My last big project introduced me to 18th century European joinery and really got me hooked on the idea of more complex assemblies that are locked solidly together before any fastenings or glue arrive on the scene.
This winter I’m planning to build a new kitchen table but now I want to use “interesting” joinery and that quest led me to the host of YouTube videos on the amazing and complex field of Japanese woodworking.
I’m still in the early stages of playing around and making sample joints just to get used to the ideas and techniques. Here are the first couple. I’ll add more as I try them out.
…..maybe I’ll even get around to making the table…..😉😁

This was my first attempt. Really feeling my way at this point.

Not bad for a first try but needs to get a lot better. It turns out that paring with a very sharp chisel is key to getting the best fits and patience is of course the key to good paring.

This was my next one. It would come in handy when you need to be able to disassemble the piece (or you just need a longer stick 😉)

The YouTube presenters all have impressive videos of their assemblies of course so I had to give it a try too.

https://youtu.be/7oM-cYw3mEY

That’s it for now. More fun to come

Thanks for looking!