JOINERIES
JOINERIES
BY MARIKO KURIOKA ROHDE Oslo School of Architecture and Design Spring Diploma 2014
EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL OF JAPANESE JOINERIES
TABLE OF CONTENTS
BACKGROUND 9 Introduction 11 Personal background 13 Motivation and goals 15 Approach and limitations 16
RESEARCH 19 Introduction 21 First Encounters 23 Theoretical understanding 26 Personal understanding 32 Practical understanding 42 Summary 48
EXPLORATION 1
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RESULT 151
Starting point 53 Production methods 55 Materials 66 Technique 68 Concept Development 88 Summary 94
Introduction 153 The final joineries 154 structures 158 Details 170 Building 172 Uses 174
EXPLORATION 2
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REFLEXIONS 179
Starting point 99 Materials 101 Technique 103 Production 112 methods 112 Concept development 114 Summary 118
Introduction 181 The result 182 The process 184
EXPLORATION 3
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Starting point 123 Production methods 124 Materials 126 Technique 129 Concept development 134 Summary 148
REFERENCES 187
Background INTRODUCTION PERSONAL BACKGROUND MOTIVATION AND GOALS APPROACH AND LIMITATIONS
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Background
INTRODUCTION Japanese joinery is a technique that combines pieces of wood without the use of nails or other aids. It is a technique mainly used in architecture and found especially in traditional Japanese buildings such as Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples and Japanese tea houses. Its origins date back to 200 BC and with time it has evolved into hundreds of different types of joineries (Seike, 1977).
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PERSONAL BACKGROUND My name is Mariko Rohde, and I am a design student from the Oslo School of Architecture and Design. For my diploma thesis I have explored the potential of Japanese Joineries. I am half Japanese and have lived in Japan as a child. I have built on this experience in my research, and it has helped me obtain a deeper understanding of the traditions and societal aspects influencing Japanese joinery.
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MOTIVATION AND GOALS MOTIVATION
GOALS
Everything around us is joined together somehow, we find “joineries” everywhere from the joints in our body, the way plants and trees grow into each other and in the products we surround ourselves with.
What I hoped to accomplish with this diploma was that I wanted to learn more about the joinery technique, to get a better insight into the Japanese cultural traditions, to learn more about explorative processes and to create new ideas and forms of expression. Through an explorative approach, I hoped to discover something undiscovered within the joinery technique. My mission was to explore the potential of Japanese joineries and to create an object from the findings.
I wanted to focus on one kind of joinery that I feel has significant potential. By avoiding the use of nails and other aids, wood joinery offers a more sustainable solution to fabrication and construction by reducing reliance on expensive and carbon-intensive joining materials such as steel. In addition, the simplicity and modularity of unaided joinery allows for simpler production, repair, and recycling. Knowledge obtained through an exploration of the potential of these techniques in this project could be applicable to other areas in the future. My personal motivation for working with the joineries was that I wanted to learn more about Japanese cultural traditions on fabrications and construction techniques. This interest was spurred by my own Japanese heritage, but also by my attraction to Japan’s religions, ancient values and views on aesthetics. These fields are connected, and the joinery technique is a part of them. I wanted to get a better insight into these fields, starting with the joinery technique.
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The Art of Japanese Joineries by Kyosei Seike Trees growing into each other Illustration of the Skeletal system Wood stools cast in Aluminium by Hilla Shamia Background | 15
APPROACH AND LIMITATIONS APPROACH THE RESEARCH PHASE I explored the potential of Japanese joineries. The technique has evolved and been perfected over time by professional Japanese carpenters. Nowadays, we have new possibilities in production methods and materials, and they create new potentials for how the technique could be developed and used. I was wondering if I, with my background as a design student, could develop this technique further. What could I contribute with, and would my findings unravel new possibilities? Would I discover unknown potential in the joineries ? I met these questions with an explorative approach. That involved being open-minded, looking into different aspects of the technique and systematically investigating the different aspects. The explorative approach also meant that I did not know at the beginning of the process what the result would be by the end. My process from the beginning to the final delivery was divided into four main phases. These four phases were the research phase and three explorative phases.Â
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I wanted to get a holistic overview of the technique and the world it belonged to. I started by gaining knowledge about both the joinery technique and the aspects that surrounded it. I wanted to look at both because I believed they could give me inspiration to possible directions. In the research phase, I went on a study trip to Japan. During this trip I visited a farmhouse museum, a carpentry school, a building site and a carpentry tools museum. What I wanted to obtain during this trip was to get further insight into why the joineries are as they are, to get a better understanding of the related Japanese culture, to see joineries being made professionally and to find inspiration for my own project. I gained practical knowledge from trying to make joineries early in the process. This was to understand the profession better, get a better understanding of wood as a material and I hoped it would give me some inspiration to what possibilities the technique could offer with regard to production, materials and use.
LIMITATIONS THE EXPLORATIVE PHASES I took my findings from the research into the explorative phases. From the explorative phases I hoped to discover an unknown potential in the joinery technique. The explorative phases consisted of smaller sections. Each section concentrated on exploring findings from previous explorations and research. During these sections, I would produce as many possible suggestions to the different findings within a given time. From this, I would achieve quantitative tests quickly and efficiently. From each section, I would produce findings that I brought with me. I used a workshop as a method for exploring. From the workshop I wanted to see how others would use and further develop the findings I had obtained so far in the process. The workshops worked both as a way to get inspiration and as a user test. Throughout this phase I consequently iterated and compared the findings of each section to earlier findings. I maintained and used the knowledge that I gained earlier in the process. Based on the findings from the iterations I developed a concept and three objects. They featured the most important findings and exemplified the results from the explorations. I also explored similar existing concepts.
Some factors have put restrictions to the scope of the exploration. Firstly, I have mainly looked at Japanese joineries. It could be relevant to look at Norwegian log houses and similar traditional techniques, but as Japanese Joineries already is such a rich and wide field I wanted to restrict this diploma to that technique. Secondly, I have mostly used the school facilities and workshops. This meant that some of my design decisions have been affected by the machines and the materials that were available at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design. They have put restrictions to dimensions, materials and surface finishes during the explorative phases. Lastly, exploring the Japanese joinery technique has not ended up in one answer. My result shows how I have explored the technique from my perspective and utilising my explorative approach. My perspective was affected by my background as half Japanese and half Norwegian, but also by my design education from AHO. Other approaches would likely give different results.
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Research Introduction First encounters Theoretical Understanding Personal Understanding Practical Understanding Summary
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Research
INTRODUCTION I started with the research phase. During this phase, my goal was to gain a holistic understanding of the technique and the world it belonged to. My research phase was divided into three parts – theoretical understanding, personal understanding and practical understanding. But before I knew what to look into, I had two meetings with the technique.Â
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FIRST ENCOUNTERS
MEETING THE TECHNIQUE My first field trip went to Kongsberg to visit Svein Westad and his Japanese teahouse. The teahouse was built with traditional Japanese joinery techniques. This was the first place in Norway where I would be able to experience the technique first hand. Svein Westad has previously studied the Japanese tea ceremony and he is a tea master. He invited me and my father – an artist with an interest in the tea ceremony – to a small tea ceremony in his teahouse performed in a traditional way. I wanted to visit Svein and his teahouse not only because it is filled with the joinery technique in every detail, but also because teahouses and tea ceremonies are an ancient tradition that have evolved together with the joinery technique. I wanted to understand the world around the joinery technique in order to get a better holistic understanding and to get inspiration for the explorative approach later. After the ceremony, we discussed how the house had been built, the interior decorations and Svein shared his knowledge about the tea ceremony traditions. A recurring topic during the conversation was the aesthetic values that the ceremony
represents. During the tea ceremony it is a norm to give compliments to the beauty of the tea bowl and show interest in it. It is also important to show interest in the calligraphy and flower decoration commonly hung on the wall. The movements during the tea ceremony should be graceful and controlled and should not include any unnecessary movements. There is an aesthetic appreciation of the simple and the minimal, on all levels. During this meeting, I was introduced to aesthetic values that I felt needed further attention and research. From the meeting I realized that the tea ceremony is a large field that interconnects several areas within Japanese history. It has been influenced by two major religions, Shintoism and Buddhism, and Japanese ideals of beauty manifest themselves through the teahouse decorations, buildings and during the ceremony itself. The joinery technique is a means for these values to be expressed. Looking at the joinery technique alone and ignoring these other values would be superficial. I needed to get a better understanding of these important contextual values.
