'Each flitch, each board, each plank can have only one ideal use. The woodworker, applying a thousand skills, must find that ideal use and then shape the wood to realize its true potential.

George Nakashima

Length 183cm depth 38-32cm height 53cm

Swiss pear wood, kapur wood and washi paper

Finished in Rubio monocoat and shellac

Design

The main board chosen was the widest board that I could find. The width determines the depth of the cabinet so I was quite reluctant to do any gluing up to increase the depth if it could be helped. All other parts of the carcass could could be constructed with glued up boards but the top had to be one piece.

I saw a bend along one of the top board edges and decided to use that live edge as the edge that was facing the front. In Japanese house construction, a beam that is slightly bent is used to face the entrance of the house so that visitors who walk into the house are greeted by a slight embrace. Its quite subtle and really subconscious. This bend in the main board also influenced the decision to make a slight bend in the legs stretcher as well.

There was a check / crack in the end of the board from drying so butterfly joints are put in to hold and prevent any future checking. The crack is also filled with clear epoxy resin.

The shoji style doors are chosen by the client. A compromise had to be reached because traditional shoji doors are sliding doors. They slide open and close on 2 or 3 tracks that are carved from the top and bottom. With the depth being close to being too shallow for use, a compromise was made to operate the doors in swing instead of sliding. This would allow the depth of the console to be maximized for the function it is built for. It was also clear that we would use very low profile knife / pivot hinges for this project and they would be the most tidy and refined looking. The hinges are made by Anton Gerner furniture from Australia.

This style of legs was used for an earlier kumiko sideboard. I first saw this style in Nakashima’s sideboards and really liked how simple and stylish they are. With this piece, a slight bend was introduced in the horizontal stretcher to match the bend that the top had. I think it makes the legs look sleeker.

Some videos taken from my workshop to give a better view have been added at the end of this page.

I am very pleased with how this project turned out.