Texas tansu?

[Swingman]

me what you know about tansu.

[WillR]

Canadian Woodworking just ran an article -- see cover page.

R. Jewel Boxes and Wood Art power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those=20 who have not got it.=94 George Bernard Shaw

[Swingman]

Canadian Woodworking just ran an article -- see cover page.

for the link.

Amazing ... you'd think I've been hiding under a rock down here in Texas. In

62 years I've never even heard the word "tansu" until last week. An ad in American Bungalow magazine was the first time I've seen the word in print.

Appears to be very open to design freedom, which is right down my alley. AAMOF, I can't believe how close I managed to come to some of the design elements (like the plain base) which I have seen online the past few days without ever having seen or heard of it ... which means there is something intuitively organic and elemental about it.

Live and learn ...

[Larry Jaques]

like the mag? It appears to have an article for every niche of woodworking. Is it worth a buck more per year than FWW?

-- Like they say, 99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name. ------------------------------------------------------

Lawyer-free Website Development

[cefischer]

Swingman,

Go to

for a bit of background.

When I was in Japan 35+ years ago, my first impression was that they were beautiful as well as functional. My second impression was that they appeared to made out of orange crate wood. In Japan the wood is called kiri and in the US Pallonia(sp). In any case, bought one for my wife on our second anniversary and brought it back when we returned. Love it and it doesn't seem that out of place with any other style of furniture.

Most have a series various size drawers, a space behind sliding panel doors and often a secret compartment. Hardware is usually black metal similar to "campaign style hardware" on the corners, simple bail type drawer pulls and rather elaborate stylized chrysanthenum locks.

Seems to me that there are a couple of books out on the subject.

Ed

Sw>

> Tell me what you know about tansu. > > --

[Chris Carruth]

Tansu were originally made for storing blankets, and is a generic term for this function. Stackable cubes are not really tansu chests but sometimes look similar.

[Layne]

Hi,

This is one of my favorite sites for tansu. Click on the links on the left. The hardware is unbelievable! The only thing I don't like is that their tansu are laquered...which isn't bad as the laquerwork is beautiful, but I like seeing wood.

's one featuring different craftsmen.

's another favorite site for Japanese woodworking.

guys build Japanese style houses using traditional Japanese carpentry techniques. Click on the "construction" link to see the joinery they make by hand using traditional methods. Amazing!

[WillR]

I know the publisher -- met him at woodshows -- nice guy...

It is much better over the last few years. I don't _like_ all the=20 articles because I am not interested in some aspects of this art=20 (sport?) -- but I do appreciate the technical aspects of each facet of=20 woodworking -- so sometimes I read the articles on things that I would=20 never do or try. Paul & Linda are trying very hard to get articles that=20 do represent a lot of the different aspects of the art. We discussed=20 that point last time I saw him. It is a conscious effort.

For a Canuck it is a goldmine of local sources. I wish more Canadian=20 companies would advertise in them. We have a unique way of advertising=20 businesses here - if you don't know somebody who knows of a given=20 company you can't find out about them. (lol) That's why I started adding =

Links to my web site. A couple of years ago I mentioned to Paul how=20 difficult it was to find sources. Now I see that he is trying to get=20 people/companies to advertise at least once and provide a link to their=20 web site or a contact point.

I don't even know the difference in subscription rates. I buy them both=20 for different reasons.

FWW I always check to see if there is an interesting article. CWW I just =

buy without looking -- he always has something of interest and a new=20 source or two or three...

The step Tansu article is a good one. Not interested now -- but someday..= =2E

--=20 Will R. Jewel Boxes and Wood Art

power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those=20 who have not got it.=94 George Bernard Shaw

[WillR]

Do what Larry did and get the "Free copy" -- pay shipping. If you are=20 interested it is a good article. (Well I like it anyway... :-) )

They do describe the reason for the "step" Tansu -- beating the tax man=20

-- an old-time American tradition as well.

Paul is thinking of selling an online edition of his magazine. Complete=20 with article downloads etc. That would widen his reach a bit and make it =

easier to get articles like that one... Any day real soon now...

--=20 Will R. Jewel Boxes and Wood Art

power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those=20 who have not got it.=94 George Bernard Shaw

[Swingman]

-- an old-time American tradition as well.

And an old European one, for that matter ... I was told by the curator of a German museum many years ago that one of the reasons for the proliferation of wardrobes were that taxes were based on the number of rooms, and closets were taxed as rooms.

Until just recently I've never been a fan of Asian styles of any sort. When you get older you gradually start to appreciate the elemental human aspects of furniture design (when you get down to it, the basis for the design of tools and devices that humans use to make their daily lives more comfortable, regardless of geographic location).

The recent article in FWW with Sam Maloof is interesting along these same lines as he seems to have a great deal of wonder about how his designs instinctively meshed with Asian and Egyptian furniture styles, although he was raised on an isolated farm and had never been to any of these places.

In a much more humble way I am beginning to know how he feels as the ideas that have been floating around in my mind with regard to this "stacked" cube thing mesh perfectly with what I am discovering about some aspects of tansu ... must be Mongol blood in some of us old farm boys.

[WillR]

I guess bureaucrats _are_ chosen for a particular mindset. As they say=20 in the security biz -- the crackers always win...

Now I have to agree with that -- form follows function maybe???? :-)

Maybe he is a keen observer of nature. :-) Many good designs follow=20 those principle IMO -- whether instinct (programmed, genetic?) or a=20 learned response -- who knows?

Ukrainian? Lot of crossover there.

--=20 Will R. Jewel Boxes and Wood Art

power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those=20 who have not got it.=94 George Bernard Shaw

[Rick Stein]

Check out this website:

examples of modern day tansu design.)

There are several books on Tansu. In its broadest useage, Tansu originally meant any type of chest which was portable. Some even had wheels . . . Step tansu are a specific niche . . . there are other niches . . . merchant tansu, sea tansu (for on-board sailing vessels) etc . . .

Rick

Sw>

[Swingman]

Damn ... at those prices maybe it's time to consider incorporating ... "Texas Tansu, Inc"?

Like my grandfather said: "There are riches in niches".

Actually, I am really having a good time with this project. I have a brief period between houses and it's really nice to be able to do something for your own use for a change... this tansu thing fits the bill and is scratching all the wooddorking itches in the right places.

[Swingman]

Progress on the "Texas Tansu" project, albeit glacial due to having to take a back seat to making a living, moves forward.

Some may find the use of "French cleats" to attach the desk top between the stack of chests a bit unusual, but it is surprising how well the system works in practice.

AAMOF, the drawer like sliding action is so smooth, even between stained/unstained/unwaxed parts, that I am thinking of using a similar idea as wooden drawer slides for some of the multitude of planned drawers on this project.