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MEETING A PROFESSIONAL Yoshiharu Hamada is a design professor at the faculty of Art and Design at Tama Art University in Japan. He stayed in Norway for a brief period, and I got in contact with him through Theodor Barth from KHiO. I wanted to meet Hamada-san to have a talk and hear his insights about Japanese joineries. From the meeting, I not only obtained this, but he also gave me an introduction to a prevailing Japanese view on aesthetic and design. Hamada-san introduced me to some important reasons as to why the Japanese have used wood joineries when building houses. Japan has suffered earthquakes multiple times. Houses that are built with the joinery technique are better equipped to withstanding these natural disasters. This is because there is only one material in the structure. The forces from the earthquakes get spread equally through all of the beams, while house constructions that also use steel joineries tend to break in the beams as they are the weakest material. Fire is a second threat to houses. But, when there was an outburst of fire during the Edo era, the houses nearby could be easily demolished preventing the fire from spreading further. A more practical reason for its development was that with the joinery technique you could easily make houses of any size as the beams could be joined to create the desired lengths. House owners that wanted to expand their house later could easily do so if their houses were made with joineries. The joineries gave more room for flexibility.  24
The second topic Hamada introduced me to was Japanese simplicity. Japanese simplicity is something that is found in the Japanese ideals for aesthetics, but it is also a way of thinking and working. It is about focusing on one area, intensifying one expression, asking if something should be long-term or short-term and working with one simple function and enhancing that. According to Hamada-san this simplicity is a Japanese tendency. It is found in their minds and in their hearts. It is about using one sense at the time. From the meeting with Hamada, I got better insight to the joinery technique and a starting point for further research. Simplicity was something I knew existed in Japanese ideals of beauty, but it was interesting to explore its role in Japanese culture as a whole. I also got some starting points as to the functional aspects of the joinery technique that deserved further research.
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THEORETICAL UNDERSTANDING From the meetings at the tea house and with the professor I found three areas that I wanted to look into further. The first was the Japanese aesthetical aspect. The second was the functional aspect of the joinery technique. The third was the sustainable aspect.
AESTHETICAL ASPECT Aesthetics are important in many Japanese traditions and there are several different directions within the aesthetic field. I gained most of these insights from my parents who are artists and possess detailed knowledge of traditional Japanese aesthetics. I have also supplemented these insights with additional sources. I concentrated on looking into three fields that I was introduced to when visiting the teahouse and talking to the professor. Those fields were Wabi Sabi, the prevailing Japanese simplicity and composition. Wabi Sabi is a term that originates from Buddhism. It acknowledges that “all things are impermanent”, “all things are imperfect” and “all things are incomplete” (Koren, 2003). It shows appreciation of the passing of time, but also respect that things live and die, as in nature. The tea bowl is an example of Wabi Sabi. Some tea bowls that are broken can be repaired with gold. The result is a tea bowl not only increasing in value because of the value of the gold, but also because it has become unique. Wabi Sabi also has a sustainable value as the patina and life span of objects are appreciated rather than thrown away.
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According to author Soetsu Yanagi (Yanagi, 1989) in “The Unknown Craftsman”, the greatest contribution the Japanese have made to world culture is the “seeing eye” (p.97). This is the “aesthetic of when man is in harmony with nature” and the “understanding of the function of true beauty in life” (p. 88). In other words, the seeing eye is the ability to see the beauty in the trivial, the simple and the modest. This appreciation of the simple is exemplified in the Japanese tea bowl which, is often modest in its decorations or without any decorations. Living in a country that has suffered from material scarcity, the Japanese have learned to find appreciation and luxury in taking ”just enough” (Brown, 2012). The last field relates to the Japanese aesthetical principles of composition. There are several principles, but one of them is that nothing should be symmetrical. The principles have developed through the passing of time and exactly where they come from is unknown. Buddhism and Shintoism are common belief systems in Japan, and some speculate that the beauty of asymmetry may originate from respect for the gods. The gods obtain perfection, and man should not try to create something that is made by the gods. The principles of composition are exemplified in Ikebana – the art of Japanese flower arrangement.
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FUNCTIONAL ASPECT The functional aspect of the joineries includes its resistance to earthquakes, its modular abilities that allow assembly and disassembly of the joints, its production history and how the introduction of new tools has been part of the development of the joints, and lastly its environmental aspect in that the materials are reusable or changeable. According to The Art of Japanese Joinery by Kiyosi Seike (Seike, 1977), professor of Architecture at the Tokyo institute of Technology, the reasons for the development of Japanese Joineries are many, but it was after the introduction of steel tools that the joineries first came into widespread practice. With the proper tools, it was possible to create the basic joints of tendons and mortises (p. 8). Wood as a material was also convenient as Japan had a lot of forests and wood was easily accessible. A third reason was that natural forces could result in earthquakes or typhoons, the joint part of the wood constructions functioned somewhat like shock absorbers. Another significant advantage of the joineries was that they could be assembled and dismantled easily, the parts could be reused and broken parts could be replaced.Â
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SUSTAINABLE ASPECT During the Edo period, Japan was suffering from similar environmental issues to those we are facing today. The country experienced scarcities in energy, water, materials and food, while the population had risen to 12 million people. The government recognized these issues and implemented several rules and regulations to preserve the resources they had left. The greatest change was found in the mentality of the society. Waste was a taboo and the aim was to obtain “the maximum of well-being with the minimum of consumption” (Brown, 2012). At the end of this period, Japan was supporting 30 million people with little signs of environmental degradation. This period was an example of a well-functioning sustainable society. The advantages of joineries had an important role during this period. “The primary design response to material and energy shortages of the era was to seek multiform solutions, designs that solved many problems at once” (Brown, 2010). An example of this are the Japanese homes that were easily convertible with open solutions and sliding doors functioning as walls when desired. The “design of the ubiquitous dismountable Japanese jointed wooden building frame facilitated reusing the posts and beams elsewhere” (Brown, 2010). The old materials of a building were not thrown away, but reused and resold as a resource. Another advantage of the joinery was that it was possible to replace parts of beams that were rotten, instead of replacing the whole beam. 30
The Edo period lasted for 200 years, and unfortunately the country’s environmental policies and mentality ended with the fall of the regime. During the Edo period, Japan had been closed from the west. “Japan lacked global perspective, but it operated locally with no negative environmental effects beyond its borders” (Brown, 2012). When the borders were opened, industrialization was introduced to Japan and being self-sufficient was no longer an option. According to the latest report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) there is 95% certainty that the climatic changes we are experiencing today are manmade, and there is a need to transition to more sustainable lifestyles in order to avoid catastrophic climate change in the future. I think it is important to take these facts into consideration when designing, and think about how the products we make will affect the natural system around us. We are living in a consumer society and I believe that some of the responsibility lies with the designer to lead the way towards this more sustainable lifestyle. The stories of Edo are great inspirations, as they include design thinking in solving many of their problems. If we could implement some of their thoughts from that time into our society today, I believe we would be one step further in the right direction.
HOUSE DEMOLITION Illustration from Just Enough: Lessons in Living Green by Azby Brown. It illustrates what parts of a house could be resused when the house would be demolished.
BEAM REPLACEMENT A part of a beam that was broken was replaced using joineries. Research | 31
PERSONAL UNDERSTANDING To get a better personal understanding of the technique, I went on a study trip to Japan. I wanted to go to Japan to get first hand insight, to experience the culture while studying the technique and to get inspiration. I knew there it would be a difference between reading about something and actually experiencing it. During the trip I visited an open-air museum of traditional Japanese houses, a carpentry school, a building site and a carpentry tools museum. All my visits were in the area of Kobe, Osaka and Kyoto.
