Boxes
Wooden boxes big and small have been a part of human civilisations for thousands of years and I feel that their usefulness and indeed our fascination with them hasn’t waned in the slightest in all that time. Like most other woodworkers I enjoy the design and making process of a fine box. Given that they are generally much smaller than regular furniture pieces they can and often do present different challenges. Box making is also an excellent way of getting the upmost out of the material. As they present opportunities for using small amounts of special and exotic veneers and timbers, offcuts that are often too small for larger works but far too good to throw out. Also designing them around a pictorial marquetry or adding a simple inlay to most of the boxes adds a very special and extra dimension to each piece.
All of the boxes featured below were either commissioned or sold. They are a small example of what’s possible in the art of box making. Every single box created is very unique in one way or another simply because I usually only make one at a time using the the various recycled timbers to hand.
The Bush Stone-curlew Keepsake in Huon Pine ans recycled Red Cedar. Some of the veneers in the Curlew are Ebony, Huon Pine, Orange, Ivorywood, Hoop Pine and Monkey Pod.
Detail inside the Curlew box
Red-tailed Black Cockatoo Keepsake in Pigeon Berry Ash, featuring a marquetry inlay of the male and female cockatoo tail feathers.
Inside the Red-tailed Black Cockatoo box with a sliding lift out tray in Huon Pine.
Segmented turned box in recycled northern Silky-oak with Eastern Yellow Robin inlay
Robin detail
Segmented turned box.
The Whip Mini Chest, in recycled Silky-oak
Inside The Whip Mini Chest
The Grey Shrike-thrush Keepsake This beautiful box was constructed from recycled Red Cedar, southern Silky-oak and Huon Pine. The finger lift and feet are in Rose Sheoak.
Inside the Grey Shrike-thrush box, with a featured leaf marquetry of Fiddleback Blackwood, Huon pine, Yellow Carabeen and Southern Silky-oak. The tray is in Huon Pine and the lining in Southern Silky-oak.
Marquetry detail of the Grey Shrike-thrush, some of the veneers here are Ebony, Orange, Camphor-laurel, Ebonized Red Cedar, Ebonized Tuckeroo, Ebonized Blackwood, Ebonized Kauri Pine and Black Heart Sassafras.
'The Getaway Keepsake' in reclaimed Blackwood. Marquetry motif of a Willie Wagtail.
Inside the Getaway Keepsake. The marquetry motif here is of an insect making a freedom dash while the Wagtail is looking the other way.
The sliding tray inside the Getaway box in Socket Sassafras.
Brown Pine Keepsake tilt Lid box in reclaimed Brown Pine. The pine used in the making of this box was rescued from a firewood pile. Brown Pine is also known as Plum Pine Podocarpus elatus, a fine and endemic species of the east coast of Australia now rare in forests but planted as an ornamental.
Marquetry detail on the Brown Pine Keepsake. Veneers in the Red-backed Fairy Wren marquetry, Ebonized Red Cedar, Red Bean, Leatherwood, Camphor-laurel, QLD Rosewood and Artificial Ivory. For the branch and grass: Camphor-laurel, Spalted Beech, and Hoop Pine.
Inside The Brown Pine box, a sliding tray in reclaimed Brown Alder.
The Southern Leaf Green Tree Frog Keepsake. In recycled QLD Rosewood. The original design here is by Australian Silversmith Rosa Devaux. It was redrawn and adapted for marquetry inlay.
Lid and box detail.
Marquetry inlay detail.
'Silhouette' Keepsake box in recycled northern and southern Silky-oak with a Superb Fairy Wren on rose hips in ebonised Red cedar inlaid into the lid.
New Holland Honeyeater keepsake in recycled Maple Silkwood.
Leaf motif inside the New Holland keepsake.
Red Cedar tray detail inside the New Holland keepsake.
The Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo jewellery chest in reclaimed Southern Silky-oak.
Middle drawer detail, dividers in reclaimed Silver Quandong.
'Compass' Tilt lid keepsake in recycled northern Silky-oak. Compass Rose marquetry in Red Cedar and Huon Pine.
Inside 'Compass' lining in reclaimed Jacaranda.
'The Willie Wagtail Keepsake' in reclaimed Southern Silky-oak.
Marquetry detail of the Willie Wagtail
The Yellow Robin Keepsake In recycled European Beech.
Some of the veneers in the Yellow Robin are Orange, Socket Sassafras, Ebonized Tuckeroo, Mulberry, Camphor-laurel, Ebony, Yellow wood, Ebonized Blackwood, and Ebonized Loquat.
Corner detail of the Yellow Robin keepsake with Red Bean splines.
'Orbital Paths' small keepsake in southern Silky-oak with contrasting lines and dots in Red cedar and northern Silky-oak.
Inside 'Orbital Paths'.