Thread: WIP - Shoji screens for bunkasai

Part 2

Went to College yesterday so I’d have undisturbed access to the machinery.

Dimensions of the openings are two @ 736 mm (height) x 1703 mm (width), and one @ 736 x 1709. The equation for getting the width of individual screens is (internal width + width of one stile) ÷ 2; or, (internal width ÷ 2) + half of one stile.
So for the first two openings, the width of each shoji screen is (1703 + 30) ÷ 2 = 866.5 mm.
The third opening is slightly wider, so rather than have the same width of stile, and different width of kumiko pattern, I’ve increased the width of the stiles to 32 mm. Unnoticeable to anyone without a ruler, and this way the internal pattern and kumiko are exactly the same for all screens. A great time-saver. Height is 736 mm + 11 mm for the grooves the screens will run in.

Timber I’m using is yellow cedar for the frame and kumiko, and Douglas fir for the five horizontal kumiko at the bottom of each screen to give a bit of contrast.

The two photos below show yesterday’s effort. Five 4m boards of yellow cedar. The rails and stiles have been cut to their final thickness, and all I need to do now is cut the kumiko to their final dimensions of 4.5 mm x 16 mm - about 275 of them to allow for the inevitable snapping. Then it’s on to cutting to length, then marking out.

Des

Keep the updates coming, Des, with plenty of pics.
Pretty detailed screens there.
TM

Good stuff Des, looking forward to more pics as they come.

Where abouts is Toyama?

Originally Posted by Des.K.

Part 2

Went to College yesterday so I’d have undisturbed access to the machinery.

Dimensions of the openings are two @ 736 mm (height) x 1703 mm (width), and one @ 736 x 1709. The equation for getting the width of individual screens is (internal width + width of one stile) ÷ 2; or, (internal width ÷ 2) + half of one stile.
So for the first two openings, the width of each shoji screen is (1703 + 30) ÷ 2 = 866.5 mm.
The third opening is slightly wider, so rather than have the same width of stile, and different width of kumiko pattern, I’ve increased the width of the stiles to 32 mm. Unnoticeable to anyone without a ruler, and this way the internal pattern and kumiko are exactly the same for all screens. A great time-saver. Height is 736 mm + 11 mm for the grooves the screens will run in.

Timber I’m using is yellow cedar for the frame and kumiko, and Douglas fir for the five horizontal kumiko at the bottom of each screen to give a bit of contrast.

The two photos below show yesterday’s effort. Five 4m boards of yellow cedar. The rails and stiles have been cut to their final thickness, and all I need to do now is cut the kumiko to their final dimensions of 4.5 mm x 16 mm - about 275 of them to allow for the inevitable snapping. Then it’s on to cutting to length, then marking out.

Des

Des

Thought you may be interested in a small cabinet I made a couple of years ago, It is made of Malaysian Kauri, with the back lined with Silk and a shoji door with a Japanese water colour held in the door. I purchased three of the water colours in Japan a few years ago, and made the door so they can be changed to suit the season.

regards

/Users/david/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Modified/2007/02:04:2007/DSC_0241.JPG/Users/david/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Modified/2007/02:04:2007/DSC_0240.JPG

Part 3

Thanks TM and Alex. Toyama is on the Japan Sea side of Japan (see map). Basilg, can’t see your photo, only the location on your computer.

Well, the whole day was spent on the machines with the kumiko. The boards are 35mm x 125mm and are cut to rough length. I get a clean face and side on the jointer, then cut the boards into strips 18-19mm wide on the tablesaw, so for each board I can get 5 strips (6 if I really push my luck). These strips are then reduced to just over 16mm on the thicknesser, then a couple of goes through the finish planer (super surfacer) to bring them down to their final depth dimension of 16mm.

Back to the tablesaw with the 16 x 35mm strips to cut roughly 9mm strips for the tsukeko (mitred framing pieces between the kumiko and stiles/rails), and 7mm for the kumiko. These are then reduced to just over 7.5mm for the tsukeko and 4.5mm for the kumiko on the thicknesser, followed by a couple of run throughs on the finish planer to bring them to their final dimensions of 7.5 x 16 mm and 4.5 x 16 mm.

Tomorrow will be spent marking out the rails, stiles, tsukeko, and the master vertical and horizontal kumiko (from which all kumiko will be marked).

The first photo shows some of the 16mm strips about to go through the finish planer.
Photo 2 shows the kumiko rough cut to near their final widths. The beast at the back is the tablesaw, and it would be an OH&S inspector’s nightmare. It certainly makes me give each cut plenty of thought.
Photo 3 was taken from the workshop window, and shows (unfortunately, not all that clearly) some of the guests the College receives (Japanese monkeys).
#4 shows the location of Toyama

Des

Is photo 1 of a joiner that takes long slices rather than rotary blades that makes mince meat of the timber? If my assumptions are incorrect, what does that machine do?

The finish planer (or super surfacer) in photo 1 planes the timber like a normal hand plane. The single blade is fixed in the base and the timber is driven over the blade by a rubber(?) belt (in cheaper bench top models, the blade is on top, and the timber runs beneath it). The skew angle of the blade can be adjusted (increase/decreased) using the black knob you might be able to see at the front. The timber is fed in from the right, and emerges with a planed face from the left. The finish on the face is the same as a normally planed piece of timber, but the operations is much faster, more consistent and without anywhere near as much effort.

