Affordable Japanese style furniture?

[me]

I'm not Japanese.... nor am I Asian.

But I really like the clean lines of Japanese style furniture

Does anyone know of a way to buy or make such furniture without a lot of money?

[Larry Jaques]

Buy a few books on Japanese joinery and furnituremaking. Read them, learn how to do it, and make your own with Japanese and Western hand tools.

has pricing for beginner up to professional (-really- pricy!) tools. They're good people.

is another supplier who gets good remarks from some of the wooddorkers here. I haven't used them. Toshio Odate has several books which might interest you, so look for them on or or search for "books" on .

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[me]

I'm a student so no time for that. I'm working full time as well

Any place to buy such furniture that is reasonable?

[Larry Jaques]

Ah doubt er, Bill. It's specialized and only high-end stores have it. You might ask a few local woodworkers if they could handle something like that for you, though. Where are you?

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[me]

I'm in Hannibal MO

Abt 2 hrs north of St Louis

Again I'm not a wood worker... at all.

Just came across Japanese style of furnishing and REALLY like the simplicity and Zen-like atmosphere of it.

But man oh man is that stuff "pricey"!! At least what I've seen on the Net for sale anyway.

Was hoping maybe there is a cheap or poor mans way of doing it.

[Larry Jaques]

There is. Find someone local who does woodworking CHEAP and see if you can con them into faking some J furniture for you. Use your pictures of furniture and allow them to use whatever joinery they will (or can), not necessarily Japanese.

Fred Meyers (grocery chain here in the PNW) has knockoff Mission stuff with fake spindles/M&Ts, etc. for a whole lot cheaper than a U.S. furniture mfgr could make them.

You're close to Tejas. Give ol' Jummykins a call. He'll make some for you out of pineywood, RBS, and poly. Yum!(?) (No, wait, he moved Nawth, didn't he? Never mind.)

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[me]

Who?!

[Larry Jaques]

Jim MacNamara, an old Wrecker.

(The Wreck = rec.woodworking) (Wrecker = Person who follows this newsgroup.)

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[Prometheus]

You want good stuff, or just sort of Japanese-looking? They've got all sorts of things at those Pier One stores, though the quality and finish usually leaves a lot to be desired. Whether the prices are reasonable or not just depends on your budget.

Otherwise, you may just need to wait until you've got your other stuff out of the way, and make it yourself sometime down the road.

[me]

Well id like it to be decent quality

But it seems like furniture makes think they can charge whatever they feel like for some of this stuff!!

Some of the Japanese style beds were $900 range. I mean is there really $900 worth material and labor in that?

here is a link to company that makes more reasonable furniture. Comes shipped to you in three boxes

do you guys think of their "concept"?

[Prometheus]

You may not think so, but there is. Enough hardwood to make a bed can easily run into the $300-500 range, and that's just using domestic woods. It can cost a lot more with exotic woods. Then all that material has to properly routed, sawed, planed (you get the idea) into the correct shapes. With Japanese joints, those shapes are like jigsaw puzzles that lock together in three dimentions, and they are incredibly complex compared to a couple of pieces of particle board screwed together. Then the finish needs to be applied, and that process can often take several weeks- and is in itself a strange hodgepodge of chemestry, art and alchemy, with a little voodoo thrown in for good measure.

And of course, none of the above happens without a whole lot of study and practice on the part of the person making the furniture, as well as an investment (usually very sizable) in the proper tools. Is it worth $900? Yes, it usually is. Is it worth $900 to *you*? That you have to decide for yourself.

Looks like crap. How long do you figure a $300 couch is designed to last?

[me]

I see

Thanks

[me]

Well I don't know but the customer reviews on the site seems very positive.

What I like ab the process is that they don't have brick and mortar buildings and have come up with a system that can be shipped in three boxes and assembled at home.

All that removes a lot of "middlemen" in the process and keeps overhead low. No?

[Lobby Dosser]

Ya don't suppose it was an elaborate Spam leading up to $300 couches that come to you in three boxes? Naaah! Nobody would do That, would they?

[me]

If you think my post was an elaborate spam attempt..... you really have a wild imagination

My questions and posts are sincere

I just thought the "concept" of buying furniture via the web using the method they have was a good one

[Lobby Dosser]

A well tuned Bullshit Meter.

Good.

Uh, huh.

>

[Prometheus]

Sure, it can keep overhead low. The question is whether that is all they do to reduce costs. Without having one in front of you, it's hard to say how they're made, and what materials they use, but you have to figure that at a minimum they have three components- a frame, padding, and material. To get those raw materials, process them into a piece of furniture, and send them out for $300, they've got to be making the things out of particle board and hot glue, and they're liable to break down really quickly. But I could be way off-base, it's always possible that they're being made out of decent local materials by slave labor in a third-world country as well, but it's just as likely in that event that they're still made poorly.

Don't get me wrong- if all you need is a place to sit, and that's what you've got for a budget, it's a convienent product to have access to- they're not likely to be any worse than the cheap futon I had for several years, at any rate. Just don't expect a silk purse!

[Larry Jaques]

Since most furniture sold in the USA is now made in China, there is probably little difference between a $1,500 couch and a $300 couch except the retailer's amount of overhead and expected profit margin.

[Lobby Dosser]

For $1500 they wash off the used motor oil before they assemble it. :o)

[Prometheus]

Is it? I wouldn't be surprised, but it is one of the few industries where you can still find products made in the US. I know most of the stores around here stock Ashley, and that's right in Wisconsin. I know at least a couple of the big particle board furniture makers are still in the states as well.