OPEN AIR MUSEUM My first visit was to the Open-Air Museum of Traditional Japanese Farm Houses situated in the Hattori Ryokuchi Koen in the suburbs of Osaka. The museum had a collection of different farmhouses mostly from the Edo period gathered from all over Japan. What the houses had in common was that they were built with the traditional wood joinery technique, that they were combined with other materials to create walls and that they had sliding doors to adapt the house layout for their use. Even though the houses had some similarities, they were also quite different. The types of wood, the materials and the construction varied depending on where the houses were from. One of the houses was taken from the north of Japan and had extra layers of twigs to protect it from the cold and the snow. Another house from further south was covered in thin layers of wood. There was a manufacturer of wood veneer nearby, and all the houses in that area were therefore covered with this veneer. 32
By visiting the farm house museum, I got to see how the traditional Japanese joineries were used and how they were adapted to different places. They used local materials that fulfilled their needs, and as a result the houses were different from place to place.
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CARPENTRY SCHOOL Visiting the workshops of a carpenter college. The college had a collaboration with a house building company and during my visit they were making the beams and joineries for a new house. The students and carpenters had worked the past month to create all the beams for the new house they would raise in the coming days. At the time of our visit, most the beams were finished, but the carpenters were still able to show us how they would make the joineries. The traditional way of creating joineries would be to use only hand tools. The modern power tools are however much faster and efficient, so they are more commonly used nowadays. The joineries the carpenter created were one of the simpler designs, and he spent about 20 minutes creating two identical beams. This would usually work even faster without spectators. He finished off by going over with hand tools to remove any unwanted chips. They showed me two beams that would be joined together, they fit perfectly together which is especially important when it comes to house-building. They spent almost 3 hours creating these, and the joineries were one of the most complicated types. Even if the methods for creating joineries have changed, the joineries themselves stay true to the originals. “The carpenters back in the days knew what they were doing” the director said.
I had previously read that joineries were most commonly used in temples and shrines, but during my visit I learned that the joineries are becoming more popular in modern building as well. One of the reasons is the fear of earthquakes, and the joineries have always been very resistant to these. The house-building process consisted of a close collaboration between the future house owners, the architects and the carpenters. The house owners were even allowed to choose which trees to cut and use for the construction of the house. It was impressive to see how fast the carpenters worked and the precision of their result. The joineries have not really changed but only been perfected over time, while the production methods have developed drastically.
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HOUSE BUILDING SITE It was time for the beams that were produced at the carpentry college to be joined together and be built into a home. On our arrival, most of the structure of the house was built and they were currently working on assembling the second floor. The house consisted of three parts. A concrete base, the wooden beams, and the bolts that connected the beams to the concrete. This was the only place where they used bolts, as the rest of the house was joined together with only the wood itself. They still used the joineries to protect the homes from being demolished in earthquakes. One of the beams was slightly shorter than the others. When there are so many pieces it is important that each piece is as precise as possible, otherwise the puzzle will not fit together. According to the director, this beam was a minor mistake and would be easy to fix. Apart from this one beam, the structure was flawless. If one piece is imperfect, it will affect the rest of the building. Precision was therefore extremely important. During the house building, the beams were almost stacked on top of each other. Most of the joineries were simple kinds that used gravity to keep them together, there were only a couple that were more intricate and completely locked. Joineries used in house-building and those used in smaller scales – such as in products – would be different, since objects need to be moved around and therefore withstand all kinds of forces from all directions. Research | 37
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TOOLS MUSEUM The Takenaka carpentry tools museum was created by one of the largest house-building firms in Japan. It is a museum that depicts the development of the traditional hand tools used to create Japanese joineries, but they also have a selection of professionally made joineries. The development of the tools has played an important role in the development of the joineries. The first tools Japan used came from China and early illustrations of Japanese woodworkers often show them using Chinese hand tools. The Japanese carpenters used these tools and continued to develop them. One example is the saw. The Chinese saw consisted of a wire and a bow to keep the wire flexed. It sawed when pushed, while the Japanese changed the direction of the saw tooth and made it saw when pulled instead. In this way, the saws could be smaller and create more precise cuts. This made it possible to create more advanced and intricate wood joineries. When comparing the Japanese hand tools to the rest of the world, the Japanese are more plain. The European and the Chinese would decorate their hand tools with animals and patterns, while the Japanese would be more subtle with their decorations and only a simple signature on the steel or twirl the steel during the production to give the steel a natural looking pattern. This reflects the Japanese ideals of aesthetics that are minimal and unobtrusive.
Today there are several hundred different joineries. Carpenters develop new designs just for amusement, and the joineries are not only used in temples, shrines and teahouses. Even so, most of the joineries are variations of the ari and the kama. The traditional production method using hand tools is disappearing, and more carpenters have started to take advantage of power tools. The joineries produced with hand tools are different from joineries made with power tools. The surface finish from hand tools are usually unobtainable in any other way. They had samples of professionally made joineries in the museum, but my guide also showed me the storage room, which was filled with their joinery collection. Here I could try the different joineries and see how they were made. The precision of these joineries was incredible, and each piece slid perfectly into the next. The perfection of the joineries is extremely important, not just for the function of making strong connections, but also for the sensation and the aesthetic of objects that fit so perfectly together.
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GENERAL OBSERVATIONS Japan is filled with impressions. Everywhere I went was crowded, even when I stayed in the suburbs of Osaka. There are so many people, so many sounds and so many visual things going on at the same time. Especially around the cities. It is inspiring to see this landscape. But it is also interesting that this view is so different from the Japanese ideals of beauty. Simplicity is absent when looking at the these cities. It exists when looking at objects and buildings individually, but not holistically. I think it is interesting how their ideals of beauty strive for the simple, honest and imperfect, while their lives are surrounded by the opposite. By going to Japan I was able to meet people who have worked with creating joineries for a long time and talk to professionals who had great knowledge of its history and its use throughout the times. It is something else to read about a technique, than to see it up close and be taught how things are done and why. One of the visits that made the greatest impression came from the Takenaka Tools Museum in which they had several professionally made joints that I could try and play with. Assembling and disassembling joineries that fit perfectly together without a slightest wiggle was inspiring and motivating to experience.
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PRACTICAL UNDERSTANDING I needed an overview of the different joineries, and created one from the book “The Art of Japanese Joineries.� I also looked at other existing joineries to get a better understanding of what joineries are. After getting an overview, I tried to make one of the joineries.
EXISTING JOINERIES JAPANESE The Art of Japanese Joineries (Seike, 1977) by Kiosey Seike has been my greatest reference and resource to Japanese joineries. It contains both history about the joineries and a collection of the most used and known joineries. To get an overview of the different types of joineries I tried to categorize them into the different shapes they create. From this study, I got an overview of what abilities the different joineries had.
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Y-SHAPED
+ SHAPED I-SHAPED
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OTHER I also looked at other kinds of joineries, both in projects and in the objects around me to see how things were joined.
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MAKING JOINERIES
I chose one basic joinery that I tried to make. I used a combination of power tools and hand tools to create the joinery. I tried to be as precise as possible, but the result was not satisfactory. The pieces did not fit well together at all. They were difficult to put together, and when joined some areas were loose. The feeling was very different from the ones I tried in Japan. By trying to create the joineries myself, I realized that I would never achieve the same precision as the professional carpenters that had years of experience. My goal was not to become as good as they were at creating joineries, but rather to further develop the technique by looking at methods I knew. I wanted to obtain the same precision as the carpenters did, only with other means than what they use.
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Research
SUMMARY To begin with, I knew very little about the joinery technique and the world it belonged to. I tried to get a holistic understanding of the area by talking to people who knew the technique, looking into the function of the technique and other areas that surrounded it, gaining a personal understanding of it by visiting Japan, meeting professionals and finally trying to make the joineries myself. Findings that I would bring with me in the explorative phases were the aesthetical aspects and the conflicting representation of it in society, the advantages of the joineries, the history of their development and the sustainable values from the Edo period. In addition, I would take the knowledge gained from the visit to the farmhouse museum and learning that the houses used the materials that they had available, and finally the precision of the current joineries that I never would obtain using the traditional methods. Next, I wanted to see what I, with my background as industrial designer, could contribute to this technique.
