Hand Cut Japanese Woodworking

First let me say anything made with genuine Japanese woodworking is rock solid. American makers have a hard time getting anywhere near the degree of accuracy.

In the Japanese view, wood is to interlock by joints which come together as this linked graphic will demonstrate. Their traditional joinery is far more complex and allows for these joints to hold fast.

Japanese Woodworking Joint Design

The Japanese design dictates that they traditionally do not use nails or screws to hold pieces of wood together. Understand this is an art form in our modern time.

While the West can perform similar joinery, this degree of accuracy has not been our standard. It simply is not the same level of craftsmanship.

When we are finished we pull out the glue and screws to make sure things stay together. The Japanese do not need them.

In my box art, I use finger joints with no nails or screws. While I see my work as impressive, I cannot imagine attempting a 3 way miter by hand having it fit perfectly.

We could pull off similar feats with machinery, yet that is cheating when compared to Japanese woodworking methods.

I will leave a YouTube video here for you to see an example of Japanese joinery. Pictures alone cannot capture how cool it is.

Around the 14:30 mark in the video you can see how the joint is put together. Yet the process to get to this point by hand is fun to see.

Durability Of Japanese Woodworking

The American market is interesting. The West often thinks more in terms of disposable rather than lifetime use.

I cannot think of a furnishing store in my state that sells quality on par with what can be done with Japanese woodworking. That is at least when done traditionally by hand.

What is built in this manner and to their specifications is meant to last a very long time. These older ways match wood strength to the intended design for its purpose.

Fortunately for us in the West, all designs do not have to look like they came from Asia. The story of Takumi Woodwork will display a modern spin on older methods of design that are beautiful.

Expect to pay a premium for this kind of work. If you are expecting the local furnishing store prices you may gasp a bit. Here you are in a different league of woodworking.

Of course there are the cheaper mimics out there which can be had. You will find them on all the typical online broker sites where everything cheap is found.

As long as you know what you are buying is not the real deal and you still want it, then that is fine. Just be sure to not mistakenly make a comparison to what is genuine Japanese woodworking.

Woodworking Tradition Has Become A New Japanese Art

Many traditional arts have declined in the last half century. Too much has been lost to history that cannot be recovered. Thankfully this is not the story of Japanese woodworking.

It is amazing to see that there is a lot of interest in the West for this style of woodworking. Those who practice it do consider it to be an art.

The methods these woodworkers use herald back to older times with more traditional tools. This tradition extends beyond the tool to include aspects such as sharpening methods for chisels and carving knives.

While marketability may be limited due to price point and modern disposable thinking, I am glad to see this art live on to new generations.

Japanese Woodworking Desires Friction Joinery

We in the West use joinery simply to bring two parts together. It is not that they do not use glue just as we do, yet it is not required. Overall wood strength is not derived from that component.

To give an example of this lets look at a joint they call the kanawa tsugi.

This joint is designed to bring two pieces together on their ends. This is not like a box joint where it makes a 90 degree angle.

Rather it is more like making two sticks become whole as one larger stick. The joint is on the ends of each piece.

The joint is traditionally cut by hand and it works similar to how a lock and key system would function. It is a half-blind tenoned, dadoed, and rabbeted scarf joint.

When it brings two pieces together it creates a strong interlocking joint. Within the West is hard to compare the kanawa tsugi to anything that we use.

Needless to say learning how to perform the various methods of locking wood pieces together is an art of its own. I have modified complex joints by hand after a machine has helped me start them.

Performing something on this scale without an ibox, table saw, dado, or a router, would almost seem impossible to many. This is the beauty of Japanese woodworking.

As these various joints are completed there is no need for screws or nails. The philosophy of this art believes that using things such as nails will create a weak point in the joint design.

When compared to how parts can interlock you find how these joints add to overall strength. The strength is found in how it will distribute stress evenly along that line within the wood grain.

Japanese Woodworking Philosophy In Tools

The tools used in Japanese woodworking would be recognized by any Westerner. Nevertheless the Japanese have their own spin on the tool.

If one were to purchase a western chisel and Japanese chisels to compare, there are clear differences. The first thing one would notice is that it would seem the Japanese chisel was not finished and ready for use.

