Complete Japanese Joinery: A Handbook of Japanese Tool Use and Woodworking for Joiners and Carpenters

Rating:
Summary: Gorgeous and detailed
Review: This book, in two parts, describes the incredible wooden joints used in traditional Japanese construction. A western woodworker might consider "joinery" to be dovetails, part of finish carpentry or fine woodworking. The joints shown here are far more elaborate, and are applied to construction framing.

The first half of this book describes the joints themselves. These elaborate connections aren't just a woodworker's showmanship, however. One joint may have different features that prevent side-slipping, prevent rotation, carry weight, and admit a key to keep the assembly from backing out. Another joint may connect a vertical, two aligned horizontals, and one or two more horizontals at right angles to the others. With a little practice, you may learn to read the purpose of each feature, and even create new joints for your unique needs.

The second half of this book is about framing, about using those joints for walls, floors, roofs, and second stories. It shows the all-wood joints at work. It also shows the Japanese genius at work, the skill that accepts the best of other worlds and makes it their own. All-wood construction serves only ritual or conservation needs these day. The authors show how traditional joints work with many kinds of metal fasteners. Classic artisanry is not a competitor to modern technique, it's a complement.

One appendix shows that this is not a book of Western carpentry. It summarizes the religious ceremony that blesses the construction project and is "intended as a memorial for the numerous plants, various insects, and small creatures that would be destroyed during building on the property." Reading that, I felt a real sense of loss at our developers' relative carelessness.

The book's line drawings are beautifully clear, but require careful reading. Whether or not you ever follow their directions, this book is a joy to view and an endless source of ideas for the woodworker.

//wiredweird

Rating:
Summary: Complete diagrams with fabrication "tips"
Review: Wonderfully detailed diagrams make up the majority of this book, with a short first section describing Japanese woodworking tools and methods. A short section also describes the basic technique for fabricating some of the simpler joints, giving a good start for someone looking to try the more difficult ones. Not exactly a beginner's guide, but certainly an inspirational reference book!