Examples of Chinese Joinery posted to a.b.p.w.

[charlieb]

Have posted three example of some chinese joinery

- frame and panel

- table joinery

- chari joinery

If anyone else has some examples to share - PLEASE DO!

charlie b

[charlieb]

Posted them but they ain't showing up in a.b.p.w. so I've put them on web pages

b

[Patriarch]

charlieb wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I saw most of them, but the pictures were a bit hacked. Thought it was me.

[JimR]

This is really interesting for me. We have a lot of Chinese and Asian furniture that we got over the years from HK, China, Thailand and Burma. One of our best pieces is an altar table that is of an antique design and is made of yellow rosewood (Huanghuali), which was thought at the time to be extinct. The wood for the table was recovered from old house beams in Hainan Island. I've always marvelled at the skill it took for the intricate and ornate designs but your pictures have given me a new appreciation for the construction methods as well.

We've completed one of our life-goals, of visiting every province in China. We found that in almost any small-medium-sized town in China you could find skilled woodworkers that would turn out beautiful pieces with only the most rudimentary of shops. Similarly, in Thailand we appreciated the potters who created works of art using a potter's wheel that was set into a hole in the ground and which was turned by foot-power (directly, not using a treadle).

I'm strictly an amateur and untrained woodworker, but you've given me some new insight and ideas. However, I'll never have the time, skill, knowledge or patience to turn out work such as in your photos. Regards --

[charlieb]

So you have some really nice pieces made with really nice wood. Nice!

That's the irony of their work - all that effort and all that skill - and by intent - no one will ever see it - if they do it right. There's a book by a German about Chinese furniture - you might want to get - it's under $30 by Ecke - amazon probably has it, Barnes & Noble may have it on their shelves. The author gives you a lot of background on the styles of various dynasties and the evolution of standard designs.

Hell, there are people born and raised in the United States who've only been to half the States or less - and we've got freeways and air ports everywhere. Must've been a real adventure traveling all over China

But if you gave them a picture or a set of plans for an Arts & Craft piece they might have a tough time making it. They tend towards the Chinese Menu approach when it comes to design - pick a table from column A and chairs from column B - but don't ask for anything not on the menu. That's because the tables in Column A and the chairs in column B have been made exactly the same - for the last couple of hundred years.

Support for the truth - it ain't the tools that make the beautiful piece, it's the person using them.

Maybe not, but you can probably make some of their joints and do something not found in any of the magazines.

charlie b

[JimR]

[snip] There's a

[snip]

I do have the Ecke book -- bought it at Woodcraft -- plus another useful book that I bought in China -- either Kunming or Chongqing -- on furniture building and joinery. Of course, the latter is in Chinese, but the drawings and photos are useful, and I can read enough Chinese to use it, along with help from a Chinese - English dictionary for specialty terms. Regards --