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Exploration 1 STARTING POINT PRODUCTION METHODS MATERIALS TECHNIQUE CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT SUMMARY
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Exploration 1
STARTING POINT From the research I gained theoretical understanding, personal understanding and practical understanding of the technique. I realized that my goal was not to become great at creating joineries with the same methods the carpenters used today. During the development of joineries, the technique evolved with the introduction of new tools and materials such as steel. Today, there are several new production methods that could create joineries. These production methods open for new materials and affect the way the joinery technique could work. In the first exploration phase I looked at different production methods, materials, how the technique could further evolve, and started looking at how this could be used.
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PRODUCTION METHODS I started by looking at different production methods that could be used to create joineries. I wanted to achieve joineries with high precision that were not based on craftsmanship. The initial production methods I looked at were 3D-printing, molding, milling and laser cutting. I choose these production methods because they were available within the school facilities. I tried to make different kinds of joineries, most of them were taken from “The Art of Japanese Joineries� (Seike, 1977).
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3D-PRINTING 3D-printed objects have perfect precision. They are fast and easy to make as they only need to be sketched up in a 3D-program such as SolidWorks. It is possible to print complex shapes that are impossible with other production methods such as with the laser cutter or with the milling machine. It is possible to print in different materials, such as plastic, rubber and metal, and it works great as a tool to rapidly create mock-ups. I wanted to try and make joineries in the 3D-printer because I knew that it was a method that would give great precision. The joineries I printed were made in nylon, which is durable and flexible. The surfaces were not perfectly smooth, but thin lines were visible from the printing process. The joineries fitted a bit too well together, and leftover powder from the machine made them difficult to join together the first couple of times. I tried making two different types of joineries, one that joined horizontally and another that joined with a vertical angle. The angled was much easier to use, and the fit became perfect with time. The downsides of 3D-printing were that it was an expensive process. Creating larger pieces would not fit in the machine, and creating several pieces with 3D-printing is economically unjustifiable. At least at the moment, but considering the possibilities regarding shape and precision, I can use pieces of 3D-printed objects as molding shapes or just as one-off pieces in a product. The 3D-printing models may therefore work as a part of the process in creating joineries with other methods than 3D-printing itself. Exploration 1 | 57
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MOLDING With the 3D-printed joineries I created molding shapes in silicon which I later used to mold joineries in plaster. The disadvantage of 3D-printing was its high costs, but if one 3D-printed shape could create several with a cheap, precise and efficient method it might be worth the initial cost. By creating a molding shape in silicon, I did not have to worry about draft angles. Some examples of materials that can be molded are epoxy, pom, silicone, plaster, concrete and corian. The materials are very different to feel and touch, so the expression would change quite drastically between the different materials. I tried with plaster as it was a cheap, accessible and precise material.
Plaster was not an ideal material for the joineries I made as there were too many tensile forces applied to them. This did not however exclude molding technique as a production method for joineries. Other materials have other strengths and it might be possible that they are better suited for these joineries. It might also mean that materials such as concrete and plaster should be used in areas and in joineries where they only meet compressive forces. They could also be combined with other materials that are more suited to resist tensile forces.
When joining the two molded parts together, they did not fit so well. This was mainly due to some errors during the creation of the molding shapes. The 3D-printed shapes took some of the silicon with them when they were removed. This resulted in some extra plaster in unwanted areas on the molded joineries. It could have been avoided if the 3D-printed shapes had been covered in cooking oil or vaseline before the molding process. Secondly, the plaster did not fill the edges and created a small radius on every corner. When joined together, the lines between the two parts became quite visible. Lastly, plaster was not resistant to tensile forces. When trying to fit the two joinery pieces together, too much pressure was forced on the small details, and half of the ari joinery broke off.
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MILLING In order to mill I had to create models in a CAD program. I could not use the same models as I had used when 3D-printing, as the milling machine needed a radius on any ingoing corners. The minimum radius the milling machine could handle with a depth of 30mm was 3mm. To avoid complications, I created joineries that could be milled from one side. I wanted to try milling to create joineries because it is a subtractive production method and can make precise results in wood. It is the production method that is closest to the way the traditional carpenters create Japanese joineries, but it is also a method where the expression differs quite from the traditional joineries. This is mostly because of the rounded corners which are almost non existing in traditional joints.
There were a lot of complications with the files that could not be resolved. When the files looked ok, we proceeded with milling, but the machine skipped several fillets. This resulted in the joineries not fitting together as they should. Also, the expression differed quite a lot from the traditional joineries and become softer and the shapes less defined. On the other side, I could have spent more time developing the expression further, but there are already several examples of joineries created with the milling machine. The materials that are possible to use in milling are affordable and reliable. Wood and cibatool are also resistant to most applied forces, such as weight and tensile forces. The problems that I encountered could have been a one time incident and deserved further testing.
I tried creating joineries with milling in the material cibatool. It does not have any direction and is more flexible than wood. The model had several small parts, and the process took about one day. I created two types of models, some that were ready to be used immediately and some that were negative and could be used as molding shapes.
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LASER CUTTING Laser cutting is best suited for cutting through and engraving flat surfaces. From the book, “The Art of Japanese Joineries� I selected a couple joineries that would be possible to create with laser cutting. The joineries had to be created in layers and these layers had to be connected together somehow. I therefore made holes with 8mm diameter so that I had the possibility to combine them with standardized wooden bowels. The laser cutter could cut thicknesses up to 9mm, and I tested with poplar and transparent acrylic plates. What I wanted to achieve with the laser cutter was to see how the expression of the joineries changed from the traditional joineries, how these materials would give different results and how it would feel like using these joineries.
The advantages of the laser cutting process were that by dividing the joineries into layers, it was possible to change one layer at the time. It had a strong look, and elements such as how the layers were connected should be further explored. I have previously expressed that one of the qualities of traditional joineries are that the parts can be replaced and reused, so gluing or using methods that make each element inseparable are not an option. How these layers should be joined together, and how much they should be enhanced or hidden is one direction to further develop this method.
As the laser cutter melts the cuts, it also melts a small thickness when cutting. As a result, the wooden dowels and the joineries did not fit perfectly together, but became a bit lose. The precision I met in Japan was much higher. It was really interesting to see how the materials were combined, and with the transparency of acrylic the inside of the joineries also became visible. Showing off the joineries is also defying the traditional carpenters that did everything to hide the joineries and create the transitions as seamless as possible. The edges of the wood also became black from the process, it made the rest of the wood dirty but maybe it would be possible to look at it through the ideology of Wabi Sabi and enhance it as a beautiful result of the production method. The black sides also enhanced the contrast of the joineries, creating a strong and graphic look.
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3D-PRINTING Fits perfectly, complex shapes, fast, easy to make, possible with different materials Uneven surfaces, expensive, restricted to size. The 3D-printed shapes could be used as moldings shapes.
MOLDING Cheap, easy to make, a lot of different materials. Plaster is fragile, the test was not precise, the pre-molded shape needs to be smooth, the sharpest corners became blunt. The test could have worked better with other, less fragile materials such as plastics.
MILLING Close to traditional joineries, possible in whole wood, soft expression. Expression is a bit undefined, problems with the test, already exists examples of this. Testing with another milling machine would probably have given better results.
LASER CUTTING Layered production makes it more flexible for replaceable parts, strong and graphic appearance, new materials such as transparents. The laser cutter takes away some of the edges when cutting, the layers need to be joined somehow, restricted to some joineries. 64
PROS AND CONS By creating joineries with different production methods I built a repertoire of joineries and materials. I got a greater understanding of what possibilities I had with joineries, and also a better understanding of it’s restrictions.
At the end of this process, I decided that I wanted to continue exploring joineries created with laser cutting. This was because I found the layering interesting and that it created more possibilities.
It is a technique that is developed with wood and using joineries with other materials than wood is against it’s nature. Wood is highly resistant to tensile forces, applying materials that are not creates weak joints. Using joineries in plaster or concrete would therefore only work with some kinds of joineries and only work in places were they are met with weight and not tensile forces.
The layering made it possible to replace a third of the joinery instead of the whole joint. It made it possible to create your own joineries, by changing maybe one of the layers instead of the whole joint. It made it possible to personalize the joineries more simply by changing the way each layer was connected. I was able to introduce flexible materials and more textile materials, and it was possible to create them with transparent materials such as acrylic in addition to wood.
