LumberJocks

Peace Bench

Project by StLouisWoodworker posted 516 days ago 592 views 3 times favorited 21 comments Add to Favorites
Peace Bench Peace Bench Peace Bench Click the pictures to enlarge them

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.


21 comments so far

View darryl's profile

darryl

990 posts in 866 days


posted 516 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.woodworkingdungeon.blogspot.com ~

View Damian Penney's profile

Damian Penney

733 posts in 531 days


posted 516 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

View Tony's profile

Tony

624 posts in 570 days


posted 516 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)

View WayneC's profile

WayneC

5684 posts in 637 days


posted 516 days ago

This is incredible. Thanks for showing us these.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

View CharlieM1958's profile

CharlieM1958

4593 posts in 758 days


posted 516 days ago

Not too difficult, huh? Why do I not believe you? LOL

Very sweet!

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

View Don's profile

Don

2586 posts in 717 days


posted 516 days ago

Just beautiful, SLW. The joinery is very unusual and the resulting bench stunning.

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.canterburybaptist.org/

View StLouisWoodworker's profile

StLouisWoodworker

18 posts in 516 days


posted 516 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.

View WayneC's profile

WayneC

5684 posts in 637 days


posted 516 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

View Greg Mitchell's profile

Greg Mitchell

1378 posts in 609 days


posted 516 days ago

Great job on the bench! Beautiful workmenship!

-- Greg Mitchell--Lowell, AR--gdamitchell@sbcglobal.net

View oscorner's profile

oscorner

4573 posts in 851 days


posted 516 days ago

Spetacular joinery and inlay. A very beautiful bench. Thanks for sharing.

-- Jesus is Lord!

View cheller's profile

cheller

231 posts in 649 days


posted 516 days ago

Excellent work. Those are impressive joints.

-- Chelle http://artsgranddaughter.blogspot.com

View Karson's profile

Karson

14326 posts in 941 days


posted 516 days ago

Very nice bench StL.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

View Douglas Bordner's profile

Douglas Bordner

2742 posts in 604 days


posted 516 days ago

Real dove dovetails, and lovetails. Wonderful work, SLW. Thanks for sharing.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

View MsDebbieP's profile

MsDebbieP

12284 posts in 701 days


posted 515 days ago

magnificent!!!
wow

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

View dennis mitchell's profile

dennis mitchell

3057 posts in 854 days


posted 515 days ago

View Dorje's profile

Dorje

1749 posts in 537 days


posted 515 days ago

too cool…

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

View Bill's profile

Bill

2524 posts in 701 days


posted 514 days ago

Great job. I guess you could say those are real dovetail joints now?

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

View Hawgnutz's profile

Hawgnutz

507 posts in 616 days


posted 512 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

View StLouisWoodworker's profile

StLouisWoodworker

18 posts in 516 days


posted 512 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.

View Bob Babcock's profile

Bob Babcock

1807 posts in 626 days


posted 508 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

View jaspr's profile

jaspr

37 posts in 513 days


posted 505 days ago

Isn’t Yazawa’s work wonderful – and you have lived up to the tradition – well done.

-- cheers, Claire (in Oz!)

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