What is the purpose of joinery?

The purpose of joinery is to hold pieces of wood together, securely and strongly but it can be quite a decorative project with very pleasing results. Joinery is a key element of woodworking and is found in markets such as cabinetry, furniture, doors and windows, flooring and so on.

What is special about Japanese wood joinery techniques?

Rather than utilize glue, nails, and other fasteners, the traditional art of Japanese wood joinery notches slabs of timber so that the grooves lock together and form a sturdy structure. “Structures built from natural materials and the knowledge and skills passed down generations,” he says.

Why is Japanese wood important?

Wood was abundant in Japan, and has been the main material for all types of buildings, secular and sacred. In Japan, wood’s susceptibility to fire, moisture and extremes of weather was embraced – as was the notion of transience (setsuna). Buildings that were destroyed were rebuilt.

What is Japanese joinery called?

What is Kumiki? These days, attention has focused from all over the world on kumiki that are used in traditional Japanese houses. Kumiki is a wooden building technology where grooved wood pieces are joined together to form sturdy three-dimensional objects, and making it possible to produce longer pieces.

What is the difference between Carpenter and Joiner?

In the simplest possible terms, joiners ‘join’ wood in a workshop and carpenters construct the building elements on site.

Is Japanese joinery stronger?

Japanese steel used in woodworking tools is of a certain mix that makes it much harder, typically Rockwell 62 and up. This means a finer edge can be honed on cutting blades of saws, chisels, and planes than is typically possible outside Japan.

How did the Japanese protect their wooden castles from fire?

Thatch caught fire even more easily than wood, and weather and soil erosion prevented structures from being particularly large or heavy. Eventually, stone bases began to be used, encasing the hilltop in a layer of fine pebbles, and then a layer of larger rocks over that, with no mortar.

What kind of wood is Hinoki?

Hinoki is a type of Japanese cypress wood that has long been used in Japan for its beauty, durability, and delicate, natural fragrance. It is a traditional Japanese building material and was often used in temples and shrines.

Is Japanese joinery strong?

Being that it is also extremely strong and durable, this joint can often be seen used in cabinets, door frames, tables, and chairs. The tool used to create these innovative joints is the Japanese mortise chisel, which tends to be shorter than the traditional English or Western bolstered mortise chisel.

How did samurai carpenters create large wooden structures without the use of nails?

Tasked with building and maintaining shrines and temples, they used wood joinery to directly connect pieces of wood using a technique known as kanawa tsugi. …