/diy/ - Do It Yourself

First you should find a fitting table. I suggest the Lack table from Ikea - none have posted how to diy kotatsu on ikeahackers yet, so feel free to give them a heads up with your finished project for some street cred.

Go visit a local electrician or see if you can find these pictured in your local Ikea as well. Its a halogen spot socket. Pick up some halogen spot lights while you are at it (pictured below).

The wattage of each halogen spot is up to you - I don't know the temperature of where you live - but its pretty cold around here.. Buy a couple of the cheapest halogen spots and see how you like the heating effect.

Next up is getting yourself a duvet, heavy blanket or quilt.

I suggest going for the scandinavian duvets in Ikea if you can find them. (Very warm and heavy).

Feel free to DIY a duvet.

Now,

First you assemble the Ikea table, but don't put on the bottom shelf. Save that for putting on top later.

Then you mount the halogen sockets under the table. You can place them in the middle or attach them to one of the legs - whatever suits you. If you mount them in the middle, you could use a sieve as a protector so you don't bumb into the halogen spots with your feet.

Next you put on the duvet, and then top it with the bottom shelf you saved for later.

There you have it. DIY Kotatsu for the winter - DONE.

>>61933
you have a gloryhole in your room??

>>61965

Its a door hole for the shoji. But its not my room.

Rest of my posts are just pictures of kotatsus for inspiration.

I'm going to post two pics more

It looks cosy and all but aren't you supposed to use something else for heating? Using halogens in a closed dusty enviroment like that sounds like a big fire hazard to me...

That piece of wood would slide around and annoy the fuck out of me. I would bolt it down through the duvet and into the table underneath.

But removing the duvet for cleaning might be an issue

>>61975

In old days people used coal or oil lamps..

You should be safe with basic halogens as long as you turn down the heat when you are getting too hot and watch out.


If you want the easier solution, just buy a heating blanket and place it under the kotatsu. It will take longer to heat up though.

I'm not so good at this stuff but do Dimmers work with halogens? If so that would be an awesome way to adjust the temp.

>>61976

I guess you could just tie it in place with some rope, or use discrete clamps. Alternatively just put on some heavy stuff on the table.

>>61979

Yeah, dimmers work well with halogens.. Just ask the place you shop about what dimmers work with what voltage etc etc.

>>61979
nope

>>61981

They do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiSo_4DT0XI&feature=related

>>61980
That image gave me an idea. I guess alternatively you could build borders that will fit snugly around the table+duvet (but it will require more work and material than that ikea table would provide).

If you know what you are doing, and is knowledgeable about how to work with electricity, you could use a toaster instead of using spots. You would have to do a bit of tinkering.. But doable nonetheless.

Have you ever done one yourself, OP? Or do you know anyone who has made their own home-made kotatsu?

How big is the risk of it starting a fire? And would you be fucked if you accidentally left it on for an hour or more?

>>61998

I have worked with japanese furniture for a long time. Most kotatsus use halogen heaters, some with safety temperature switches - check it out yourself. Using spots is just the most simple way of getting some halogen heat. The safety depends on the wattage and type of halogen spot, the temperatures and so on and so on.. If you are afraid, forgetful or just plain stupid then buy a heating blanket.

You could also modify this piece:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HomeBasix-DF1015-Portable-Halogen-Parabolic-14-Oscillating-Heater-Timer-/370
549759884?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item56467c9f8c#ht_739wt_905

Buy a timer and hook the heat plug through it. Have it set to activate 30m before you wake and 30m before you eat dinner or something. Shit's like $5.

>>61933
Wow thanks OP, I've never heard of a kotatsu before but I absolutely love the idea of it, heres a quick screen cap I slapped together for anyone who'd like to keep it.

I'm gonna have to make one of these...

Lamp-heated kotatsus? Really?

Look on ebay. It may be a slightly pricier rig, but if you're lucky, you'll be able to find a heater that's designed for kotatsus for about 100 bucks. If you're smart about your kotatsu design, you can construct the rest of it for about 25$ extra . . . compare this with the retail price of kotatsus (700-900$, plus the cost to import), and this is still an astronomical savings.

I've used a kotatsu made from the Ikea Lack, and it's certainly large enough for a single person to use. If you're like me though, and you prefer to gather with groups of friends, you might want something a bit larger. Consider purchasing and re-purposing a used table from the classifieds to seat 5-6. Duvets can also be bought second-hand. Any additional materials required can likely be salvaged from local woodworking/furniture repair operations.

I'm considering building one with hinged surface panels covering 4-inch-deep storage trays; let us know how your efforts go, and good luck!!!