That is the true beauty of a tansu. It is a bunch of potentially mismatched chests that are stacked to provide steps up to another floor. Think of it as the storage under steps as well as the steps. Each step/unit does not have to match. They don't need to be of the same wood, the same size, or of the same construction technique. Which is very good for an amateur woodworker. (It's not SUPPOSED to match). Just build your first box. Then build another. And stack them. Keep building till you are done.
Mine is a 5x5, with roughly 18" steps, 24" deep. Some are drawers, some doors, one open. One 18" cube has 8 game drawers (one board game and pieces per drawer.) One 36"x36" cube has my tv and dvd player. If you really want to get good at dovetails, build (and gift) an apothicary chest. After 40 drawers you will have the basic concepts down! http://www.stanpikedesigns.com/apcab1.htm As for building drawers, hand cut dovetails are easy, so the basic construction of a drawer is simple. But file drawers carry a lot of weight, and need to slide smoothly. They may not be the best starting point. (my drawers do not have slides) The first question you need to answer is: is the file cabinet for files? if so, the bottom can be pretty week, as long as all the files hang form the top on rails. The second question is: do you need to match an existing wood/finish/style? I might suggest buying an unfinished hardwood file cabinet and assembling it ($80). You could replace the drawer face with your own, add new hardware, and maybe even build a new carcass that matches your shelves. (I did this for my parents, who needed to match the existing interior on their trailer). If you do build it yourself, do not skimp on the drawer slides. They are the most important part. Jerry Johnson Web Developer Dolan Media Company >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 01/10/05 04:03PM >>> I wasn't sure what a Step Tansu was eaither. Thanks for the pics. The tansu is really cool. I'm not bold enough to delve into building one quite yet. I've yet to build a drawer. I've only made simple-to-medium shelving units so far. I need to add a two-drawer file cabinet to my built in shelves/desk in the office. Any tips or pointers for a novice like myself? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Discover CFTicket - The leading ColdFusion Help Desk and Trouble Ticket application http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=48 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:141953 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
