Thread: Red Gum Piano Parts Box

I was contacted regarding making a box for some piano pieces and my curiosity was sparked so i met with Rachel and she had a box with some keys, hardware like pedals plaques and 2 locks with no keys. We discussed and agreed on a design and when i questioned her about fitting a lock with no key she said she had a locksmith organised to make one, then i knew she was serious.

The piano was her mothers as a child and had been water damaged during a home renovation so it was parted out. I thought timber choice was going to be tricky but as soon as Rachel looked at the photo of the Red Gum she chose it straight away, apparently the grain pattern matched that of the piano. I would have loved to have seen that.

I set about making the box and it was tough going due to the brittle nature of the Red Gum and i had to do a lot of the cut out for the lock and keep by hand but there was no hurry (the lock took 6 weeks to complete) so i took my time and made it work. Once i had the lock back i set to polishing all the Brass pieces and fitting the plaques to the inside of the lid. The material plaque was difficult as being so old it wanted to fall apart, specially when i was trying to sand the old glue from the rear. I repaired it with backing tape and glued it to the lid.

Rachel was more than pleased with the outcome, and for myself it was an exercise in patience and millimetre perfection.
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