Francis Gomes, Isabella Tiger Console Bench (Furniture)

This project was commissioned by a client for her husband who is a returning musician/producer in need of a desk/work bench for his recording equipment at home. The design/build was left open, so long it was robust to hold equipment without being unobtrusive; versatile in manner of use and held a small footprint. The finished design follows a modest approach to a seated workbench with open under top counter; the build is based on knockdown joinery that embraces simplicity albeit through nuances of complexity i.e a natural process of discovery through design whilst employing the simplest of means. The bench is fully collapsible with the exception of legs - rail joint where it is fox wedged and glued (tusk tenon was opted out to eliminate the need to re-wedge over time). The components are as follows - 1. Bench top (African mahogany, Qld, face figure) The top is under 1500mm x 550mm x 33mm with pinned breadboard ends to ensure flatness of top. Khaya is known to cup over time and a flat reference is requisite to this design. The forward facing three edges are splayed to allow a softer edge with an ergonomic advantage to prolonged desk work. The farther edge has a cove cut that follows the peak of the grain; this is to channel wiring and allows for equipment clamps ( eg. mic boom, multiple screens) 2. Under top compartment (Tasmanian oak, fiddle back old growth) is composed of three panels that are stub tenon/mortise-ed to form the box and fit into the table top. The open back and front face is to allow for peripherals to be stationed with cabling. 3. Legs (Tasmanian oak, fiddle back) are blind tenoned into the top; Rails have a cross lap cut in them for the bearer/stretcher 4. Bearer/stretcher (Tasmanian oak/fiddle back) is the central component to the design which act as a locking pin to the compartment whilst housing the legs into the top. All joint are pared to tolerances restricting/allowing movement of the work piece; the cross laps are positioned on the stretcher so as to draw reference from the remainder of the components whilst keeping the piece together. The piece stands 750mm tall with legs drawn closer to the center of the top allowing positioning the stretcher towards the rear. Ergonomically the technical positioning and sizing of the piece is done to suit the client build and does not hinder natural movement. The spieces used were picked by me upon the desired hue that could be obtained between the two. Efforts were employed to grain match and symmetrize figure; the flow of grain noted and paired where possible. Scrubbing, jointing, morticing, smoothing and shaping was carried out by hand with the exception of resaws, thicknessing and slotting. The piece is called 'Isabella tiger' after the Isabella tiger moth or woollybear worm on the account of it's hue, natural blemish and woolly grain that is characteristic to Mahogany.

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