For some reason I decided that my dad needed a lap desk. I imagined him sitting on the couch, able to pay bills or have a place for his tablet, then have a tidy way of hiding all of life’s detritus in a handy dandy box. Plus, I thought that a writing slope is a cool object that a gentleman should own.
For the body of the box, I happened to have a bit of reclaimed heart pine left over from my very first commission. And it isn’t just any old heart pine. It was reclaimed from the Curtiss-Wright Corporation’s aircraft manufacturing facility built in Garfield, NJ in 1929. Having lumber from this historic company built by pioneers of the aviation industry is pretty special, but even more so to my dad since he was a pilot for over 50 years. For him, this is like owning a piece of history. I used some visually dynamic walnut for the lid and more walnut for the interior dividers. The pivots and handle are ebony.
I started the design work by gathering up all of the office supplies I wanted the desk to house, laid them on a large sheet of paper and determined how big each of the cubbies needed to be. Once I had a master plan for the interior, I could figure out the overall dimensions.
Because this is an object designed to be used and have a lot of interaction, I wanted it to be an engaging experience from a tactile perspective. To this end, I made big, chunky box joints that are proud of the surface. I sandblasted the exterior to enhance the texture and make it pleasing to fingertips. I also lined the bottom of the box with a deep, masculine blue leather so that as objects are dropped into it the sound is muffled.
To protect the piece, I chose an Osmo finish for the lid. It is a European finish which is a non-toxic blend of various oils and waxes. It leaves a lovely satin sheen that I find particularly pleasing and touchable. I used a Tried and True finish of linseed oil and beeswax for the heart pine. I like how it looks over heart pine and how it interacts with the somewhat porous sandblasted surface.
Cheers, dad!
