Three Variations of the Same Theme
There is a tradition in Melbourne secondary schools that has twelve year olds in their first woodwork lessons making a pencil case. Regardless of how ordinary the results may be, these things end up with magnificent decoration. During boring lessons they are canvas for expression of everything from undying love for rock stars to intense hatred of evil teachers. This lesson has crossed generations. Parents almost expect their child to bring home a pencil case and exploit the moment to compare the work of father and son. Even the style is set. They are usually like the ones photographed below.
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| Often the lid of these pencil boxes would pivot on a screw, but they were always wide and flat like this. |
I used to teach two variations. Children would be given the freedom to play with dimensions and invent decorations.
Lighter Box
Making this box emphasised the importance of process. It needs to be 75% finished and only then can the lid be cut to shape. Its flip top had children pretending that it was an old fashioned lighter.
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| Kids used to enjoy the flip top. |
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| Box is 75% finished |
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| Mark a nice angled line across the box and cut off the lid. It is a good chance to explore Japanese saws. |
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| Nail on the back and hinge the lid with a flat head. |
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| Often, children would decorate this in ways that made the slitted opening look like a mouth. |
Presentation Box
As a child I felt a little jealous of the kids who had expensive pencils that came packaged in grand display boxes. The really lucky kids had 72 different shades of pencil.
Could I bring that pride to every kid’s pencil collection. Not wanting to encourage opulence my design needed to display just a dozen pencils, seventy two would be to encourage decadence!
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| Wide flat surfaces made this fold up box ideal for graffiti. |
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| Fine 8mm square timber set some challenges in construction. Children had to learn how to handle fine timber and predrill before nailing. The small amount of framing involved allowed me to buy some nice species of wood for the children to use. |
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| If you are lucky you may find some ply with nice figure on its B side. |
