My wife decided we need a sideboard in the dining room so I got to building this one. The light timber is called Tasmanian Oak, actually a Eucalypt species (E. regnans) and the top is Redgum, another Eucalypt species (E. camaldulensis). Eucalypt hardwoods are very common in Australian timber yards.
I used loose tenon joinery for the door frames and leg/apron assemblies. For the eight drawers I used half dovetails (or “blind dovetails” or “drawer dovetails” – depending on which country you are from).
For the Redgum top, I had a chat with the boys at the lumber yard and had them keep an eye out for any boards coming through with fiddleback grain. The photos don’t do it justice but the grain gives an almost 3-D appearance of wavy tiger skin. Beautiful stuff. Finished off with a couple of coats of Danish Oil (a great Australian product called Organoil) and a wax and polish.
– Paul Savage
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