I have stayed within the workshops of AHO, which has restricted me to use certain production methods and materials. Using, for example, injected molded plastic or rotational molding techniques to create joineries, instead of molding plaster, would have had other strengths and weaknesses than the joineries I explored.
With transparent materials you can see the joineries from the inside, usually the traditional carpenters would try to hide them. If necessary, the laser cut joineries could also be combined with 3D-printed or molded shapes. Overall, I felt the laser cut joineries had the most potential for further development.
Some production techniques were not able to make all kinds of joineries. 3D-printing was very flexible, but expensive and not suitable for larger scales. Milling has to consider the angle of the drill and its radius. Laser cutting was unable to make joineries that were not created as “staircase steps”. It was interesting to see how much the expression of the joineries changed when they were created differently or in different materials. The milling process with it’s rounded corners softened the looks of the usually graphic and defined look of the joineries. While the plaster gave the joineries a fragile and vulnerable look and feel. With laser cutting the layering and the burned wood created contrasts and defined the lines. Shape-wise, it was the laser cutter and the milling process that was most restricted. The other production methods could adapt to these two to create joineries that could work together.
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MATERIALS As I decided to further look at laser cutting, it was possible to create joineries with other materials than wood. Choosing to further work with the laser cutter also meant that the joineries needed be created in layers and that each layer needed to be combined together somehow. The layered materials and the materials combining the layers did not necessarily have to be the same material. I gathered different materials that I wanted to try and use to combine the layers. For the layers, I continued working with poplar plywood in different thicknesses as it was cheap and easily accessible at AHO.
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Tensioning strap
Twine Hair band
Elastic band Packing rope
Velcro
Wooden dowel Neon elastic Rope Thick textile elastic
Fabric
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TECHNIQUE METHODS
WORKSHOP
I had already tried to create some existing joineries in the laser cutter. By deciding to work with laser cutting I had some questions that needed attention. The first was how the layers would be combined, the second was what kind of joineries it would be possible to make with these layers and the third was to come up with suggestions to where the technique could be used.
7 creative students from AHO and KHiO participated in the workshop. The participants were divided into three groups and in 2 hours, they worked with three tasks that addressed my questions regarding laser cutting. I prepared laser cut plywood with a variety of angles in three different thicknesses: 4mm, 6mm and 9mm. I also gave them the collection of materials they could work with to combine the layers.
To get as many suggestions as possible to these questions I decided to have a workshop with creative students and redo the workshop alone afterwards.
What I hoped to achieve with the workshop was to know what pieces and materials worked well, if they had some favorite pieces that were more flexible and if they missed some pieces that they had to make themselves during the process.
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THE TASKS
EVALUATION CRITERIA
Task 1 Choose two materials and find three ways of combining the layers.
Task 1 How well do the pieces keep in place ? Is it possible to take the pieces apart ? Is the connection strong ? How is it aesthetically ?
Task 2 Find three ways of creating joineries with the layers.
Task 2 Is the joinery possible to assemble and dismantle easily ? Will the joinery stay in place ? Does the joinery add something that the traditional joineries do not have ? How is it aesthetically ?
Task 3 Make one example of a product where this can be used.
Task 3 Are the advantages of the joineries enhanced ?
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TASK 1 The first task was to combine the pieces in three different ways using the materials. Each group could choose two materials they wanted to connect the pieces. A lot of the materials were not chosen, and most of the groups ended up using only one material instead of two. They only had 15min, and not all the groups were able to finish in time. The main findings from the first task were that the elastic materials kept the layers most tightly together and the material that was used for combining affected the whole expression.
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SEWING WITH NEON ELASTICS The layers keep tightly together, the combination of wood and neon create a strong and playful look. The elastic has endings, they need to be tied somehow or to something.
SEWING WITH ROPES Decorative element, a natural feel and a light expression. Difficult to dismantle, the rope has an ending that needs to be tied, the pieces can move slightly as the rope never will be completely tight. Could it be possible to use the rope to sew a furniture together ?
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RECESSED NEON ELASTICS By recessing the elastics into the wood, the pieces are not moved easily. The elastics is in flux with the wood pieces on the sides. The elastic has endings that need to be tied somehow or to something. Recessing the material into the wood could be used with other ways of combining the pieces.
PACKING THREAD THROUGH THE WOOD A different way to combine the material with the pieces. It is difficult to produce, not possible with laser cutter and the wood is weakened by the hole. It could be possible to hide the thread from one side.
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PACKING THREAD AROUND THE WOOD Sits tightly together. The way it is tied is important, packing thread looks cheap.
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THICK TEXTILE ELASTICS The pieces sits tightly together, nice contrast with the black and the light wood. It has an end and needs to be tied somehow.
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USING THE WOOD ITSELF Only using one material, the pieces keep tightly together, it is possible to take off. The piece is large, and is too easy to take off. Exploration 1 | 71
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TASK 2 The second task was to use the pieces and combine them in ways so they would create some kind of joineries. The pieces they could play with had different angles, lengths and dimensions. Two groups tried to create movement with the joineries. The way the layers are combined created a strong graphic expression, especially when it was laser cut. There was one example of joineries made without any additional material, but they became very weak compared to the others.
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SLIDING TOGETHER Joins together by sliding the pieces into place. This makes it possible to easily change the angle and the joinery. Can be dismantled (too) easily. By adding something on the end of the sliding part, they would be locked together.
MOVEMENT #1 Using the way the pieces are joined together to create movement. When the pieces are put into opened position, they can resist downwards forces. Unstable constructions.
MOVEMENT #2 Same kind of movement as #2, but thinner pieces. Thinner, longer, and combined slightly differently makes this one a bit more unstable.
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SEWING TOGETHER Using the rope to create shapes and joineries. The rope will always have an end and that has to be tied somehow. The way the rope ties the pieces together also determines how stable they are together.
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SEWING TO CREATE MOVEMENT Gives flexibility to some movement. Moves far away from the original joineries.
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TWO PIECES OF WOOD Do not use any additional materials, it is easy to assemble and dismantle, it combines pieces perpendicular to the planes, allows all angles. The pieces are not locked together, and fall apart easily. There could be ways to make them lock together.
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GRAPHIC EXPRESSIONS The way the pieces meet create contrasting lines and expression. Not including the materials that will join the pieces. They affect the expression as well.
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TASK 3 The last task was for each group to create one product using the wooden pieces and the materials. The material that is used to combine the joineries have a great impact on the overall expression. A recurring idea was to allow people to build and create the things they needed themselves. What I particularly liked about the table top was that it only used two materials, wooden beams and the twine to create surfaces.
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A BOWL The wooden pieces are joined on the long edge instead of the short to create surfaces. How these will be joined is not considered.
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TABLE LEGS Using the angles and the weight of the tables to create the table legs. How it will be joined together is not considered.
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A TABLE WITH TWINE By using the material that combines the wood pieces, the group created a table top surface. The combination of twine and the way it is randomly put together creates a very tribal feeling. This technique could be more suited to be used as a chair or other products that need a soft side. Exploration 1 | 75
WORKSHOP SUMMARY From the workshop with the creative students, I got a lot of inspiration and great ideas to work with. When I planned the workshop, I had several ideas and I imagined how they would solve the different tasks. I bought materials based on some of my own early ideas, but I was excited to see that they solved many of the tasks differently from what I expected.
In the second task there was a focus on movement. Traditionally, you find movement in the Japanese sliding doors but that the joineries themselves move is not so common. This gave me the idea of collapsible joineries.
Some of the most interesting findings were that the material really affected the overall expression. Poplar and pink elastic were fresh and playful, poplar and white rope were elegant and light, while poplar and twine were rough and natural. The patterns the pieces created when put together were high in contrast and had a vector graphic feel to them.
I have not decided where the joineries will be used. With the third task I wanted to see where others saw potential and where the advantage of the joineries would shine. I was hoping that by keeping the task open, a genius idea of where to use them would appear. All the groups made a suggestions to furnitures and interiors. One recurring idea was to create a set of pieces that people could build their own furnitures with.
