48 Hour Classes
INSTRUCTOR: Mark Murphy, Artisan
COURSE: Furniture Construction
PROJECT: Japanese Tea Chest (Cha-dansu) (This class is FULL)
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Tea drinking as a social event, mostly by the Kyoto nobility, began in Japan in the Heian period (794–1185). With the prosperity of the Edo period (1603–1868) there became a much wider audience for tea. As tea drinking in Japan became common in daily life, the zashiki (main room) of the urban home came to be used for a variety of social functions; one of the main functions was serving tea to socialize and settle business matters. As a result, freestanding and portable tea chests developed and crossed class lines.
The earlier tea chests from the Edo period were rather simple in form and ornamentation. It was not unusual for tea chests to have an open area of staggered shelving imitating the alcove space common in the main room of the home. These pieces held water containers, coveted ceramics, and ladles; as well as everyday tea bowls, kettles, and teas. They often had drawers and compartments covered by sliding doors. By the late Meiji period (1868) sheet glass became available and this was also incorporated into the tea chest. The piece students will be making in this class is from the Taisho or Showa period (1920’s) and displays all of these decorative features including a wonderful “S” shaped shelf and delicate fretwork.
The class will consist of constructing the case with parallel edge joints (fastened with bamboo dowels); building all of the drawers, glass door, and sliding doors; and making the “S” shaped shelf and the decorative fretwork. When all construction is completed, students will finish the piece using the instructor’s staining and finishing techniques and then apply the hardware. Students will learn to construct a very fine Japanese piece that will be helpful in any other case construction.
These tea chests are the instructor’s personal favorite type of pieces to do in miniature.
TIME:
48 hours. Basic structure, the case construction, completion is likely with some finishing and detail work to be completed at home. All of these techniques will be demonstrated in class.
POWER TOOLS:
table saw, scroll saw, shaper, drill press
SKILL LEVEL:
Intermediate and advanced
MATERIALS FEE:
$75 to be collected at school