How big are the dadoes on a tansu chest?
I cut 1/4″-deep x 5/8″-wide stopped dadoes that were centered on each side of the drawer. Then I nailed drawer runners to the carcase’s partitions and drawer runners with plywood build-up strips to the sides.
What do you need for a Japanese tansu chest?
The traditional Japanese household would store clothing, valuables and household items in its tansu. Construction of this chest is simple. You’ll need a sheet and a half of 3/4″ maple plywood, one board of 1″-thick maple that’s about 8′ long and 8″ wide and some 1/2″ and 1/4″ plywood scraps for the drawers.
When did the first Japanese tansu chest come out?
“Tansu” means chest, and the high period of this type of furniture was between 1657 to 1923. The traditional Japanese household would store clothing, valuables and household items in its tansu.
How do you build a tansu chest of drawers?
The carcases of the upper and lower cabinets are built the same way. First cut all your pieces to size and iron on veneer edge tape to cover all the exposed plywood edges. Now cut the grooves and rabbets on the cabinet stiles. The side panels are glued into 1/2″-deep x 3/4″-wide grooves milled 1/4″ in from the edge of the cabinet stiles.
When was the first Japanese tansu chest made?
Troy Segal is an antiques expert, writer, and editor. Her knowledge of history and the arts contributes to her expertise within her antique articles. Japanese merchant chest, Meiji period (1868-1912). Any antique-furniture lover who believes in form following function can’t help but appreciate Japanese tansu.
The carcases of the upper and lower cabinets are built the same way. First cut all your pieces to size and iron on veneer edge tape to cover all the exposed plywood edges. Now cut the grooves and rabbets on the cabinet stiles. The side panels are glued into 1/2″-deep x 3/4″-wide grooves milled 1/4″ in from the edge of the cabinet stiles.
What kind of wood are tansu chests made of?
Wheeled chests were among the earliest form of tansu; references to them date as far back as 1657. Serving a variety of purposes, they’re quite large and quite rare. The 19th-century kuruma-dansu at left is a merchant’s chest, made of utilitarian sugi (cedar) wood.
Why are Japanese tansu chests meant to be portable?
Any antique-furniture lover who believes in form following function can’t help but appreciate Japanese tansu. Meant to be portable, these ingenious storage devices were stripped down to their bare essentials—no extraneous features, not even legs, to impede their portability.
