Japanese-style Woodworking Plans

[Ion Covaliov]

Greetings,

I have developed a weakness for Japanese-style furniture, recently. Browsing the web I ran into some samples that caught my eye but could not find any woodworking plans for sale. It would also be useful to know where to get those curved handles and metal decorations (furniture hardware). If you happen to have visited a website or saw in woodworking journals I would appreciate your sharing the links.

Thank you in advance!



Regards,
ICov.

[Brian Frances]

Try Lee valley for your hardware. They always seem to have a nice selection of many different styles.

http://www.leevalley.com

[Russell Johnson]

I've been looking for the same. There are a number of books and sites on Japanese joinery but not much on plans. Please share any resources you find.

[Heath Brandenburg]

I can't help with plans, but here are some links to hardware:
http://www.japanwoodworker.com/dept.asp?s=JapanWoodworker&dept_id=12977
http://www.chinesebrasshardware.com/

Japan Woodworker also has a few books for inspiration.

And a site on Japanese joinery:
http://www.nt.sakura.ne.jp/~garakuta/wood/english/tsugi/joinery.htm

[Eric DeSilva]

I've been looking for the same. There are a number of books and sites on Japanese joinery but not much on plans. Please share any resources you find.

For hardware, you might also try http://www.chisler.net/tansu69.html

For what it is worth, I've heard it opined that the wood used for these was relatively soft and the joinery pretty crappy. Face it, you wouldn't need a lot of reinforcing iron with hardwoods and good joinery. Not to disparage them--some are quite beautiful--it is just that the Japanese culture that created them was not focused on permanence in the home. Homes burned down a lot back then. People didn't store a lot of possessions.

That assessment certainly comports with the ones I've looked at in my parent's house and in Japan. Aside from some of the bank tansus, many seem very rickety.

Which is all a long way of saying if you like the style, go ahead and make one that honors the style and form, but don't try to get too hung up on making the thing period authentic.

[Ion Covaliov]

Thank you for sharing with links and tips.
I found those furniture hardware websites pretty useful and I intend on using decorative adornments to emphasize the old era of the style used and stray away from modern influences. I will continue to look for woodworking plans and will share whenever I find anything.

Regards,
ICov.

[Christian Castillo]

Check out hida tool in Berkeley, CA:

http://www.hidatool.com/shop/shop.html

On the front page, you will see the hardware section. Go there and you will find what you are looking for. Hida tool carries a large selection of japanese woodworking/gardening/cooking implements. It is literally a treasure trove and what they have listed on the site does not represent the full selection they have in the store. Hopefully this helps.