A western chisel will be sharpened and ready for use out of the box. A Japanese version is not so.

They send it with the intent of knowing the end user will have their preferred bevel they wish to place on the blade. Additionally some strip the finish off the blade and oil them.

The blades which are used are extremely sharp. A Japanese woodworker will at times spend as much time sharpening his blades as he does cutting wood.

The purpose is for extreme precision cuts that can shave the wood if desired.

When their chisel is used the pressure from a mere push by the hands can give a precision slice in this shave removing very thin layers. Yes Americans have blades that can perform the same function, but they are not the same.

The composition of Japanese tools for example typically have a rockwell hardness of 62 and higher. This allows for a finer edge to the blade.

Another difference between American and Japanese hand carving tools is the direction of cutting. This can be seen in something like a hand plane.

An American plane is made for pushing. The Japanese version is made for a pull cut. It is what goes into the plane that makes one preferred over another.

Additional differences can be seen in traditional Japanese hand saw such as the Dozuki. These saws were the way wood was processed before power tools.

These differences allow the woodworker to tailor a tool for their desires. They also offer ways to perform functions which few Western hand tools can perform in the same way.

Two chisels may look the same, yet its edge can be made for a different function in use. This gives an advantage when performing fine tasks on the wood.

Japanese Woodworking Is Art More Than Production

The greatest defining difference in Japanese woodworking is the mindset of the end product. The western mind often will produce as cheap as possible for a lower price.

This goes back to our Walmart disposable mindset. Unfortunately many of our upper tier branded products cannot match the same level of durability and precision.

In these ways it is as much of an art as it is woodworking. It can take a great deal of time to master the skills much in the same way a sculptor would master his art.

The precision and level of detail is much the same within all of traditional Japanese Art. It has been a benchmark of quality for many centuries.

The Japanese are not alone in their woodworking. Other cultures of history have used similar techniques.

The difference is that not only did the Japanese traditional ways survive history and time, but they also perfected them. It is as it were living archeology to an older time that otherwise would be lost knowledge.

Throughout history we have remnants of other cultures in stone or metal. Little wood survives in the ground to be preserved for so long.

Many of these older skills from alternative cultures has been lost and replaced with modern machines and methods.

Japanese Woodworking Philosophy

The very concept in how woodworking is approached around the world philosophically is different when compared.

In general terms, American woodworkers treat lumber as an object to be forced or shaped for our purposes. Little care has been given in history to preserving the natural state or recognizing a natural design.

The Japanese believe that the way in which a tree grows will determine its use. Its curves or shape is preserved for a function and use within their work.

Ideas such as live edges, natural legs for a table, or using the base of a trunk as a foundational piece is natural to them.

It is often this same philosophy which separates many western wood artists from the traditional American woodworker.

It is not that we are attempting to become one with the wood or zen out on our designs. Rather there is a natural beauty to what nature has created.

In wood art the goal is to enhance this natural state. This is preferred over cutting and forming a piece of wood to a standard.

This is why we often avoid the local box chain stores for lumber as they are all fit and finished products. We resource wood of a more exotic nature for what we wish to create.

While the American wood artist may not have all the skills and expertise of a traditional Japanese woodworker, there are similarities in philosophy.

It is because of this that an artist never stops learning. Our studios and shops are constantly evolving.

This is also why those like me hate to be placed in with the maker crowd which has taken over the West. This group of makers have no issues mass producing whatever wood item to market it as art.

If one is looking to cultivate their craft and grow in their skills there is much to learn from these older ways of Japanese woodworking. These skills will add to what one can provide.

With it will come a new way at seeing these skills as an art rather than a trade craft.

Older Ways With Modern Application

Names like George Nakashima will be recognized by many. His study of traditional ways led to the development and design in his work.

Others have since copied many of his methods. Those that have seen kitchen tables that are connected by butterfly joints should know it was born from this tradition.

While his work is set apart and he became an icon in the West, there is no doubt that Japanese woodworking has held influence within the West.

Lets face is, as cool as some of these traditional joints are not all of us have the goal of becoming that level of expert.

Modern machinery steps into the picture allowing us to copy many designs. While a traditionalist may see this as some kind of forgery I see it also as symbolic preservation of culture in art.