Prior to the workshop I wanted to try to use sewing as a technique to combine the layers and to create joineries. I was really satisfied to see that the participants tried this in different variations, and not just following a straight line.
By having a workshop I got to test out different ideas quickly and efficiently. I got a lot of new ideas and I still had some old ones that had not been tried out yet. I still needed to further explore the three tasks from the workshop.
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RE-WORKSHOP From the creative workshop with the students from AHO I got a lot of good ideas and inspiration to how my three tasks could be solved. The downsides were that the participants had limited time, and many of the ideas I had from before and that I got while looking at the participants work, remained untested.
I therefore decided to re-do the workshop, but this time it would be only with myself. I would answer the same tasks as the workshop participants, but I gave myself more time and allowed myself to create as many suggestion to the tasks as I could think of. I limited the materials to the thick textile elastic, rope, elastic bands, neon elastic and tensioning straps.
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REDO TASK 1 I started the first task by selecting some materials I wanted to test out. From the previous workshop I saw that the elastic materials were good at combining the layers tightly, so I wanted to further explore these.The pink elastics and the rope I continued to work with because of its pleasing aesthetics and the tensioning strap because I was curious of how it could be used. The tension strap had not been used previously.
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RECESSED SIDES The pieces are semi locked in position, the elastics are easy to apply, the elastics do not stick out. Only on the edge of the beam.
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TWO HOLES Interesting pattern, keeps the layers really tightly in place, not too difficult to apply. Only on the edge of the beam, how easy it is to apply depends on the hole dimensions Can be combined with recessing the elastics.
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PATTERNED ELASTICS Using elastics to create a pattern, sits tightly over a larger area. The pattern takes a lot of attention, the elastic wants to move out of its place.
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RECESSED TOP AND BOTTOM The pieces are semi locked in position, the elastics are easy to apply, the elastics do not stick out. Only on the edge of the beam, can not be made with laser cutter.
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HOLES AND RECESSED The pieces sit really closely together, they are locked in place and the elastic do not stick out. Difficult to apply, only on the edge of the beam. How easy it is to apply depends on the hole dimensions.
The material I found most interesting was the circular elastic bands. This was because they could be used in several different ways and they kept the layers tightly together. The problems with them were that the elastics I worked with broke easily and since they are circular they are most convenient to use on the edges of the wooden pieces.
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TENSIONING STRAP Easy to handle, can be placed anywhere on the beam, a really strong look. Takes a lot of attention
BRAIDED ROPE Aesthetically pleasing Do not sit tightly together.
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RECESSED HAIR BANDS Do not break easily, comfortable to apply, aesthetically pleasing and strong contrast to the wood. It is thick and can only be applied on the edge of the beam. lot of space, difficult to get really tightly together. There exists smaller tensioning straps and they would look differently and probably be easier to use.
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THICK RECESSED ELASTIC Adds width to the beam, can be applied anywhere. The end needs to be tied together somehow, do not sit tightly together
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JOINING SIDEWAYS Adds width to the beams, connected on the long side of the beam. Difficult to apply, the end needs to be tied somehow.
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REDO TASK 2 During the second task, I had three ideas to create joineries with layers that I wanted to test out. The first was if the joineries could be sewn together, the second was if I could use the angles to create joineries and the third was to insert a Japanese joinery in the middle of the layers.
1/3 SEWING JOINERIES TOGETHER Using a long material to sew the pieces together. It is a new way of combining wood, it creates a really interesting expression especially with the strong color. It is difficult to assemble and dismantle, the ends of the materials need to be tied somehow. Assembling and disassembling was one of the advantages of the traditional Japanese joineries I wanted to maintain. This way of joining did not maintain those advantages, but they do have new ones with the expression and the statement. I would not continue working with these in this project, but I do feel they deserve further explorations.
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2/3 CREATING JOINERIES WITH ANGLES The joineries are created from the angles by the way the layers are combined. It is possible to create the desired angles and joineries by combining the layers differently, it is possible to combine the same joineries and create different angles. The joineries are not locked together, and the construction falls apart easily.
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ADDING LENGTH Combining three 30째 cut layers to add length to a beam.
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THREE WAY JOINERY By placing the layers differently, it is possible to create a three way joinery.
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90째 MEETING Combining the layers with different angles that add up to 90째 to create a 90째 meeting.
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3/3 JOINERY IN THE MIDDLE By hiding an ari joinery in the middle layer, the pieces were locked tightly together. It used the advantages of the elastic to easily assemble and dismantle the joineries, while it maintained the advantages of the traditional joineries as well. The elastic broke easily and needed to maintain its elasticity over a longer period of time. The current elastics were not suited.
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THE JOINERIES The two types that were made with the joinery in the middle.
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ARI BOW A bow-shaped ari placed in the middle.
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ARI JOINERY An ari joinery placed in the middle.
SUMMARY TASK 2 Of the three ways of joining, I would continue working with the joinery in the middle. This was because it maintained some elements and advantages from the traditional joineries, it used the advantages of the qualities in the elastic and I felt it contributed with something new to the old joinery technique. The main challenges of this technique was working with the angles, materials and dimensions.
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REDO TASK 3
SUMMARY RE-WORKSHOP
The last task was to create a product using the laser cut pieces. I decided to try and make a chair. This was not because my final delivery would be a chair, but because I wanted to see what challenges I would meet and how they could be resolved.
By re-doing the workshop with my self I managed to decide on directions to continue working with the technique. Having a workshop with others first helped me obtain a lot of inspiration to my own workshop afterwards.
From the chair-making I became aware of some issues. The technique would need to combine more than two pieces at a time and I had no suggestions for joineries that would work perpendicular to the laser cut plane. The dimension would vary from what product I would make, but for a chair or other similar furnitures it was the 18mm thickness that worked the best.
The areas within the technique I would continue working with were the circular elastic bands and the mid layered joinery. From the chair-making I became aware of problems the technique I was working on was facing. These problems needed to be addressed and solved.
When making the chair, I also realized somethings about the diploma. The technique I was working on was very flexible. Restricting the technique to some products may be to limit its potential. And in regards of the diploma I started to realize that I was working on the technique rather than a product, and that the product for my final delivery would be an example of how the technique could be used.
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CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT When trying to create a chair during the re-workshop, I realized that the middle joinery I wanted to continue working with had some issues. I did for example not have any suggestions to perpendicular meetings. I quickly tried to continue working with chairs to see what challenges and forces I could meet, and how they would work with the layers.
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SKETCHING AND MOCKUPS I started with making some sketches and making some small scale paper prototypes of chairs. I tried to use as few elements as possible and see if the bicycle tires could be used for more than just the elastics.
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CHALLENGES By sketching and creating mock ups for chairs, I got an overview of the challenges facing the joineries. I did not have any suggestions for how the joineries would meet perpendicularly, or how multiple planar meetings would be solved with the current joinery in the middle. When working with a chair I also realized that the construction of the object would affect the strength of the joineries. More diagonal meetings created stronger constructions.
End perpendicular meeting 3-way meeting Mid perpendicular meeting 3-way + perpendicular meeting 2-way meeting
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OVERVIEW OF CHALLENGES • • • •
Perpendicular meetings Multiple planar meetings Combination perpendicular and planar meetings Construction strength
PERPENDICULAR MEETINGS:
PLANAR MEETINGS:
End perpendicular
cross meeting
2-way end + perpendicular
2-way end meeting
3-way + perpendicular
3-way end meeting
2-way mid meeting
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Exploration 1
SUMMARY I started the first exploration wondering if production methods would open for new possibilities within the joinery technique. I discovered that laser cut joineries needed to be created in layers and that layered joineries opened for new opportunities regarding the materials and the technique. I had one workshop with creative students and re-did the workshop alone to explore how these layers could further develop the joinery technique. The result was joineries that were placed in a mid layer and locked together with circular elastics. By trying to create an object with the premisses of the mid layered joinery in mind, I got an overview of the challenges the technique was facing at this point.
