Michael Sobik
06-15-2018, 5:40 PM
After experiencing Japanese bathing culture, I'm set on having a traditional Japanese Bath. Of course, I need to build it myself!
I'm hoping someone here has some knowledge or insight on constructing an Ofuro. There's a good video on the basic construction here.
https://youtu.be/ZDesC_Bk4iA (http://youtu.be/ZDesC_Bk4iA)
at about 1:49 you can see the craftsman laying the bottom on top of the sides. I don't see any joinery. There might be a screw hole by his right hand? You can also see the Hinoki bark being forced into the bottom joint to seal it.
The corners are rabbeted dado joints reinforced with screws, but I can't figure out how the bottom is attached. The bottom planks are arranged across the tub rather than lengthwise, and the four sides sit on top of the bottom. You can clearly see the end grain here (from Bartok Design):
387805
387806
And you can see the grain running across the tub here:
387807
I emailed Bartok, and all they would tell me is the bottom is attached with tongue and groove joints. That doesn't make a lot of sense with regards to expansion. The only thing I can think of is that maybe one short side is joined differently so that is allowed to expand out the end. I think over that width, the bottom would expand and contract substantially. Then again, Japan has a humid climate.
Any ideas on how I can intelligently attach the bottom would be appreciated. Thank you.
Michael
I'm hoping someone here has some knowledge or insight on constructing an Ofuro. There's a good video on the basic construction here.
https://youtu.be/ZDesC_Bk4iA (http://youtu.be/ZDesC_Bk4iA)
at about 1:49 you can see the craftsman laying the bottom on top of the sides. I don't see any joinery. There might be a screw hole by his right hand? You can also see the Hinoki bark being forced into the bottom joint to seal it.
The corners are rabbeted dado joints reinforced with screws, but I can't figure out how the bottom is attached. The bottom planks are arranged across the tub rather than lengthwise, and the four sides sit on top of the bottom. You can clearly see the end grain here (from Bartok Design):
387805
387806
And you can see the grain running across the tub here:
387807
I emailed Bartok, and all they would tell me is the bottom is attached with tongue and groove joints. That doesn't make a lot of sense with regards to expansion. The only thing I can think of is that maybe one short side is joined differently so that is allowed to expand out the end. I think over that width, the bottom would expand and contract substantially. Then again, Japan has a humid climate.
Any ideas on how I can intelligently attach the bottom would be appreciated. Thank you.
Michael