Scott Horsburgh, Yallingup, WA

Tall and Proud
Display cabinet on stand
1554 x 462 w x 290mm d

Materials
• Carcase, door frames, drawer fronts, back frame and panel and base Western Australian jarrah
• Interior back panel—Tasmanian Huon pine
• Door stops, catches and lifter—African Blackwood
• Door and drawer handles—Brazilan purpleheart
• Drawer sides and back—Himalayan cedar
• Drawers bases—Tasmanian celery top pine
• Drawers slips—English oak
Tall and Proud is a display cabinet on a stand. I found a beautiful piece of spotty jarrah at a merchant in Busselton about ten years ago and bought the piece with a cabinet in mind. The carcase wood and door wood have been sourced from this plank. The panel for the back is a double panel of sold wood joined down the middle to allow for movement variances between the two woods. The exterior is jarrah and the interior is Huon pine to lighten the interior.

Joinery
The carcase joinery is single lap dovetail. The back frame and door frames are bridle joints. The drawer fronts are single lap dovetail and the drawer backs are through dovetail. The base is mortise and tenon. The back panels are natural edge joints. The joinery is one of the many features of the piece and allows the viewer to see the integrity of the construction.

Glues
PVA wood glue has been used on all of the joints. As the joinery is tight and true, the glue has been applied carefully with a small brush to avoid unnecessary squeeze out.

Finish
The exterior of the carcase and doors, as well as the base, have all been finished with Danish oil. The interior of the carcase, doors and the drawers have all been waxed with Cabinet Makers wax.

Concept
I wanted to make an elegant display cabinet worthy of the magnificent jarrah I had found nearly a decade ago. I wanted to have two drawers that were not seen until the doors were opened. The base was to be robust and give a sense of sturdiness to the piece without being too overbearing. I wanted straight lines and crisp edges, yet a delicate shape to the feet of the legs. The feet are far enough away from the carcase so as to not look odd.
The doors were to have four members all of different widths and the top and bottom horizontal members were to be the same piece of wood to show continuity of grain and give the doors a sense of being one. This method of door construction requires accurate fitting to ensure the grain and joins flow smoothly. I also wanted the joinery of the piece to be one of the many features.

Photos: John Miller