Jerry Dowse

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Tim Burtop, 2021
Tasmanian oak & bioplastic
720h x 600w x 1200d mm
$1,490

A designer passionate about discovering new techniques, Jerry Dowse has been testing 3D printed materials and exploring their potential integration in everyday furniture. During this experimentation he drafted an idea for a mixed medium office desk which became the Tim Burtop table. Aligned with his design ethos, its production needed to be low waste and use local materials.

The table is an adaptable design which can be customised by size, detail colour and timber finish. The innovation lies in the 3D-printed joint using bioplastic - a renewable, commercially compostable material. 3D printing avoids costly moulding expenses and allows for iterative designing. The joint allows for scaling the tabletop and serves three core functions; holding the legs in place, stabilising the table and securing the top.

Easily disassembled, reassembled and lightweight – the design is perfect for flat-pack shipping. The market for desks has grown due to the rise in flexible work cultures. It has the potential to fill a market gap for those looking beyond cheap imported goods or Australian-made raw ply desks.

The tabletop is made from one quarter cut Tasmanian oak ply sheet. To reduce waste, exactly four tabletops can be made from one whole sheet. The legs and timber braces are cut from a single length of Tasmanian oak; this method produces less than 10 per cent material waste with almost no offcuts. Four 3D printed joints use a standard 1kg spool of material with zero waste.

Justin Case, 2021
Tasmanian oak, thermoplastic, linen
480h x 210w x 505d mm
$1,190

Looking around his new home office, Jerry found himself underwhelmed. Mechanical, clunky, and oversized; his PC computer workstation didn’t suit the homely aesthetics of the room. He struggled to find better options in the market so set out to design his own.

Jerry designed Justin Case, a workstation that is clean, sleek, and soft whilst maintaining the customisable function of pre-existing setups.

The 3D-printed case skeleton is the design innovation. A heat-resistant honeycomb structure increases airflow and reduces weight. Justin Case weighs around half that of a commercial case. 3D-printing also enables zero waste material use. As hardware mounting is printed directly into the frame, very little assembly is required.

The outer skeleton is printed as a single piece and wrapped in a breathable linen sock and feet are mounted to the bottom. The front and rear timber panels are CNC cut Tasmanian oak secured onto the case with magnets, allowing easy access to the mounted hardware and cables.

Tim Burtop and Justin Case are shortlisted for this year’s digital edition of WORKSHOPPED21: New Australian Furniture, Lighting and Object Design.

For more about this designer please visit - jerrydowse.com