Japanese Box

[woodbloke52]

Can't remember (it's an age thing) if I've posted this before, but apologies if you've seen it before. This is a Japanese style box based on a design by Suda Kenji, the original of which can be seen in the Japanese gallery at the BM.

Bog Oak veneers over a 'shop made pine core, satinwood end panels. Bog Oak plinth, satinwood splines.

Four drawers, maple fronts, African Blackwood 'capstan' pulls and wedge for the hasp.

Drawer sides in some Victorian mahogany, circa 1860 kindly donated to the cause by 'Cabinetman'. The drawers run on a central runner so don't make contact with the sides of the box.

Hinges from CHT are surface mounted which gives extra clearance when the box is opened. Finished with severial coats of wiping varnish (not my favourite so it's being kicked into touch) with wax over the top. There were a number of 'issues' with this project which means that I was going to sell it on FB but SWIMBO, in her wisdom, purloined it and it now contains some of her treasures.

Doesn't look too shabby after all so I'm glad now that I didn't flog it - Rob

 

[Hugh M.]

I’m not surprised she wanted it! It is lovely. Would be perfect for so many things.

 

[Hypnotic Chimera]

Wonderful.
Pleasure to see the skill this must have taken to create.

 

[johnnyb]

I'm fascinated what the issues were with this lovely box. And how was the central runner carried out.

 

[woodbloke52]

I'm fascinated what the issues were with this lovely box. And how was the central runner carried out.

It was one of those projects where there were a succession of irritating little problems that took no end of time to correct, so it never seemed to go 'right' and towards the end I was getting a bit hacked off with it. However, once I saw it coming together it began to look respectable...

Making drawers with a central runner is convoluted and a lot more difficult than a conventional one, but sometimes it's the only and best way of making one. F'rinstance, on my Krenov interpretation of 'Britta's Cabinet':

...there's only one way it can be made as there's a 30mm gap each side.

...and that's with a wide central runner, in this case in Paduk, with double drawer bottoms in the same. It was Rob Ingham who first put me onto these in his now out of print, though excellent book, 'Cutting Edge Cabinetmaking' - Rob

 

[woodbloke52]

Having just returned from a trip to Japan, SWIMBO in her infinite wisdom had decided that the exterior of the box looked a bit austere (which was quite deliberate) so whilst in Kyoto we hunted out a couple of specialist maiko shops at Gion Corner and purchased some silk flower arrangements, which are worn in their very elaborate hair doos:

Held onto the pin with a single small cable tie so neither the pin or flower arrangement was damaged - Rob