading Pty Ltd).
The idea for the design came from considering the multi-glass paneled windows in many of the older Queenslander houses in Brisbane which I have incorporated in the design. I also wanted to put some curves into the base and top to contrast with the cabinet’s box like appearance. The ebonised curved side pieces on the two doors follow through with the curves on the base. I deliberately placed only two diagonally opposite doors on the carcase so that part of the space is hidden behind the doors and part is on display—this gives the piece balance.

Photos: Nicola Bloedel