Lol, thanks Brett! You must follow along closely to WC.
[OP]
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Lol, thanks Brett! You must follow along closely to WC.
Last edited by Brian Holcombe; 10-25-2016 at 6:48 PM.
Bumbling forward into the unknown.
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Brian:Originally Posted by Brian Holcombe
Thanks gents! Much appreciated. Hehe, Steve I couldn't resist some dry humor.
James, it does act like a torsion box, but really the paper doesn't add much strength. The frames really impress me because they pack everything possible into a small and thin frame that one could really hope to pack into such a frame. Between the double tenons and the interior latticework they end up very strong feeling.
Prashun, I will have to sneak that into the next shoji post and see if anyone notices, hehe.
Thank you Stewie! I am not especially worried about it, mostly because cedar is used in areas much more prone to mold than my bathroom which has an exhaust fan. The ash frame I will probably shellac after it is finished, so I will certainly take your advice WRT to that frame. Not sure how well ash does in humid environments but I'm going to find out.
The paper does add quite a bit of racking resistance.
The next set of kumiko you make, fabricate a few extra, enough to make two small frames. Glue paper to one small frame, and leave the other empty. Then break both in racking. You will immediately change your viewpoint about the strength of the paper.
Great job, BTW, Brian. That Alaskan Cedar will be clear and sound.
Stan
Last edited by Prashun Patel; 10-26-2016 at 9:42 AM.
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Thanks Stan! Ahh, I did not realize! These frames are so impressively engineered. I feel proud to have made them as close to traditional method as I can muster (or understand, being so far from the source) and my logic being that I needed to understand why everything was done from the jaguchi to the twin tenons and so forth.
I have confidence in the cedar, after all they use this for decking, bathtubs, and containers that see much harsher lives than these shoji will see.
BTW, I recently picked up some old growth western red cedar for use on the next round, which will be for an install (not in my house). I'm excited about that, and also excited to have found old growth red cedar.
Last edited by Prashun Patel; 10-26-2016 at 9:45 AM.
Bumbling forward into the unknown.
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Brian; I am sure your aware that Alaskan Cedar comes from a Cypress Tree. In other words, its not Cedar Wood, but Cypress.
Stewie;
Last edited by Stewie Simpson; 10-26-2016 at 10:10 AM.
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Stewie, I get that all the time in my business. The common names of cedar, cypress and juniper are often not in sync with the botanical genus.
Member
Prashun; as you rightly point out, the common names can be quite misleading.
regards Stewie;
[OP]
Contributor
That's accurate, same with Western Red Cedar and also Port Orford Cedar which are both actually cypress. I'm not sure why the common names are what they are, which has always seemed bizarre to me that they call them cedar when they are a cypress, but that is the case.
Bumbling forward into the unknown.
Member
Yep, paper can be used to great effect as a tension member, which is exactly what happens here. When you rack one of those frames the paper will be in tension along one diagonal, and that will add considerable resistance.
Contributor
They are all in the Cypress family, but all three of different genus. The common names used in woodworking are also sometimes different from those used in the cultivation and sale of plants. Possibly the result of timber men not being botanists?
In any event, beautiful shoji work! The detail of Japanese joinery is amazing as is your patience to stay true to form. I hope you didn't rip all that grid work with your ryoba?
I also hope you are correct about the mold resistance of AYC. I can think of no better place to test Stan's hypothesis about finely planed wood than to leave bare wood above a bathtub.
Member
Eric quite rightly points out that AYC and Western Red Cedar have 2 different botanical genus. AYC (cupressus) , WRC (juniperus).
[OP]
Contributor
Everything smaller than what I can cut with a track saw gets sawn by hand....for now. I've been deeply contemplating a bandsaw for this type of work and for frames, both of which involve seemingly endless ripping.They are all in the Cypress family, but all three of different genus. The common names used in woodworking are also sometimes different from those used in the cultivation and sale of plants. Possibly the result of timber men not being botanists?
In any event, beautiful shoji work! The detail of Japanese joinery is amazing as is your patience to stay true to form. I hope you didn't rip all that grid work with your ryoba?
I also hope you are correct about the mold resistance of AYC. I can think of no better place to test Stan's hypothesis about finely planed wood than to leave bare wood above a bathtub
On the positive side, I'm significantly stronger than I was at the start of the year.
Thank you!
Bumbling forward into the unknown.
[OP]
Contributor
I see WRC listed as:According to WikipediaThuja (/ˈθjuːdʒə/thew-jə)[2] is a genus of coniferoustrees in the Cupressaceae (cypress family). There are five species in the genus, two native to North America and three native to eastern Asia.[3][4][5][6] The genus is monophyletic and sister to Thujopsis.
Bumbling forward into the unknown.
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The dark side can be tantalizing!
Honestly, you can save your talents for the delicate and precise work and let power help you with the rough stock prep and still feel very comfortable that you did all this work in an honest fashion with true craftsmanship.
Contributor
Hey Brian,
Great post. I left you a message on your site. I have a general Kanna question though. Is there a definitive book/ on setting up a new Kanna? I just bought my most expensive Japanese plane yet, and I want to be sure not to go overboard with the scraping of the dai, particularly the blade channels. I have another good plane that I went a little too far with the scraping and now I have paper glued in to make up the thickness. I would like to avoid that. Is there a book, article, or video that you know. I imagine there are a few folks on this board who would appreciate this instruction. It isn't readily available in the states. Thanks Brian, much appreciated.
Joe
[OP]
Contributor
Thanks Joe! I've not seen material that goes further in depth to the Kanna setup that I posted, but Desmond King's book is, in my opinion, excellent and covers the topic well.
Furthermore you may want to contact Stan Covington or Chris Hall for their respective opinions.
As far as bedding goes, I think easy does it along with experience. However intuitively one knows that the goal is to support the blade behind the bevel and at the front 3/4 of the dai grooves. So I avoid taking material from there unless it is the only remaining location which is holding up my blades.
This may seem daunting but it is worth chopping out a few dai if your own just got practice, then when you return to an expensive and professionally made dai you will have additional insight into their function and adjustment.
Bumbling forward into the unknown.
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