Gabriel Jones, Blackheart and Blackwood Hall Table (STUDENT 2021)

For my 2021 HSC Industrial Technology major work I decided to create a hall table with dovetailed drawers and a floating table top. The design was based around my desire to showcase the beauty and tone of some of Australia’s most iconic timbers. The raised floating table top and shelf are made from Blackheart Sassafras from the same small tree and retain their natural knots to provide visual interest in contrast to the silken sheen of the lighter sassafras sapwood. Opaque white starphire glass panels provide closure for the drawers and at the same time reflect light under the table top, giving lightness and lift while preventing an overwhelming darkness from taking precedence under the tabletop. The aprons and drawer fronts were cut from a single board of lighter toned Tasmanian Blackwood with quilted figure and are supported on curved and tapered, dark toned Tasmanian Blackwood legs to provide tonal contrast while maintaining the timber grain match between the structural elements. Rock maple was used as the secondary timber for the drawers and internals due to its contrasting lighter tone and stability. The figure of the timbers and sinuous nature of the Blackwood were challenging to work with, especially in the exposed joinery and surface finish of the aprons, and provided a lesson in dealing with tear out, chipping, and the need for very sharp tools. I had a lot of fun building my table and really love and appreciate these beautiful Australian timbers that I was so lucky to work with.

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