The Jewellery Box

There is both an artistic and a technical side to what we do here at Rowden. Our drawings from the natural world form the essential 'vocabulary' that influences our designs, and we are encouraged to draw frequently.  However, when it comes to actually making a piece, we switch firmly into technical gear. We mark and cut lines accurate to a quarter of a millimetre and take plane shavings 1/50th of a millimetre thick. These are essential skills for cabinetmakers*. The blend of unique designs and a high level of craftsmanship is our offering that separates the pieces we make from the furniture of the mass market. It is in this final set-project, the jewellery box, these skills are developed and honed.

Each part of the box is set to refine skills that we have previously learnt, moving us from the large-scale focus of the bench to the intricate scale of a small box. The edges are all dovetailed, with a 'mitre' cut top and bottom, so each corner meets at 45 degrees. The sycamore liners are individually-fitted and push together with a friction-fit. The surfaces are French-polished, with the top and bottom panels being brought to a high shine. The feature that everyone likes the most is the floating tray. Fitted uniquely to the aperture, it drops into place and floats down gently on a cushion of air.

Just as on the bench, within this set project there were creative decisions that could be made. I chose to work in Purpleheart, as I felt that the wood had more to offer that I had discovered in making the bench. A naturally purple wood could so easily be garish, but I wanted the box to have a refined, even understated look. This meant that all external details needed to be kept very low-key. A simple top-panel, no other outside details, just the end of the dovetails and the brass hinges to give little hints of interest. French polishing the lid panel brought out an almost holographic array of colours, hidden in the wood - greens and pinks, even a hint of gold. For the inside, I chose sycamore to give a good contrast, and sought to use this contrast to highlight some of the craftsmanship. There are little sycamore 'keys' in the corners of the tray that help to hold it together, and the sycamore tray divider ends in a little arrow.

So along with honing my skills, I am discovering what it means to be specifically a designer-maker.  I am discovering how much of the aesthetic I seek in my designs is a blending of both the craftsmanship that I use to make a piece, and the wood from which the piece is made.  I still have a long journey ahead of me, but I now feel ready to design my first piece...

-sh

'Cabinetmaker' does not just mean someone who makes kitchens and bedside tables. Rather it is a somewhat archaic term for one who works with wood to a high level of accuracy. Often this means making decorative pieces that might include shapework, veneering or marquetry. There is significant cross-over between the work of joiners and cabinetmarkers. I usually use the more modern coverall term 'furniture maker' to avoid confusion.