| Project by StLouisWoodworker | posted 855 days ago | 822 views | 3 times favorited | 22 comments | ![]() |
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The joinery in my Peace Bench is inspired by the japanese furniture maker Kintaro Yazawa, whose remarkable joinery is highlighted in the June 2007 issue of Fine Woodworking magazine. The bench is made from a single board of 5/4 mahogany. It’s dimensions are 26” high, 8” wide, and 30” long. The ‘olive branches’ inlay is made with sand-shaded holly veneer. I made the ‘dove and heart’ joinery by first making (unusually shaped) dovetail pins in the usual hand-sawn way but with the doves and heart cut into the ends of the pins using a straight bit in a Dremmel tool mounted on a Stewart-MacDonald router base, following Yazawa’s method. The tails are cut somewhat like those of half-blind dovetails but with an added step of opening areas for the doves and heart to penetrate, again following Yazawa’s method. It turns out that making these kinds of joints is slow going but not overly difficult. Some of Yazawa’s other style joints look really impossible, so I’ve put them off for the future after more late-night thinking.
-- Don Snyder (38.6N, 90.3W)
































22 comments so far
darryl
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1374 posts in 1205 days
posted 855 days ago
that is some very impressive woodworking! Are you going to enter this in the Wood Joinery contest?
Not that I really want to give myself any more competition than necessary, but this piece certainly belongs in the contest!
-- ~ www.darrylmasterson.com ~ www.darrylmasterson.etsy.com ~ www.woodworkingdungeon.blogspot.com ~
Damian Penney
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1022 posts in 870 days
posted 855 days ago
Very, very cool :) Well done.
-- I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso
Tony
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808 posts in 909 days
posted 855 days ago
Very Nice – Thanks for sharing
-- Tony - All things are possible, just some things are more difficult than others! - SKYPE: Heron2005 (http://www.poydatjatuolit.fi)
WayneC
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5858 posts in 976 days
posted 855 days ago
This is incredible. Thanks for showing us these.
-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov
CharlieM1958
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7467 posts in 1097 days
posted 855 days ago
Not too difficult, huh? Why do I not believe you? LOL
Very sweet!
-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"
Don
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2590 posts in 1056 days
posted 855 days ago
Just beautiful, SLW. The joinery is very unusual and the resulting bench stunning.
-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.hilsbiblechurch.org/
StLouisWoodworker
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27 posts in 855 days
posted 855 days ago
Thanks, Darryl. Following your suggestion, I have entered the 2007 Lumberjocks contest. I also browsed your projects. They are very nice and demonstrate lots of skill. Thanks to all the others who have also posted generous comments about my Peace Bench. I looked at your many projects too. As a Lumberjocks newbie, I am impressed by all of the talent. I am also impressed by how easy it is to interact with other woodworkers via this Lumberjocks website.
-- Don Snyder (38.6N, 90.3W)
WayneC
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5858 posts in 976 days
posted 855 days ago
I’m in agreement with your comments about the LJ web site. Martin has done a wondeful job putting this community together.
-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov
Greg Mitchell
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1383 posts in 948 days
posted 855 days ago
Great job on the bench! Beautiful workmenship!
-- Greg Mitchell--Lowell, AR--gdamitchell@sbcglobal.net
oscorner
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4572 posts in 1189 days
posted 855 days ago
Spetacular joinery and inlay. A very beautiful bench. Thanks for sharing.
-- Jesus is Lord!
cheller
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248 posts in 988 days
posted 855 days ago
Excellent work. Those are impressive joints.
-- Chelle http://artsgranddaughter.blogspot.com
Karson
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25279 posts in 1279 days
posted 855 days ago
Very nice bench StL.
-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
Douglas Bordner
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3415 posts in 942 days
posted 855 days ago
Real dove dovetails, and lovetails. Wonderful work, SLW. Thanks for sharing.
-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.
MsDebbieP
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14096 posts in 1039 days
posted 854 days ago
magnificent!!!
wow
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
dennis mitchell
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3785 posts in 1193 days
posted 854 days ago
Very inspiring!
-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com
Dorje
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1768 posts in 875 days
posted 853 days ago
too cool…
-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA
Bill
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2562 posts in 1040 days
posted 853 days ago
Great job. I guess you could say those are real dovetail joints now?
-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com
Hawgnutz
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522 posts in 955 days
posted 851 days ago
I just got introduced to Yazawa’s style with this jointery contest. You did an exemplary job with his style of joinery! I am still struggling to master a regular dovetail joint. I like your style as a “newbie.” LOL
God Bless,
Hawg
-- Saving barnwood from the scrapyards
StLouisWoodworker
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27 posts in 855 days
posted 851 days ago
Thanks Hawgnutz,
Yazawa’s joinery work is amazing. He has several examples posted on his website at http://www.eurus.dti.ne.jp/~k-yazawa/jointwork.html. The joints I made are motivated by his simplest joint. I have not yet figured out how he makes the more complicated ones and would be pleased to talk with anyone who has. I think (just a guess here) some are extensions of double twisted dovetails. There are several websites that describe making those, including Philip Edwards (philsville) at http://www.philsville.co.uk/ who has some very helpful close up photos of the process he uses. Philip’s close-up photos showing how he makes hand planes are also very special.
-- Don Snyder (38.6N, 90.3W)
Bob Babcock
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1808 posts in 965 days
posted 846 days ago
Very nice work StLouis. I loved Yazawa’s work in FWW. There is also a video on FWW of another gentleman doing one of these. He attributes his inspiration to Yazawa also. Amazing joinery.
-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org
jaspr
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38 posts in 851 days
posted 844 days ago
Isn’t Yazawa’s work wonderful – and you have lived up to the tradition – well done.
-- cheers, Claire (in Oz!)
Dusty56
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3401 posts in 567 days
posted 306 days ago
Absolutely incredible craftsmanship !...I’ve been setting pennies into my projects for a good 15 years or so …I hope to someday be able to afford quarters ! LOL
-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .