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An overview of modern Japanese wood construction (2004) [pdf]

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Re: An overview of modern Japanese wood construction (2004) [pdf]

#11

Post by ofalkaed »

giantg2 wrote: post #9

Wow, look at those beautiful precut joints. Meanwhile in the US, you're picking through a pile of ugly bent up lumber just to find something that's not totally screwed up.

Stick building does not require perfect lumber, part of its advantage. If you want good lumber in the US than don't dig through construction grade lumber, go to a proper lumber yard that caries higher grades, if they don't have it they will happily get anything you are willing to pay for. And if you want Japanese construction there are plenty of people in the US more than capable of it.

Re: An overview of modern Japanese wood construction (2004) [pdf]

#12

Post by mistrial9 »

there was a guy from Kentucky / Tennessee area that moved to California with his long, blonde hair and beard, and studied that carpentry. He had a long wood working tradition at home, and was skilled enough - in the 1970s, when Yoko and John were an item. This guy eventually did visit Japan, but the trip did not go well. Whatever happened, it did not go well.

Later, besides doing occasional museum demonstrations and other high-skill one-off things, you know because he just was not skilled enough for the natives or something .. he got a job rebuilding one of Larry Ellison's mansions, who had a fetish for Japanese wealth. OK actually, he was plenty skilled he was just not the right race apparently.

Re: An overview of modern Japanese wood construction (2004) [pdf]

#13

Post by bloopernova »

The bed we recently bought was "mostly Japanese joinery" type construction. It was an absolute joy to assemble, which when I think about it is a very weird thing to say about a bed. But I've told several people this, so it must have had an effect on me.

I don't want to be thought of as shilling for a brand, but the brand I got is Thuma. Assembly instructions: https://www.thuma.co/pages/assembly-thebed-headboard

And a video: https://youtu.be/f89pdrHEkm8

Re: An overview of modern Japanese wood construction (2004) [pdf]

#14

Post by pimlottc »

bloopernova wrote: post #13

The bed we recently bought was "mostly Japanese joinery" type construction. It was an absolute joy to assemble, which when I think about it is a very weird thing to say about a bed. But I've told several people this, so it must have had an effect on me. I don't want to be thought of as shilling for a brand, but the brand I got is Thuma. Assembly instructions: https://www.thuma.co/pages/assembly-thebed-headboard And a…

That honestly looks super fun and satisfying to assemble!

Re: An overview of modern Japanese wood construction (2004) [pdf]

#15

Post by twobitshifter »

ofalkaed wrote: post #5
nwatson wrote: post #3

Incidentally, typical Japanese homes last 30 years and then are rebuilt: https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/nov/16/japan-reusabl...

Those houses have nothing to do with traditional Japanese construction and joinery, those are just cheap houses built to fill an immediate need. This is a fairly common thing anywhere that is experiencing rapid growth, you either meet the needs of the people or they move somewhere else, you can't expect them to be homeless until their palace is built. Edit: I said traditional and the thread is about modern, but OPs l…

Japan is experiencing rapid growth?

Re: An overview of modern Japanese wood construction (2004) [pdf]

#16

Post by mauvehaus »

bloopernova wrote: post #13

The bed we recently bought was "mostly Japanese joinery" type construction. It was an absolute joy to assemble, which when I think about it is a very weird thing to say about a bed. But I've told several people this, so it must have had an effect on me. I don't want to be thought of as shilling for a brand, but the brand I got is Thuma. Assembly instructions: https://www.thuma.co/pages/assembly-thebed-headboard And a…

I'm curious how it sleeps and wears over time. I was thinking of building one like that, but decided against it because of the concern of the joints between the legs and the rails: if it's loose enough to assemble in the summer time without an almighty hammer, it seems like it'd be subject to a fair bit of racking and rattling during the winter when the air is much drier.

Does anyone here have any long-term experience with this kind of bed?

Re: An overview of modern Japanese wood construction (2004) [pdf]

#17

Post by blacksqr »

ofalkaed wrote: post #7

Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1889 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/52868 One of my favorites on this subject, focuses more on design than construction but goes into some details which many books on construction neglect or gloss over.

The Japanese House: A Tradition for Contemporary Architecture by Heinrich Engel

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/424932

Re: An overview of modern Japanese wood construction (2004) [pdf]

#18

Post by makeitdouble »

SapporoChris wrote: post #4
nwatson wrote: post #3

Incidentally, typical Japanese homes last 30 years and then are rebuilt: https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/nov/16/japan-reusabl...

Maybe, maybe not. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2014/03/31/how-tos/ja...

What a lot of these articles are missing is the additional building and maintenance costs.

Sure a building can be made to last a lot more than 30 years, provided you plan for it upfront with additional materials and architecture costs, and execute regular maintenance including on plumbing and potentially windows/door framing, which also have significant costs. All in all, considering Japan’s building constraints, the total budget for the house lasting 100 years will cost more than a standard house you scrap down and rebuild every 30 years.

Basically it’s the ship of Theseus’ paradigm: do you rebuilt a house piece by piece over time, or do full reboots at specific moments.

An illustration of this issue when looking at long term ownership of older houses:

https://cheaphousesjapan.com/buying-a-house-in-japan-advice/

> So why did I buy a newer house?

> I realized that an older, traditional house would be much more work and also more expensive and time consuming to maintain.

Re: An overview of modern Japanese wood construction (2004) [pdf]

#19

Post by MrBuddyCasino »

giantg2 wrote: post #9

Wow, look at those beautiful precut joints. Meanwhile in the US, you're picking through a pile of ugly bent up lumber just to find something that's not totally screwed up.

Pretty much everything you get at the hardware store is overpriced junk, including and especially wood. Try to find a different source.

Re: An overview of modern Japanese wood construction (2004) [pdf]

#20

Post by deelowe »

giantg2 wrote: post #9

Wow, look at those beautiful precut joints. Meanwhile in the US, you're picking through a pile of ugly bent up lumber just to find something that's not totally screwed up.

Has little to do with US versus other countries. You're probably looking through framing lumber. Those don't need to be straight and are priced accordingly.

If you want stuff that's dimensionally accurate, you'll want to look at the furniture grade selection (which will be a relatively small area) or go to a lumber yard where there's more selection. The big box stores mostly focus on the lower grade lumber.

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