This box was made at the request of a friend. Its
dimensions were dictated by the location in which she plans to place it.
I believe that the red wood is Queensland Lacy Oak. The box trim is Victorian Ash and the dividers are American Maple.
Some friends of ours are getting married very soon. After giving it a lot of thought, I decided that I would make a small box for them as a wedding gift.
My reason for doing so is that she is from Australia and he is from Texas. They met when his company posted him in Melbourne, Australia. So I thought that a box made of unique Australian wood, Huon Pine and Australian Blackbutt.
The lid and base is the Huon and the sides of the box are from Blackbutt. Huon is no longer logged in Australia and is a protected species. The only wood of this type available is from logging done up to the sixties. The Blackbutt is from a demolished warehouse built in Brisbane circa 1900. It's my home that when they eventually settle in Texas, that this small wooden box will remind them of happy days in Australia.
Whenever I finish a project that my wife has been patiently waiting a long time for me to get done, I jokingly say, "There, done! See, all you had to do was ask me." She normally rolls her eyes in response.
I've discovered something about myself that has taken a long time to admit. When it comes to a project that I am not particularly excited to do, I develop a mental block toward it. I mean by this that I invent reasons and excuses why I don't get started. It's too hard for me, or, I don't know how to do it, or, I don't have the skills, or, there are many other tasks that are a priority, or, or,.... Well, you get the idea.
So July has been a good month for me.
I finished one of these long delayed projects, repairing a door frame and the flooring beneath it, leading into my office. Yes, for the past five years, since the day we first moved into our current home I have been stepping over this eye-sore, rationalising why I couldn't fix it. It turned out not to be that hard once I got started.
And I finally got back to repair an error I made when making my Rocking
Finally, I also designed and entered a small wooden box into the LumberJocks Summer '07 Challenge. The category I entered was the joinery section. The peculiar rules of this category required that any entry had to feature 'glueless' joinery without the aid of mechanical fasteners. In other words, the project had to hold together on the design and construction of its joints. You can read more about this challenge here. It placed third in the joinery section of the competition.
It had been a year and a half since I was in Vancouver to
I keep finding myself returning to Box Making. It seems to satisfy
My work shop is small, so making small wooden boxes 'fits' is a practical utilization of the available space. Also, since I give most of my work away to friends and family members, the material cost is reasonable.
Box making involves most of the challenges of making larger pieces of fine furniture. But because the scale is small, there is the tendency to inspect the workmanship more closely. When is the last time you picked up a table and looked underneath? Likely never. But it seems that people just can't resist doing this with a small box. So it is incumbent upon a box make to make each box as close to perfect as possible.
These two aren't there yet, but I'm happy with them.
There has always been a friendly rivalry between Melbourne and Sydney residents.
It was easy for me to avoid buying into this rivalry. I didn't come to Australia until my middle years, so I can take a fairly unbiased view of things and appreciate the differences and benefits offered by both cities.
Last week, Barbara and I drove up to Sydney with my cousin and her husband who were visiting us from Canada.
We had a lovely time and enjoyed some really nice weather. Here are a few pictures that I took when there.
Here's a simple gift idea I saw some time ago.
It's made of Huon Pine, my favorite Aussie wood. These make a nice hostess gift - I find that people usually appreciate receiving something that you've made rather than the proverbial bottle of wine that soon disappears and is forgotten.
It's been pointed out to me that there is something perverse about a hand with only four fingers - especially from a woodworker - YIKES!
Since my commitment to Jesus Christ provides the foundation values of my life, I am motivated by that which brings honour to God, consideration for others and respect for self.
I will seek to express this commitment in practical ways, characterised by: behaviour that is ethical, a concern for the needs of others that reflects compassion, and an attention to obtaining my full potential in a way that is consistent with the foregoing rather than being self-indulgent.
In Relation to God
All aspects of my life are 'spiritual'. I cannot be divided into 'secular' and 'spiritual'. I consider myself to be a spiritual man where nothing that is apart of me operates outside the 'spiritual sphere' of my life.
To have a relationship with God through Christ is to acknowledge His divine supremacy over every aspect of my life. The consequences of this are far reaching and require that I actively live out this commitment in practical, tangible and identifiable ways.
In Relation to Others
I will put the genuine needs of others first. Those less fortunate than I, or not sharing my values will be treated with respect and dignity, for 'there but for the Grace of God go I'.
At all times I will treat others in a fair and consistent manner that reflects the way I wish other would treat me. Where I have opportunity, I will show love to people in practical, genuine ways. Where I take leadership it will be to serve the needs of others.
In Relation to Self
While I recognise the reality that all men are self-centred, I will attempt to differentiate between those things that are self-destructive and those that are self-constructive by replacing the former with the latter.
My life will be characterised by a quest for the best in a moral/ethical sense, and for excellence in terms of accomplishments.
My life involves the following significant relationships where the implications of the above find their practical expression.
Family – beginning with my wife, daughters and their husbands and children, and extending to parents, siblings, and extended family, my closest relationships are formed with these people. At all times, I will strive to impact the members of my family by enacting the above principals in the 'privacy' of our family life. It is recognised that those who know me best see my worst. May I be as loving, kind, and considerate, to those who matter most to me, as I am to those who I know more casually.
Church – within this circle of relationships lays the greatest potential for 'hypocrisy'. My church family tends to see me only in the context of church activities. I will work at being transparent with these people so they might know the 'genuine me'. And I pray the 'genuine me' will be that which I resolve herein.
Friends – a few people I have known fall into this category – individuals with whom I have a 'special relationship'. My friends – those who know me best – perhaps better than I know myself; may these special people see me as 'walking my talk, living my faith, and consistently applying the Christian principles to which I hold.