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Exploration 2 STARTING POINT MATERIALS TECHNIQUE PRODUCTION METHODS CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT SUMMARY
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Exploration 2
STARTING POINT My starting point for the second exploration was based on the findings from the first. The technique I was working with was based on the possibilities of the laser cutter and the flexible abilities of elastics. By sketching on a chair, I was able to get an overview of the challenges I faced with the current technique. During the second exploration phase I focused on addressing these issues, detailing the technique and further looking into possible concepts. My first focus was looking into different types of elastics.
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MATERIALS I started with testing different kinds of circular elastics. From the earlier explorations, circular elastics were the material that was best suited for joining the layers together in a tight and manageable way. I continued working with circular elastics, and tested three types that I tried working with. The three types of elastics were elastic bands, hair bands and bicycle tubes cut into circular elastics.
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ELASTIC BANDS Flexible, variety of sizes and colors. They break easily, loose elasticity over time and do not look good.
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HAIR BANDS Variety of dimensions and colors, possible to change the expression of the joinery by changing the band. Not durable, get easily broken, the textile gets easily torn up, loses elasticity over time.
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BICYCLE TUBES Bicycle tubes are usually made of two materials. They are butyl rubber or latex. Some general advantages of the bicycle tubes are: They can be cut into different dimension, they come in different colors, they are cheap or free, highly durable, old tubes are thrown away and can be reused, longer pieces can create seating areas etc.
I continued working with the bicycle tubes in butyl rubber. When collecting old tubes from the local sports store, I learned that it is too difficult and expensive for the shops to recycle them so they are thrown away. At Anton Sport, Ila, they estimated to throw away 40 tubes a week. In addition to the environmental aspect of reusing, the tubes are also the best suited material compared to the other materials I looked at.
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BUTYL RUBBER Inexpensive. Relatively inelastic. The thickness of the cut will affect the elasticity. LATEX Highly elastic, do not lose its elasticity over time. More expensive, vulnerable to UV. Exploration 2 | 101
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TECHNIQUE From the first exploration I was made aware of several challenges regarding the mid layered technique. I needed to find a way to use the layers to create perpendicular meetings, what angles were possible and how many meetings the planar meetings could support, the position of the bow in the technique and the specify the dimensions of the bow.
ATTACHING THE ELASTICS Looking at different ways of attaching the elastics to combine the layers. I continued working with the one that uses the bow in the middle (#9). This was because it used the elements I already had, it kept the layers tightly together and it was easy to put together and take apart.
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HOLES AND STICKS Difficult to put together.
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STICK THROUGH HOLE The stick needs to stick out quite a lot to work. Not really keeping pieces so tightly together.
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STICK OUTSIDE HOLE Easy to put together. The sticks has to stick really far out to work.
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ELASTICS AND ROPE A bit tricky to thread the elastic through the hole, introducing a new element with the rope.
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BEAM WITH WING Easy to put together A lot of extra material waste if the beams can not lie completely next to each other.
TIED ELASTICS Easy to put together Difficult to take a part.
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BEAM WITH TWO WINGS Easy to put together Not necessary with two wings,
TIED AND HOLES Difficult to thread the elastic through the hole, difficult to take a part.
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BOW IN MIDDLE Using the same elements as the joining pieces, possible to add or remove as you like, easy to put together. Exploration 2 | 103
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PERPENDICULAR MEETINGS I needed to be able to create joineries that were perpendicular in addition to the mid layered joineries I already had. I tried using the elements that I already had, the elastics and the bow, but it was very challenging. The one that I was most satisfied with was the one that locked the layers (#4). It really used the layers to create the joinery and it locked the layers into position. This joinery could not be placed anywhere else on the beam than on the edge. having this alone could be a problem, and I did therefore not discard the joineries with the adopted slots completely. Keeping one of them and use them as support where necessary could be an option.
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LAYER COMBINATIONS The combination of layers create room for perpendicular joineries. Possible to create your own desired joineries, not only 90°. They do not keep well together, need something extra to keep them in place. Elastics could have been implemented here to keep them in place.
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LOCKED LAYERS Each layer keeps the other layers locked in position and they are all kept together with elastics. Keep really tightly together, using the layers to keep everything in place. Can only be on the edge of the beam, only 90° to each other.
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ADAPTED SLOTS Different sized slots that fits the ends of the perpendicular beam. The ones with bigger slots and more space for the end beam fitted the best, they were easy to put together, could be almost anywhere on the beam, the end beam can be rotated if the slot is rotated. The ones that are small and only has room in one layer are unstable.
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ANGLES I sketched up different possible angles to get an overview of what kinds and how many meetings would be possible. It would not be necessary to have all angles, but 15° - 90° should be sufficient. Some of the meetings might not even need to use the bow either, for example the cross meeting. What kinds of meetings that were possible also dependent on the bow dimensions and how much space it took.
SAME VERTICAL POSITION 5°
10°
15°
20°
25°
30°
35°
40°
LOWEST MEETING POINT
MIDDLE MEETING POINT
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180°
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VARIATIONS OF 3-WAY MEETINGS
2-WAY MEETINGS AND BOW POSITIONS 15°
30°
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90°
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60°
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2-WAY MEETINGS AND BOW DIMENSIONS
30°
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60°
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THE BOW The bow was based on the traditional ari joint, also known as the dovetail joint. I tried three typical angles for the dovetail joint. The first is 75° which is the same as they use on the milling tools, the second is 1:6 of the width and usually used on softwood and the third is 1:8 of the width and best suited for hard woods.
SMALL BOW
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MEDIUM BOW
1/3 1/2
I tried creating some variations of these in relation to the beam size. I laser cut these variations and tried using them to combine the pieces. The aim of the test was to find out where the bows should be placed and if the bows were strong enough to withstand the pressure when used as a joint. The biggest problem with this test was that I underestimated the cutting width of the laser cutter. There was a lot of space between the joineries. From the testing, I was able to eliminate the 75°. The waist of the bow became too narrow and broke easily. I could also eliminate the smallest size as it became too unmanageable and fragile. The ones that were best suited were the medium bow and large bow with 1:6 and 1:8 angles.
75° 1:6 1:8
LARGE BOW
1/2
75° 1/2
1:6 1:8
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75% BOW The waist becomes too narrow and breaks easily, when the bow is too small for the beam the space between is very large.
1:6 BOW Seemingly durable. Difficult to estimate as the laser cut burned away a lot of the material.
1:8 BOW Seemingly durable. Difficult to estimate as the laser cut burned away a lot of the material.
ELASTICS WITH BOW Testing how the elastics will sit with the different bow sizes.
SMALL BOW The elastic gets a good grip, leaves enough material to make beam durable, the bow is not sticking out too much. The bow is a bit unmanageable and their waists are too narrow and break easily.
MEDIUM BOW It is easy to attach the elastics around the bow, it gets a good grip and the bow doesn’t stick out too much. It also feels robust. It is still a bit small, but much more manageable than the small bow.
LARGE BOW It is easy to attach the elastics around the bow, it gets a good grip, it is robust and the size is very manageable. It is quite big, sticks out a great deal, but its not so visible when the elastics are attached. Exploration 2 | 109
110
THE BOW POSITION The bow had two main functions. The first was to join two pieces together and the second was to combine the layers tightly. When it was used to combine the layers together, I was worried that it would stick out too much and I made a test to address the questions below. The bows that I tested were the smallest bow with 75째 sides. I made different versions of this bow where the end of the bow was cut off at different lengths. From this test I realized that the bow and the position that worked best for combining the layers was the same bow and position used when joining. Another advantage of using the same bow was that there would be less variation in the pieces.
QUESTIONS 1. Should the bow used for combining the layers have a different shape than the other bows to make it stick less out ?
1. By making it smaller, the elastics barely had any material to hold on to. The ones that worked the best were the ones that stuck out the most.
2. Should the bow be placed further in so it sticks less out?
2. By placing it further in, the elastics did not have anything to hold on to. Placing the waist of the bow at the edge worked best.
