Jake Frazer, Carved Coffee Table (STUDENT 2021)

Inspired by John Maleki's 'Cave table' design, I designed and constructed an original piece of furniture for my year 12 major work. It features power-carved cave panel legs and hidden drawers. Along with drawers extending from each side of the piece, I designed an original mechanism which would allow for the area beneath the chessboard to act as a storage solution. Using CNC'd tracks and a push to open mechanism, the chessboard was able to function as a traditional chessboard—flush with the top—and also reveal a hidden compartment for stored chess pieces. This is accessed by pressing on the outer frame of the chessboard and pushing it back underneath the rest of the tabletop. The project consisted of New Guinea Rosewood and small amounts of Hoop Pine which allowed me to produce the piece at relatively small cost. The coffee table was constructed in a way in which blends the relatively unusual design into a compact and simplistic shell. However, it consists of an array of functional features.

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