Tansu

[Chris Padilla]

Ah, finally time to build something for our living room that recently underwent a full remodel! So far, due to time and "I'm only human" and "Please don't divorce me", we've bought most everything from Ethan Allen.

I have two shots from sketch-up and a shot of the real McCoy. My wife found this spendy handwoven metal framed baskets at Cost Plus World Market for the bargain price of 30 bones each! Ah, well, she figured, we'll save money because LOML (that would be me! ) will build a nice piece of furniture for these!

Ah, she knows me only too well and I'm only happy to oblige!

So we have 6 baskets (13" wide x 10 1/2" high x 16" deep) that will need to fit into a shelving cabinet of sorts. It'll be all walnut (sketch-up only had cherry color...close enough) but she likes thick-looking shelves and such so I have them at 1 1/4". You can see my idea for the construction of the basic panel. I have a lot of different ideas put into sketch-up so as to figure out what we want.

I'm fairly certain we'll want some kind of stop in place so one doesn't push the basket all the way through but we are undecided how to approach this. A full panel? Perhaps some quarter-round molding wrapping the interior of each box? Something else? I feel like I want to see the baskets from the other side because the color goes well with the living room and it'll keep the piece more airy and not so heavy looking despite its beefy appearance.

Anyway, pinging the collective here on any ideas. We're also stumped on legs for this piece. If anyone wants the .skp file, just holler...it is too big to attach here.

Oh, to clarify, this will be a place for keys, purses, etc. as one walks in the house so its main access is from the front door side. The "back" will face the living room. It will serve to also divide the area a bit.

[John Shuk]

I like the idea of legs. It would bring a nice aspect ratio to the piece.
I'm thinking 6 inch high round slightly splayed walnut legs.
I kind of like it open on both sides. Perhaps a small stainless pin in the center of the non access side as a stop.
On that note if you could get a stainless angle iron base made with small legs that it sets into that might be nice as well. That may be more than you are looking for though.

[Chris Padilla]

John,

We have some other items in the room (cherry TV stand) that have black metal legs on them but that is something I'd have to farm out. I should get a pic of that up.

I tried to sell my wife on a metal bar (cylinder, bar, etc.) of chrome, brass, brushed brass and even copper as a stopper for the baskets but got a firm "No metal on this piece!"

We definately need legs of some ilk on this thing because there is no way it will sit flat on our "distressed and hand-planed" floor.

[John Shuk]

And I thought is was just my wife who thought my ideas were no good.

[Craig T. Smith]

Chris, How about an 1 1/4 in. square stained rail about 1/3 the way up the holes? Maybe even stained a contrasting color. This seems to appeal to me but I'd have to think on it. Happy Woodworking, Craig

[Bob Ross]

Chris,

I'm posting these pics to give you a couple ideas that I had.

A full width base with a full extension drawer (for the longer purses, golf bags etc ). This cabinet is two-piece. I built the base then set the upper on it and secured it inside.

The desk is pictured to show you the reverse tapered legs. I picture the basket cubbys being separated by full-height legs that support a "thick" top.

[Jim Becker]

Chris...oh, no! A project!! LOL

Seriously, I think the design is great. As to legs, I'd stay simple and make them identical in height to one of the squares that make up the rest of the piece to remain in balance. If your decor allows, metal would be appropriate, but wood that matches the framework would also work nicely.

[Chris Padilla]

Thanks for the ideas, Everyone. I like the secondary drawer idea to grab just a lil' more storage space but I'm not sure I can grow this unit much taller as it is at 40" already with no legs. We don't want it to come too close to the light switch height near the front door there (on the right of the "real" pic).

I'll play with more sketch-up but I'm thinking to wrap it with a relatively plain base molding with short, hidden, adjustable legs that will allow me to just float it off the floor. Of course, I need to run the idea by THE BOSS--it is sure to be a lousy one!

[Chris Padilla]

Well, thought I'd update this thread although not with anything terribly exciting.

I did get a Kreg jig on my MM20 bandsaw and some initial resawing of a 2x4 I had laying around worked out nicely. One thing is for sure, I need to hook up some dust-collection to my BS!!

I'll have a 10" wide, 8/4 piece of rough walnut to resaw. It is 7' long.

