Katana tansu build

[RichardP]

Hey all!
So I built a katana tansu, thought I’d share:

 

[RichardP]

The long top drawer is made of solid mahogany with a mahogany veneer base—I built it like I was making a humidor, and with two-way humidity control packs, I hope to be able to keep koshirae at a pretty constant 49% humidity.  

[RichardP]

The little drawer on top holds origami, and has a sliding tray for small accessories...

[RichardP]

On the bottom drawer, the face plate is hinged and swings open to reveal a keypad:

[RichardP]

The bottom drawer is built around this under-bed gun safe:

[RichardP]

Foam interior replaced with birch ply, and sword racks out of basswood.  A Gunsaver dehydrator bar is mounted between the two racks.  

[Jwrussell]

Wow

[Bugyotsuji]

Wow x100 

[celt72]

That is incredibly impressive!

[PNSSHOGUN]

That is absolutely beautiful, the joinery is superb. If you were to make a business out of these you would never be out of work......

[Brian]

Wowowow.
Incredible! That is stunning.

[francois2605]

This is very impressive, kudos. I can imagine your joy building such a beauty. Definitely something to be proud of !

[Geraint]

Yes indeed!  Quite a piece of furniture, it will add to the pleasure you get from viewing swords every time.

 

All the best.

[ChrisW]

This is spectacular. Let me know if you decide to start producing these!

[Bugyotsuji]

I think you should write the combination here in this thread, just in case you forget it of course! 

[paulb]

I am in absolute awe of your skill. Incredible work congratulations. Also glad to see you have space for more swords

[Brian]

Inspired now. Going to see if I can draft up plans for something similar.
Working on a non-Nihonto display coffee table currently and it it turns out half decent, may look at this idea.

[Ken-Hawaii]

That's damn impressive, Richard! Well thought out & designed. 

 

Just remember that thieves who see your locking machanism can just walk away with the entire katanadansu. Bolt to something solid.

[John A Stuart]

I especially like the idea of the gun safe being the internals. From where did you get the metal fittings? John

[Hoshi]

I am completely in awe and would buy this in a flash. 

[Michaelr]

I just want to repeat what was said above- WOW WOW WOW. Thank you so much for sharing. If you are starting a list of potential buyers add me to it, I would even be willing to take this prototype ( ha ha )

  MikeR 

[RichardP]

Thanks everybody for such nice replies!  I just fetched a better camera, here’s some clearer pics:

(The veneer is Tamo wood, by the way: https://www.woodmagazine.com/materials-guide/lumber/wood-species-3/tamo)

[RichardP]

[RichardP]

[RichardP]

Hi John, I got the hardware from Morikuni.  

[Shugyosha]

A very lovely thing. Great choice of wood which must have been hell to work. 

[RichardP]

The gunsafe came with a little led light set in the inside of the drawer face, but I removed it and installed different lighting.  I used a diffuser filter and amber light gels to tint the light a nice candlelight color:

[RichardP]

On the underside of the gunsafe’s lid, right at the mouth of the drawer, there is a 1/4” metal flange set at 90 degrees that I drilled through.  I attached an aluminum led light strip bar (https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/aluminum-channels/micro-alu-led-strip-channel-universal/2039/)by drilling and tapping the bar laterally to accept #4-40 socket head screws.  Three screws hold the whole assembly in place, and I don’t lose any more headspace than the flange was already taking up:

[RichardP]

11 hours ago, PNSSHOGUN said:

the joinery is superb

Perhaps until you look behind the curtain—then:  buh buh BUMMM....

Nothing but butt-joints & brackets.

(The brackets have been countersunk with a router so as to avoid tangling up the drawers, but that was my only concession to professionalism.  All you need to build this box is a table saw and a router.  And a drill press helps.)

[RichardP]

30 minutes ago, Shugyosha said:

Great choice of wood which must have been hell to work. 

Not hell at all—I don’t have any veneer bags, or an air pump or anything.  I just cut the veneer, taped it to some MDF and rolled heat-activated veneer glue on both it and the plywood substrate.  After a few hours, a second coat to each.  The glue dries to a firm, plastic-y consistency.  Then you mate the pieces and iron them with a clothes iron.  
https://www.veneersupplies.com/products/Better-Bond-Heat-Lock-Veneer-Glue.html

Cost of entry is so low that if you have any interest at all in veneering, there’s no reason not to get a bottle of heat-activated glue (and a roller, and a veneer saw) and give it a go...