Little Tansu Inspired Case #1: Carcase and Dividers

Looking good. You are taking the mitered box up a notch. Good tip on using the inside of the board. Hmmm….Busting out “wonder boy” I see (shoulder plane).

Why don’t you run the miters on the table saw or did you? Time for a miter sled?
Are you going to put the tanzu stlye hardware on it?

-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne

Wonder boy was used to clean up the rabbets is all. I cut the miters on the miter saw, just cause it was quick and dirty. Table saw next time.

It won’t have any hardware; finger pulls will be 3/4 (or so) of a circle cut outs…

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

Looking really nice so far Dorje. After the bed I made I had the same urge, the result being my last two projects. Have you considered mitering the front too, so the front is recessed, might look neat…

(Love the b+w shots, looks just like a feature from Woodworking magazine :)

-- I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso

Thanks Damien – Tell me more about what you mean about the recessed front. My minds eye is seeing a couple different things.

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

Hey Dorje,

Nice looking cabinet. I need to build something “small” too. I haven’t completed something that wasn’t for the shop for a while now. Now I just have to find the time to get out there.

-- Mike - "Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep." (Scott Adams)

That’s coming along great. I’ll be following this one. I really have fun with joinery and from the looks of it, so do you. Figuring it out is 50% of the fun the other half is executing it.

-- Scott - Chico California http://chicowoodnut.home.comcast.net

Great job Dorje. Aren’t those black & white photos good !.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

Neat little project. I like the tip about flipping the boards inside out to help prevent the corners from opening.
So much to learn.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Great project to give one the all important feeling of accomplishment. And, a well written blog as usual. I’m loving the black and white as others have mentioned. I think it helps the viewer focus on the subject at hand and not be distracted by all the brightly colored tools and what have you that ends up on the bench. Thanks for the post.

-- Jeff, St. Paul, MN

Wow. Very cool. Something like this would take me weeks to build (once I thought and planned for months)!

-- Eric at http://adventuresinwoodworking.com

Looks like a nice quick little project that’s coming along great!

I had to google “tansu” style. Very cool.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

Cool little project Dorje. Tansu chests are just plain neat to me. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing it finished.

-- "Give me your poor tools, your tired steel, your huddled masses of rust." Yep, I ripped off the Statue of Liberty. That's how I roll!

Nice project Dorje, as always. I will have to follow Gary’s trail and google Tansu. I am completely in the dark about the style but this gives me a chance to learn something new today- and that is what this site is about.

I like the tip on turning the boards inside out. I am not sure I can quite visualize this yet but it makes me want to run out to the shop and cut some miters to find out. This is definitely “thinking outside the box”.

Thanks for the post I’m anxious to see the finished product (but don’t be shy about posting some more construction pictures if you have an opportunity).

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

I don’t know what you would consider to be “perfect” miters but those look pretty darn tight to me. You are going to “key” these with sliding dovetail keys, or what? I’ll be looking forward to seeing the finished result, but it sure looks like it’s going to turn out very nice. I like the grain and figure you chose for the carcase sides.

-- SteveL

How to explain.. I’m thinking you could chamfer, or even roundover ala Maloof, the inside edges of the case, and then recess the drawers. Currently at the corners you have a miter running in the x – y plane, the roundover /chamfer would be in the x – z plane (front to back). The dividers would then scooch back a little, and be flush with the newly chamfered/rounded over edges. Make any sense at all?

Something along the lines of this

-- I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso

Excellent job. Lot of things to learn for me
Sharad

-- patanjali

Really nice, Dorje.

-- Dust collectors suck.

Thanks all for your comments -

Damien - I get it – with the explanation even (can you hear Yogi the Bear?)...I like the idea, and I suppose it’s not too late to do it. I left 1/2” solid wood on the stopped dadoes and could rip the back of the divider a bit narrower…hmmm…Let me think about it… I guess a chamfer bit on the router table would do the trick, followed by squaring the corners…seems do-able and not a ton of time for set-up…

SteveL – sliding dovetail keys are more than I want to do on this project – they were considered though! The keys will be simple 1/8” flat walnut stock.

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

I love tansu – I will be making a dresser or some such in that style someday. Next house methinks.

re: Flipping the boards inside out, you mean after resawing them? Great tip.

-- The opposite of war isn't peace. It's creation. -- Wood T's: http://www.printfection.com/snbcreative

Scott – I just mean that I looked at the end grain growth rings, and based on that I used the inside of the tree as the show surface. The boards used for the main carcase were not resawn for this project. Just a little tip I remembered Karson talking about hearing from Frank Klausz. I’m thinking/guessing that Klausz’ many years taught him that the inside of the tree showed just a hint more chatoyance or something along those lines. I don’t recall hearing the purpose, only that it was stated. Maybe I better hunt down that post…

Here’s the quote from Karson's blog entry:

Key points [made by Klausz]: Always make the outside, visible piece of wood the innermost surface of the piece of lumber. If it is flat sawn the outer surface of the board is closest to the bark. Make that surface the inside of what every you are making.

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

Dorje,

Looking very nice so far. Are you going to install traditional Tansu hardware (at the corners etc.)? Can’t wait to see more!

-- Mark, Webster New York, Visit my website at http://thecraftsmanspath.com

Thanks for that clarification. I re-read that several times and formed the wrong conclusion. Great tip – very Nakashima! Now I won’t forget it.

-- The opposite of war isn't peace. It's creation. -- Wood T's: http://www.printfection.com/snbcreative

Hi Dorje;

Nice project so far…

I think we all need to build something for kicks once in a while. Takes the client problem away.

I have one of those problems now that’s especially nuts.

Lee

-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com

Mark – I think I will install some tansu style hardware…

Lee - this was supposed to be a quick “for kicks” project that, I’m afraid, is going to get drawn out longer than I anticipated…when will I learn?

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA