Making Shoji

[Brian Holcombe]

Good morning, in today's post I detail the process of making shoji screens to cover my bathroom window. When my wife asked me replace the blinds on our bathroom windows she did not quite expect this. :D


https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/2016/10/25/making-shoji/

[Steve Voigt]

That was a great read and a great job. "Traditional Japanese Jorgensen clamp" was my favorite phrase. 😉

[James Pallas]

Nice Brian. Those screens always look so delicate. When all of the joinery is taken into account plus the paper glued it must act somewhat like a torsion box. Very interesting explanation of the work involved. Does the rice glue not wick into the paper? Is it the nature of the paper that prevents that occurance?
Jim

[Prashun Patel]

Really beautiful. I really admire your attention detail like mitered corners on your tenons, dovetails, and JUMANJI! joints. Thanks for posting.

[Stewie Simpson]

Wonderful work Brian; I do hope you applied a clear coat mould inhibitor to that bare wood. Bare wood installed in wet areas of the house are not compatible.

regards Stewie;

[Brian Holcombe]

Thanks gents! Much appreciated. Hehe, Steve I couldn't resist some dry humor. :D

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.

[David Eisenhauer]

As usual, very nice attention to detail and I like what I perceive the effect to be on the light in the bathroom. I particularly liked the mitered tenon ends and need to look closer into the construction of that detail. Question: Did you use an angled registration surface for your chisel back when chamfering the exposed ends of the tenons? One of the photos seems to indicate that?

[Brian Holcombe]

Thanks David! It does make a nice glow in the bathroom, equally nice to view from the outside at night. Likely, once time and budget allow I will do the same for all of my windows.

Good eye, I did use an angled surface to cut those chamfers. They're small and so minor deviations in angle are easy to make if one relies upon the knife marks alone which is what I usually do.

[Patrick Chase]

That was a great read and a great job. "Traditional Japanese Jorgensen clamp" was my favorite phrase. 

There are also a Traditional Japanese Knew Concepts Coping Saw and a Traditional Japanese K-Body Clamp visible in a few of those shots.

Nicely done and written, Brian. As a sort-of woodworker I envy your skills. As a breeder with 2- and 6-year-olds, I envy the fact that you can have nice things like that in your house :-).

RIP Jorgensen...

[Brian Holcombe]

Thanks Patrick! It is difficult at times with a 1.5yr old to keep everything in tact....also good reason to build stuff up and away from where he can reach...for the moment.

[Christopher Charles]

Pre-made rice glue. Gasp!

(fabulous as usual--your wife must be pleased)

[Brian Holcombe]

Hah! :D

Speaking of the rice glue I think I missed replying to an earlier comment, the paper does slightly wick up the glue, so that is why one uses just that thin line down the center of the kumiko, it spreads on its own to the outside when the paper is pressed down.

Thank you! She is pretty happy with it, even commented positively.

[Patrick Chase]

Speaking of the rice glue I think I missed replying to an earlier comment, the paper does slightly wick up the glue

You wouldn't have that problem if you burnished the paper first... :D

[Brent Cutshall]

You and that Oriental stuff :D. You do some nice work Brian, I wish I could do that!

[Brian Holcombe]

Pat, Hah! I literally laughed out loud.

[Brian Holcombe]

Lol, thanks Brett! You must follow along closely to WC.

[Stanley Covington]

Thanks gents! Much appreciated. Hehe, Steve I couldn't resist some dry humor. :D

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.

Brian:

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

[Brian Holcombe]

Brian:

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

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.

[Stewie Simpson]

Brian; I am sure your aware that Alaskan Cedar comes from a Cypress Tree. In other words, its not Cedar Wood, but Cypress.

Stewie;

[Prashun Patel]

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.

[Stewie Simpson]

Prashun; as you rightly point out, the common names can be quite misleading.

regards Stewie;

[Brian Holcombe]

Brian; I am sure your aware that Alaskan Cedar comes from a Cypress Tree. In other words, its not Cedar Wood, but Cypress.

Stewie;

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.

[Patrick Chase]

Brian:

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.

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.

[Eric Schmid]

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:).

