lapdesk

[Derek Cohen]

After the completion of the box for the bridle plough plane, I was left with the smaller section on the left.



It occurred to me that this could form the basis for a lapdesk, that is, an interpretation of a campaign lapdesk. I love the simple, clean lines of campaign/military furniture, and the thought of building a piece with secret spaces promised to be fun.

There are many really interesting campaign pieces. For example ...



I would call my pieces "campaign-inspired". They are not exact copies of originals, as Chris Schwarz is currently building. Instead they are my interpretations of this furniture type, taken in a contemporary direction. An example are the military chests I built close to 2 years ago (see http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furnitu...tedChests.html ).

Now I have a lot of pictures, so brace yourself. The thing is, I need some advice. I completed 99% of this build, and then had second thoughts whether I should ad the last element. I shall leave that for last.

Let's start here. A pic of the outside, to be compared with the remnant above (15" long x 11" deep) ..



The body is clothed in West Australian She-oak, finished in Organoil Danish Oil and wax.



There are two lids, one for the pen-and-ink section and another for the main storage area (which is empty at present - more later) ..



There is a drawer for some of my fountain pen collection (they all get rotated for daily use in the notes I take all day long), a tray for pens in use, and an ink well ...





There is space for a iPad ..



The fun in building this lapdesk was in creating the secret hiding places. There are 4 in all. The first is hidden very securely under the console. To get to this one must remove the console. It is secured on steel pins (in the corners). Lift the console straight up and a hidden panel is revealed ..





The inkwell in the console is walled internally ...



Now, at the rear of the console there is a slot wide enough to hide the key(s) to that important chastity belt or safety deposit box (whichever is more important) ..



The drawer ...



... has a false bottom. This is accessed from the rear of the drawer.



Slide away the rear panel ..

[Derek Cohen]

You can also remove the pen tray ...



Now that is three of the hiding places. The fourth?

This introduces the dilemma I have. Sometimes less is more and adding one more item makes the piece too busy, too complex. I have presented the pictures in the order I assembled the lapdesk, and it may be a result of this that I am feeling this way. Do I include the last section or not? I would value your input here.

There is a central cover that was designed for three purposes. The first is that it offers an additional writing surface. This is Jarrah - I thought a wood to link in with the console. Some thought went into balancing the figure with the parts of the console.





The second purpose of the cover is that it hides what lies within.



And hidden inside the cover is another drawer ..



The hinges have not been installed as I am not sure whether to keep it or not .....



Regards from Perth

Derek

[george wilson]

Looks great!!

[Chris Griggs]

I like it! Though it begs the question..."What does Derek need to hide so badly?"

[Jim Koepke]

Very nice.

The internal lid does seem a bit much. A false bottom inside might be another way to accomplish the fourth hidden space.

Is there something to hold the pen and ink in place when this is closed?

In a traveling situation a lapdesk could end up in different orientations.

jtk

[David Weaver]

Looks excellent Derek!

[Derek Cohen]

Very nice.

The internal lid does seem a bit much. A false bottom inside might be another way to accomplish the fourth hidden space.

Is there something to hold the pen and ink in place when this is closed?

In a traveling situation a lapdesk could end up in different orientations.

jtk

Hi Jim

It is either the cover/lid or nil - no more false bottoms.

Travelling?!!! You've got to be kidding - have you any idea how much Jarrah and She-oak weigh?! . That's why I have an iPad!

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Mel Fulks]

Sure it's heavy ,but you must experience using it on a trip! I think the generals usually let somebody else move stuff.Quite a luxury to actually use it and keep it ready to go.

[Andrew Hughes]

Looks great, love the color of the oak,the bummer is your secret compartments aren't secret any more.

[Tony Shea]

I do like the piece a lot. Being that it is a lap desk, is the weight an issue while sitting on your lap? How much more weight does the this extra panel add and is it comfortable on you lap with this extra weight? As far as being too busy with the added panel, I don't think so. I actually think this adds a little more balance to the contrast of colors. If the extra weight isn't an issue I personally would make it part of the piece.

I have no experience working with Jarrah or She-Oak (not readilly available woods here in Maine) so am unsure about their hardness. But as for writing surfaces, will they get scarred up in use? About the only wood I deal with that wont mark up as a writing surface is Honduran Rosewood. Our oak is so open pored that it would make for a terrible writing surface. But She-Oak may be a different animal all together.

Your work is really outstanding and your attention to detail is obvious. This piece is really a great example of this.

[David Weaver]

jarrah is similar to hornbeam, a step or two up from hard maple. she oak is harder.

[Tony Shea]

Well if that's the case then denting it should not be that big an issue with a pen. Weight is still potentially an issue as well as open pores, but both the Jarrah and even that She-oak looks fairly tight.

[Jim Belair]

Very nice Derek. The last photo is especially striking with the contrast of the jarrah pins. Are these woods from some of the reclaimed timbers you're fond of using?

I'm in the camp that says leave the center panel out. I'd be more in favour of one that extended the writing surface but not a panel in frame as shown.

Curious why and how you cut the triangular dados for the drawer back.

Jim B

[steven c newman]

Kind of makes my little desk a little plain lookingSDC14924.jpgSDC14926.jpgJust some old barn wood.

[Pat Barry]

Hi Derek, very nice creation! I really like the choice of materials and the grain selection. A question on the dovetails though, they look pretty minimalistic. I would be concerned with strength. Is that any consideration?