Pearl’s Laptop
19″ x 15″ x 9″
Mahogany, oak, brass
I fell in love with a portable writing desk that I saw in a book titled “Treasure Chests” published by Tauton Press. It originally belonged to Capt. Elisha Palmer in the mid 1800’s. Now it resides in the Mystic Seaport Museum, in Mystic, CT. All I had to go on were the two pictures in the book and the museum catalog description which included the overall dimensions. Not having the sizes of all the different parts made it impossible to build an exact replica. As a result, when I drew up the plans, the proportions didn’t feel right to me. After much rework, I finally settled on a design I liked. Just as in the original, I connected the tambour to the drawer so it retracts as the drawer is opened. Just for fun, I added both a secret compartment and a hidden compartment.
Photography by Chris Pinchbeck
Annette’s Laptop
19 1/2″ x 17 1/2″ x 9 1/2″
Curly maple, hard maple, brass, glass
This is a redesigned version of Pearl’s Laptop. It is a little larger and has a completely redesigned interior, including the secret compartment and hidden compartment. The tambour of the roll top is connected to the drawer just as it is with Pearl’s Laptop so it opens as the drawer is opened. I also made 5 little picture frames for it. The glass is fixed to the top frame member so that you can pull up on the top frame piece and “open” the picture frame to insert a picture. The curly maple is stained using a method that has been in use since Colonial times here in the US. The wood is stained with Aqua Fortis which actually turns it a pale green color. Once it dries, you heat the wood and the most amazing transformation happens – it turns from that ugly green to the beautiful rich brown you see here. I really enjoyed redesigning my Laptop desk and have several ideas I would like to put into another one someday. Maybe I will have to do a “Pearl’s Laptop – Revisited” design.
Photography by Pearl Washburn