So what is it, the ultimate handcut joint? The ultimate joint will require precision, flawless execution and many years of training. Many of us Western woodworkers would probably say the dovetail.
Two weeks ago I had the chance to see one of the best executed examples of handcut dovetails I have ever encountered. It was in a side-area of the flower room of the Meixi village museum. Meixi was a small village in the Pearl river delta, today it is a suburb of Zhuhai, essentially the Northern continuation of the city of Macao.
I found the dovetails in two chests in a dimly lit room, one standing on the floor, the other on top a cabinet.
The Chinese literati had a distinct preference for wired gnarly wood, huang hauli mu (literally yellow flowery pear wood) or zitan (red sandal wood NOT a relative to the ordinary sandal wood), the harder the better, the denser the better and one might tend to think the more difficult to work with the better. But since huang hua li and certainly zitan do not come in large boards, the chests might be made of yu mu (Northern Elm), a favorite softwood of the ancient Chinese.
ince the owner of the village, a wealthy businessman, lived in the village before the late 1840, my guess is that the chests are about 100 to 150 years old. Most likely and typical Chinese tradition the chests are built completely without nails or pegs and none of the joinery has ever seen a drop of glue. Not too bad for a chest that went through the up and downs of modern Chinese history (makes me wonder how many of these chests were used as firewood).
Here are closeups of the dovetail joint.
It might be instructive to note that dovetail joints play a minor role in Chinese furniture construction and Chinese woodworkers consider dovetail joints to be one of the easy types of joints.
-- Chris Scholz, Arlington, TX, www.Galoot-Tools.com
9 comments so far
Karson
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35111 posts in 4365 days
#1 posted 06-14-2007 09:45 PM
Nice joints and beautiful chests.
-- I've been blessed with a father who liked to tinker in wood, and a wife who lets me tinker in wood. Southern Delaware soon moving to Virginia karsonwm@gmail.com †
StevieD
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9 posts in 4153 days
#2 posted 06-14-2007 10:32 PM
Wow to have the patience and tools sharp enough to preform such a task.Maybe it will come as might wisdom if one lives longenough
-- Steven Big Timber Mt.
mot
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#3 posted 06-14-2007 10:45 PM
Interesting story, thanks. Just out of curiosity, besides the artistic joints that are done, what did the Chinese feel was a difficult joint to cut?
-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)
Bob Babcock
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1804 posts in 4051 days
#4 posted 06-14-2007 11:30 PM
Excellent story…beautiful chests. I love the diversity of the posts on LJ….we get to laugh with Mot and David and the “Cybertool Share” and we get deep thought provoking stories from passionate people. You just got buddied Chris….keep em coming.
Good point Mot…exactly what is a hard joint?
-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org
frank
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1492 posts in 4171 days
#5 posted 06-15-2007 01:26 AM
Hi Chris;
—-great story you have put together here, and the pictures add clarity to your story! Also those are some nicely cut dovetails in the two chests. Do you get to China often, and then I would expect that entrance into Macao is fairly easy through Hong Kong?
I am wondering also about the finish on the chests, especially the one on top in your first picture, since there is such a high sheen coming off.
Welcome here to LJ and I’m glad to see you’ve come out of the woodwork, and I might add, keep these stories on ‘wood joinery’ coming….
Thank you.
GODSPEED
Frank
-- --frank, NH, http://rusticwoodart.tumblr.com/
Dick, & Barb Cain
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#6 posted 06-15-2007 03:39 PM
That’s some very fine, & beautiful craftsmanship.
Also a great job of photography.
-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1
jockmike2
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#7 posted 06-15-2007 07:23 PM
Just absolutely beautiful[, true artisans to last this long is unbelievable. jockmike
-- (You just have to please the man in the Mirror) Mike from Michigan -
chscholz
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#8 posted 06-16-2007 02:45 AM
I’ll try to address a few of your questions:
-- Chris Scholz, Arlington, TX, www.Galoot-Tools.com
chscholz
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#9 posted 07-03-2007 05:01 PM
Extended article has been published at
http://www.wkfinetools.com/tUsing/art/pDovetail/pDovetail11.asp
-- Chris Scholz, Arlington, TX, www.Galoot-Tools.com
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