[Stewie Simpson]

Eric quite rightly points out that AYC and Western Red Cedar have 2 different botanical genus. AYC (cupressus) , WRC (juniperus).

[Brian Holcombe]

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:).

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.

On the positive side, I'm significantly stronger than I was at the start of the year.

Thank you!

[Brian Holcombe]

Eric quite rightly points out that AYC and Western Red Cedar have 2 different botanical genus. AYC (cupressus) , WRC (juniperus).

I see WRC listed as:

Thuja (/ˈθjuːdʒə/ (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English) thew-jə (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Pronunciation_respelling_key))[2] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuja#cite_note-2) is a genus of coniferous (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conifer) trees (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree) in the Cupressaceae (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupressaceae) (cypress family). There are five species in the genus, two native to North America (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_America) and three native to eastern Asia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia).[3] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuja#cite_note-w-3)[4] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuja#cite_note-farjon-4)[5] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuja#cite_note-gd-5)[6] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuja#cite_note-6) The genus is monophyletic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monophyly) and sister to Thujopsis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thujopsis). According to Wikipedia

[Pat Barry]

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.

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.

[Joe Beaulieu]

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

[Brian Holcombe]

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.

[Brett Luna]

That is lovely work indeed, Brian. I haven't yet found a way to integrate that style into our home but I do admire it and your ability to execute it faithfully.

And since I can make no other contribution to this thread except annoying pedantry, I'll offer that the plural of genus is genera. :rolleyes:

[Brian Holcombe]

Thanks Brett!

Haha, I will use that from now on.

[Patrick Chase]

And since I can make no other contribution to the this thread except annoying pedantry, I'll offer that the plural of genus is genera. :rolleyes:

How dare you resort to pedantry on an INTERNET DISCUSSION FORUM!

[Stewie Simpson]

Brian; you shouldn't feel to guilty if you decide to add some power tools to make your work a little easier. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wjUt9REr-o

Stewie;

[Phil Mueller]

Pat raises a good point. As I get a bit older, certain tasks are taking a toll on the joints. At some point, you start to weigh wear and tear on the joints with electron use. Brian, as you get more and more commissioned work (which I'm sure you will), speed of build and protecting your joints for the long run could certainly justify - and someday may even require - a bit more power in the shop.

[Brian Holcombe]

Hah, I think it'll be a long way before using that much power Stewie! Cool shop though, I bet most of the danish makers are identical to that, at this point + a spoke shave.

Phil, I am not in a hurry to mechanize, but I may add some machinery as the time comes to allow myself to compete for commercial specialty work, like live edge counter tops and other special wood projects. While I enjoy working in my current location, my aim is a small stand alone shop and a few good people, but that is many years from now.

[george wilson]

Excellent work ! MOST excellent picture quality!! But,BE SURE to keep KIDS away from those screens. That include's other people's teenagers!!

[Shawn Pixley]

I have a large jar of homemade rice glue I made a year or so ago. I would have sent some. Beautiful work.

[Brian Holcombe]

Excellent work ! MOST excellent picture quality!! But,BE SURE to keep KIDS away from those screens. That include's other people's teenagers!!

Thanks George! Very much appreciated! Absolutely, Henry boy is quickly guided away from the shoji. I'll build more of these for around the house, but will chose either paper, glass or wood backing depending on what area of the house that they cover. Not straight away as I'm doing some paying projects, but soon as I slow down.


I have a large jar of homemade rice glue I made a year or so ago. I would have sent some. Beautiful work.

Thank you! Oh cool, are you building shoji as well?

[Eric Schmid]

Don't limit yourself Brian:). You may be surprised at how quickly your customers push you toward that long range goal. Of course if you like it just the way it is, no reason to hurry along.

Running a business with employees is a whole other skill set. Some never take to the change as your days are spent differently when you have to cover overhead.

The beauty of being self employed is you get to decide what is right for you at any given time. It just may not take as long as you think to get there. So if that is your dream I say go for it:)

[Brian Holcombe]

I appreciate the encouragement! I've seen many different and successful approaches that I've been studying, I see how guys like Maloof ran their shops and it seemed pretty enjoyable.