Des

Originally Posted by Des.K.

Part 3

Thanks TM and Alex. Toyama is on the Japan Sea side of Japan (see map). Basilg, can’t see your photo, only the location on your computer.

Well, the whole day was spent on the machines with the kumiko. The boards are 35mm x 125mm and are cut to rough length. I get a clean face and side on the jointer, then cut the boards into strips 18-19mm wide on the tablesaw, so for each board I can get 5 strips (6 if I really push my luck). These strips are then reduced to just over 16mm on the thicknesser, then a couple of goes through the finish planer (super surfacer) to bring them down to their final depth dimension of 16mm.

Back to the tablesaw with the 16 x 35mm strips to cut roughly 9mm strips for the tsukeko (mitred framing pieces between the kumiko and stiles/rails), and 7mm for the kumiko. These are then reduced to just over 7.5mm for the tsukeko and 4.5mm for the kumiko on the thicknesser, followed by a couple of run throughs on the finish planer to bring them to their final dimensions of 7.5 x 16 mm and 4.5 x 16 mm.

Tomorrow will be spent marking out the rails, stiles, tsukeko, and the master vertical and horizontal kumiko (from which all kumiko will be marked).

The first photo shows some of the 16mm strips about to go through the finish planer.
Photo 2 shows the kumiko rough cut to near their final widths. The beast at the back is the tablesaw, and it would be an OH&S inspector’s nightmare. It certainly makes me give each cut plenty of thought.
Photo 3 was taken from the workshop window, and shows (unfortunately, not all that clearly) some of the guests the College receives (Japanese monkeys).
#4 shows the location of Toyama

Des

Des

Sorry mate I am new to posting, and the photo's I have are too large to post on the forum. I will look forward very much to seeing your future updates.Excellent work

Regards

Part 4

Yesterday and today were spent cutting all the kumiko to their respective lengths including tenons, and marking out the tsukeko, rails and stiles (Photo 1). With the jig I use for alignment, it’s absolutely critical that all vertical and horizontal kumiko are exactly the same respective length.

I marked all the rails, stiles and tsukeko from the primary rail and stile, and all the kumiko from the master horizontal and vertical kumiko. Next I mitred all the tsukeko using my Stanley 4 and shooting board (Photo 2).

Finally, I cut the tenons on the rails. The side on which the paper is attached is a normal tenon, while the side with the kumiko showing has a dozuki, a 45° projection that, if done properly, should fit snugly into the corresponding chamfered edge. Photo 3 shows the two saws I use to cut these. The saw on the left is specifically for kumiko (.2 mm kerf), but I also use it to cut tenons (a beautiful saw to use). The saw on the right is the one I use to cut the dozuki. Photo 4 shows the cut at 45°.

Tomorrow will be spent on the mortiser, and table saw finishing off the rails and stiles, then on to the kumiko, and the fun begins.

Des

G'day Des

I agree the Nakayama is a beautiful saw to use but it is very delicate and I keep breaking teeth in hardwood ( which it is most likely not designed for. What is the brand of the Dozuki saw?

Well done with your work, you are obviously committed to the accuracy required for the task.

Regards

Thanks Basilg.

The Nakaya has about 36 teeth per inch or so, and I could imagine Australian hardwood knots would make a mess of them.

The dozuki has the Ikeda tooth pattern, and I bought three from the man himself at the Kezurokai here in Toyama a couple of months back. It cuts equally well across the grain, along the grain, and at 45° to the grain. A wider kerf than the Nakaya, but a beautifully balanced saw.

Des

Thanks Des I will have to see what I can find here.

Hi Des,

Am also watching with interest. A great WIP.

Keep the photos coming. am particularly interested in seeing the process for making the joints and the tools you will be using. We all love to see the handtools.

Thanks for sharing.

Cheers
Pops

Part 5

Thanks Pops.

Yesterday and today were spent mortising the rails, stiles and tsukeko, and cleaning up the mortises and tenons. With twelve rails and stiles each, this is time-consuming and a pain in the backside. This is an area I’ve noticed where the young students here seem to want to rush through, and it shows in the poor quality of many of their joints (might be a bit like the story of the young bull and the old bull, but we won’t go there).

After that, I cut rebates on the top and bottom rails where they will fit into the grooves in the windows, then rubbed the rails and stiles down with a very wet towel. This is to raise the grain and give a crisp and shiny surface when planed (no sandpaper here). The first photo shows the wet rails and stiles set out for drying. They won’t be touched any more until final planing and assembly.

The next few photos show the jig I use for the kumiko. The piece of keyaki is square to the base and side, and everything is referenced off it. The kumiko were all cut to exactly the same length, and by butting the kumiko and master against it, I can feel sure that the position of the marks for cutting will be exactly the same for all kumiko.

The first cut I do is all the kumiko tenons. I’ve bundled five kumiko together for clarity. Normally I would bundle about ten together to cut at the same time. I’ve made many hundreds, maybe even thousands, of practice cuts with the different saws since starting at the College, so I’m reasonable confident that the cut will be straight. Then it’s simply a matter of cutting on and to a line, turning the kumiko over, butting up against the stop, and cutting the other side of the tenon (Photo 5). For the kumiko, I use the Nakaya saw.

Monday’s a public holiday up here, and we’re off to do a few touristy type things, so it’s back on Tuesday

From now it’s all kumiko, so hopefully there may be a little more to see.

Des