As a relatively niche hobby, it’s always nice to find a new voice on woodworking. The internet has thankfully provided a broad platform to a number of people, but there’s still something viscerally satisfying about a good book. And, the newly released book you see at left has been one that captured my recent attention.
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| Japanese Joinery. by Dorian Bracht, GMC Publications, RRP $44.99, available online and from all good bookshops. |
JAPANESE JOINERY.
The book Japanese Joinery by author and woodworker Dorian Bracht is a fascinating exploration on the art of woodworking, centering around its namesake. Traditional Japanese joinery has a reputation for being intricate and precise. This book will not dissuade you from that opinion, but it will break down and present the joints in a way that’s easier for a Western woodworker to get a grasp on.
You won’t find full projects in this book. Instead, Bracht offers a broad collection of joints from across Japan, including both structural and furniture joinery. He provides their use, and ways to incorporate them in your work.
A JOINERY JOURNEY
 double joint tenon |
 dovetailed mortise and tenon joint |
| The nimai hozo joint is a familiar double tenon with mitered sides, commonly used for shoji screen doors. | Much like in Western woodworking, mitered frames are quite common, though this joint uses a sturdy, dovetailed mortise and tenon joint. |
There is one line in the introduction of Japanese Joinery that stuck with me: “I would become someone who has cut every joint in existence at least once in their lifetime.” It’s a lofty goal, but one that it seems Bracht is well on his way toward accomplishing.
There are a number of joints featured in Japanese Joinery, and the average Western woodworker will find both the familiar and the strange among them. The nimai hozo (double tenon joint) and the kakushi tome ari sanmai hozo (blind mitered dovetailed mortise and tenon joint) shown above wouldn’t be too out of place in a piece of Western furniture. However, the joints at left and below are a different story.
ALL-WOOD JOINTS.
 Twisted compound dovetail |
 Keyed sliding dovetail |
| Traditional Japanese joinery rarely uses fasteners, opting instead for intricate and remarkably strong joints. Bracht’s book contains a wide variety of joinery for both architecture and furniture. |
Traditional Japanese joinery does not involve fasteners. Joints are designed to resist applied forces with the wood alone, requiring intricate design and a precise fit. Bracht has compiled an impressive collection of joints used in both architecture and furniture, ranging from the pillars of centuries-old gates and temples to modern day joinery.
The two photos above are prime examples of the more complex joints you’ll find in this book. The nimaihozo no sumiyoshian (twisted compound dovetail with oblique tenon joint) is strong against twisting, shearing, tension, and compression — plus it has one impressive look. However, it requires the craftsman to freehand-cut a dovetail with twisting sides.
The suitsukizan is the (keyed sliding dovetail) joint. While it’s relatively simple in design, it gets more complex in execution, as it’s used to join boards into larger panels without glue, or even to construct floors and ceilings. Bracht includes a handdrawn illustration with this joint (and many others), showing how it’s used in a raised platform for a tokonoma, an alcove used to display photos and art.
KINDS OF JOINTS
Japanese Joinery divides the joints into three catagories. First is the lengthening joints, which focuses largely on carpentry and framing. While the joints outlined here don’t have much application for a furniture maker (unless you’re going to timber frame a new shop), there are some fascinating insights into historical Japanese architecture. One I enjoyed is the splice on the pillars of Otemon Gate, which you can see Bracht’s illustration of below.
The latter two chapters of the book contain joints that will be more applicable to many woodworkers. These include the right angle joints you see on the previous page, as well as the example of case joinery you’ll find on the following pages. This is where Bracht breaks down many of the complex joints, and he does so in a way that’s easy for intermediate woodworkers to grasp.
HAND TOOLS.
Before the chapters on joinery, Bracht covers the tools he uses for these joints, and for the furniture he makes in his own shop. This book focuses on using hand tools, encouraging you to work primarily with the big three: saws, chisels, and hand planes. Given the shapes on these joints, you’ll find that hand tools are often the most practical way to get the job done, if not the only way.
A PASSION FOR JOINERY.
Japanese Joinery will hold the attention of anyone with a historical interest in woodworking, or with a keen eye for joinery. Not all the joints in this book will be reasonable to apply to your own projects. Many are for splicing together timbers, or for framing the roof of a house. However, these joints are excellent ways to practice your woodwork, and are quite gratifying (and fun) when you finally get them right.
Below you’ll find a few images from Bracht’s section on the mizu kumi joint. This is a difficult joint to make, but it provides a good example of the process for the joints you’ll find in the book.
JAPANESE JOINERY IN PRACTICE
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| The book includes three photos of each completed joint, showing them apart and together, as well as demonstrating how the pieces mate. | Bracht uses a dimensioning system in which the layout seems to “fold out” from a single reference edge. |
To give you a sense of how the joints in this book are presented, I’ve included a few images from the mizu kumi joint, known as the double sunrise dovetail in English. This is similar to a twisted dovetail in Western woodworking, though the outer tails have a slightly steeper grade than the interior ones, requiring high precision when paring the joint, and usually a good bit of fitting.
Hand-Drawn.
Each joint is accompanied by a hand-drawn, scale layout, and many feature illustrations of their intended function, such the framing joint at right or the splice joint above, used on the Otemon Gate that stands in front of Osaka Castle.
DIMENSIONS & LAYOUT.
At the beginning of Japanese Joinery, Bracht demonstrates the Japanese methods of marking up a timber (for carpentry) and a workpiece (for furniture making). With each joint, he provides a layout that follows that techinque. You can see the layout for the mizu kumi above. The drawings are done in scale, showing each face straight-on, as if the finished workpiece had been unfolded.
In terms of laying out these joints, this style of dimensioning is one I came to enjoy. It’s simple, and works well to break down complex assemblies into something that can be easily laid out onto each workpiece and then practiced.
DESCRIPTION & INSTRUCTION.
Every joint begins with a description. This includes what structures or furniture you might encounter a joint on, historic or notable uses of the joint, as well as its advantages and disadvantages. The descriptions are brief, but I found they gave a good overview of a joint before diving in, and provided inspiration as to how I might incorporate them.
When it comes to instructions, this is a book written for woodworkers. Bracht provides helpful notes and illustrations (like the drawing of fine-tuning the mizu kumi on the previous page), but the book assumes you already have woodworking experience. The notes focus on the fine details — the kinds of things someone takes to heart after many attempts of perfecting the joint.
PHOTOGRAPHY.
If you harbor any inklings that Dorian Bracht may not be a talented woodworker, the photos in this book will cure you of that idea. Each joint was made by Bracht, using the selection of hand tools he covers in the early pages. Though the book doesn’t contain in-process shots, it includes photos of the mating part, as well as their assembly and the completed joint. Along with the layout and illustrations, I found this sufficient, but it may not offer the precise instruction a beginning woodworker needs.
FINAL THOUGHTS.
I enjoy the history of woodworking, and appreciate the time and precision required to make a finely tuned joint. As such, there’s a lot for me to like in Japanese Joinery. While many of the joints in this book may go over the heads of less experienced woodworkers, they show the incredible results from dedicated practice.
Additionally, I found many of these joints to be fantastic inspiration for my own work. The examples provided in these last pages are just a few. If joinery intrigues you, then I suggest you give Japanese Joinery a read.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dorian Bracht is a German furniture maker who has owned and operated his own business in Berlin since 2012. Dorian spent his youth studying abroad in both Los Angeles and Hong Kong. He finished his schooling in Berlin before apprenticing under a master furniture maker
in Leipzig. Dorian practices traditional techniques, and constructs his furniture without using glue, screws, or nails.