I plan to rip several 5/32" thick veneers that will be sanded down on my 18-36 Delta drumer sander to 1/8" thick. I'll then need to edge-glue two veneers together in order to arrive at 16 1/2" wide veneer.

Here are my thoughts on attacking this plank of walnut:

(1) Face plane one side flat on my jointer
(2) Plane the other side flat on my planer
(3) Joint one edge
(4) Rip the other edge

I now have an S4S plank of walnut ready to resaw. I plan to attack the veneer cutting this way:

(1) Resaw a veneer
(2) Face plane the plank lightly to reflatten, smooth it out
(3) Repeat (1) and (2) until I have just a hair more than a 1/2" thick board left.
(4) Plane it down to 1/2" thick board

The 1/2" thick board will be ripped into frame material as show in my pictures in the first post here. After thinking a bit, I realized that none of the veneered panels will require a full frame. In fact, most will only need two sides done and a couple more will only need 3 sides done.

Anyway, I plan to edge-glue two veneers together and then glue that to a substrate made up of 2 pieces of 1/2" plywood. I'm excited to finally have a nice project for the veneer press I picked up over Christmas last year.

I hope to have lottsa pictures for everyone to follow as I think this will be a fun and not too complicated a project to build.

Please let me know your thought process on my work flow here. I've never done this before so I'm anxious to soak up any knowledge. I plan to get some dark cold-press veneer glue.

[Raymond Fries]

I might extend the sides below the bottom shelf and cut an arched profile or something not too elaborate. The vertical dividers could just be extended since they probably would not reveal the cutout.

Good Luck with your project...

[Dave Hale]

Looks like a Tansu step-chest to me. They're configurable, used as large room dividers because the drawers (baskets for you) are mirror imaged and pull out both sides.. I've got one I bought when living in Singapore.
Take a look here:
http://www.greenteadesign.com/living...ep-chests.html

You might get some inspiration.

BTW, mine has 3 major sections: 2 'stepped' cases and 1 rectangle. I can do a large rectangle, step-up/step-down, and a larger step-up. The base holds 2 of the pieces in place.

[Eric Larsen]

Hey Chris...

I'd make it accessible from both sides. This isn't big enough to flex too much, and you could reach from that sofa into one of the baskets when LOYL asks you to get her purse, etc.

I'd also make the horizontal and vertical pieces from different species for effect. (And because I'm a freak, I'd also use dovetail joinery just to make the project WAY more difficult than it has to be.)

[Chris Padilla]

Looks like a Tansu step-chest to me. They're configurable, used as large room dividers because the drawers (baskets for you) are mirror imaged and pull out both sides.. I've got one I bought when living in Singapore.
Take a look here:
http://www.greenteadesign.com/living...ep-chests.html

You might get some inspiration.

BTW, mine has 3 major sections: 2 'stepped' cases and 1 rectangle. I can do a large rectangle, step-up/step-down, and a larger step-up. The base holds 2 of the pieces in place.

Very nice!! I'll have to pass along the site to LOML and see if she can turn my relatively straight-forward project into something more complicated.

[Chris Padilla]

Hey Chris...

I'd make it accessible from both sides. This isn't big enough to flex too much, and you could reach from that sofa into one of the baskets when LOYL asks you to get her purse, etc.

I'd also make the horizontal and vertical pieces from different species for effect. (And because I'm a freak, I'd also use dovetail joinery just to make the project WAY more difficult than it has to be.)

Actually, making it accesible from both sides would save me a bit of work as I wouldn't have to put in a stopper of any kind. We'll see how it goes as I could always add that in later...perhaps.

LOML wants this sucker 100% walnut...all dark. I do have plenty of maple and I just LOVE the contrast between maple and walnut but what the heck do I know....

[Chris Padilla]

I might extend the sides below the bottom shelf and cut an arched profile or something not too elaborate. The vertical dividers could just be extended since they probably would not reveal the cutout.

Good Luck with your project...

I like that idea but the wife overruled it. I will, however, make the bottom beefier and hide some adjustable legs within the cavity I will create by making the bottom walnut "frame" hang down further. It'll be around 2 1/2" whereas everything else is 1 1/4".

I bought these cabinet leveler brackets "B" and cabinet leveler legs "A" from Lee Valley.