3. How far does it need to stick out for the elastics to get a hold ?
3. The ones that the elastic got the best grip of were the ones that stuck out more than 4mm.
4. Should it have two bows ?
4. Using two bows and two elastics only resulted in more material and making the layers sit less tightly together. Exploration 2 | 111
PRODUCTION METHODS The laser cutter burned away a lot of the material. I took a test to see how much it actually took away when cutting acrylic and solid wood of ash. I made squares and hexagons of 20mm and 10mm heights. The materials I tried were acrylic and wood of 8mm thickness. The laser was shaped as an ellipse, and the vertical cut and horizontal cut would therefore not be the same. The laser cutter needed different speed and heat to cut different materials. The wood almost lost 0.10 mm more than what the acrylic lost. It was difficult to measure the differences, and I was made aware that the laser cutter never cuts 100% vertically. It focuses at the top of the material surface, and cuts at an angle further down. This means that thicker materials will have a greater difference.
Lens Material Cut
112
Exploration 2 | 113
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT With the mid layered joineries that was adapted for the laser cutter I maintained some of the advantages of the traditional joineries and also added some new ones. I wanted to use these advantages when creating a concept.
TRADITIONAL ADVANTAGES
ADDITIONAL ADVANTAGES
• Reusable • Mountable and dismountable • Replaceable
LOCKING The technique is usually used in architecture. Since the joineries are placed on top of each other and mainly face gravitational forces, it has not been necessary to lock the joineries from all angles. By using the elastics and the layers, the joineries are completely locked, and can be used in other areas than house building. DIGITALIZATION The laser cutter needs digital files. The files can be shared easily. GLOBALIZATION Digital files means that the files can be sent anywhere to anyone in the world. LOCALIZATION The designs can be produced locally, minimizing transportation emissions and supporting local production and using local materials.
114
DIRECTIONS
Digitalizing files raised questions of the user’s involvement as a designer. How much should the user affect the design ? I looked at three existing examples that present three directions to answer this question.
CLOSED Droog’s Design for Download is an example of digital design where the user is not allowed to make changes to the original designs. Even if the system has changed, the designer, consumer and producer maintain their traditional roles. The design is closed.
SEMI-OPEN Patch by Beza sells elements to join pieces together. The smaller “band aids” carries the brand. The user determines the design of the objects. The design is semi-open.
OPEN-SOURCE The files for the Layer Chair by Jens Dyvik is open for anyone to produce and download. With Grasshopper in Rhino, Dyvik has even facilitated for people to make changes to the chair as they prefer. This is an example of an open source direction where the users can affect the design the way they want. See appendix “Meeting Jens Dyvik”
Exploration 2 | 115
MY DIRECTION
My “product� was the layered joinery technique that I had worked with. I had not focused on where this would be used. I did not want to put restriction to how this could be used either, and I therefore saw potential in taking it in the direction of open source. Putting restrictions to materials and production methods would be contradictory to what open-source is. Materials and production methods were factors I would not be able to control. Looking back on the findings from my research, the combination of open source and layered joineries maintain some of the sustainable values from the edo period. It supports local production and materials, and makes the design short traveled. It also facilitate for people repairing their own pieces and making object last longer as they can be adapted to different uses.
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Exploration 2 | 117
Exploration 2
SUMMARY From the second explorative phase I tested elastics and ended up with reusing old bike tubes as they were flexible and durable. For further developing the technique, I discovered two types of perpendicular meetings, I got an overview of what angles would be possible with the technique and the dimensions of the bow in relation to the beam width. When looking into the concept development I decided to make the technique open source. This involves the technique being stored digitally and open for anyone to use. The objects that I would create would be examples of this concept and how the technique could be used with the facilities at AHO.
118
Exploration 2 | 119
Exploration 3 STARTING POINT PRODUCTION METHODS MATERIALS TECHNIQUE CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT SUMMARY
123 124 126 129 134 148
Exploration 3
STARTING POINT After the second iteration I had defined the technique further. I had decided on two types of perpendicular joineries in addition to the joinery with the bow. I had decided that the technique would be open source, which meant that I would not be able to put restriction on any of the materials or the production methods. During the last explorative phase, I needed to adapt the technique for other production methods in addition to laser cutting, to finalize the details of the technique and to create examples of objects that could be made with the technique.
Exploration 3 | 123
PRODUCTION METHODS Now that the technique would be open source, I would not be able to control what kinds of materials and production methods that could be used to create it. I would create example objects of how the technique could be used with the laser cutter. I went over two other possible production methods that also were suitable for the technique, and iterated the technique to fit these production methods as well. To make the technique possible with milling, water jetting and laser cutting, the ingoing corners needed to be minimum 5mm.
MILLING
WATER JET CUTTING
The layer chair is created with the milling machine. There are different types of milling machines, but some of them are best at milling outlines. This is almost the same way as the laser cutter works, and vector files can be used as cutting files. For materials such as wood, the milling is best suited and leaves a smooth finish. It is not possible with in-going corners and the minimum diameter possible here was 5mm.
Water jet also works like the laser cutter but it uses water and sand instead of laser to cut through the material. Since it is not using heat, it is more flexible when it comes to materials than what the laser cutter is. It does not emit toxic gases from burned materials, and is generally more precise than what the laser cutter is. It is not recommended to cut wood, as the wood would swell and it leaves a rough cut. Impregnating the wood with beeswax could be a solution. I was in contact with WaterJet Drammen, their machines cut through most materials and the cutting thickness was 0.8mm. They had however settings on their machines that could compensate for this.
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Needed a distance of minimum 0.8mm to work with water jet cutter, and 5mm with the milling machine.
Needed a diameter of minimum 5mm to be adapted to the milling machine.
Out-going corners were no problem with milling.
Exploration 3 | 125
MATERIALS By opening up for other production methods than laser cutting, I also open up for other materials. I would not be able to control what materials others would use as it would depend on the materials they have available. The elements that could have different materials were the outer layer, the mid layer, the bow and the elastics. In Norway we have a lot of ash. This is the wood that is well suited to create joineries. In America, they have hickory. This is another type of wood with similar abilities as ash. By allowing different types of wood and materials, the technique support local materials. Objects created with the technique will also look different from place to place, giving objects a nationality. Looking back on the Japan trip, this way of making objects is similar to the way the Japanese made houses and their local materials.
126
Another material I would not be able to control was the elastics. The elastic controls the expression of the joineries quite a lot, and even if old bike tubes are environmental friendly, people should be able to chose themselves. For the example structures, I used materials that I had accessible here and that could be used with the laser cutter. I tried working with some different materials to see what abilities they gave, but ended up with ash and acrylics. The ash because it is well suited to create joineries, and the acrylic because of its transparent abilities. The thickest acrylic plates I had available was 8mm, which is also the thickest dimension possible when cutting wood with the laser cutter.
Outer layer
Mid layer
Bow
Exploration 3 | 127
128
TECHNIQUE I iterated the technique to fit for different production methods. The methods that needed the most adaptation was lasercutting and milling. The aim was that lasercut joineries and milled joineries would fit together.
ADJUSTMENT
LASER CUTTING
MILLING
I started adjusting the technique for fitting the laser cutter. Since the laser cuts differently from left to right and from top to bottom I also made some tilted variations of the bow and the mid layer.
I then tried creating the joineries with the milling machine. The milling machine required radius of minimum 2.5 mm. Sharp ingoing corners would not work. I therefore decided to adapt the bow to work for milling machine as well as laser cutting by adding radius of 2.5mm.
The pieces that suited best together was 0.15 mm outline. They also needed to be flipped once, to fit perfectly. This was because the laser cutter never cuts completely vertically.
Exploration 3 | 129
MILLING Test to create outlined milled joineries. They needed bridges that keep the materials together during milling.
130
LASER Creating laser cut joineries which were adjusted for milling with different outlines.
Exploration 3 | 131
THE DRAWINGS 1:1
I had to make new drawings for the joineries that were adapted for the production methods and the thickness of the materials. Since the material was 8mm thick, and I had three layers on top of each other I made the width to 24mm.
1/4
1/3 LEFT SIDE
132
RIGHT SIDE
LEFT SIDE Mid
Inner
Inner
Mid
Outer
LASER
MILLING
Outer
RIGHT SIDE
Exploration 3 | 133
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT I needed to create examples of how the technique could be used. The design of the objects should not look like finished products, but rather give room for inspiration to how they could be used. I wanted to create abstract structures that could be adapted with the joineries and used in different ways. I wanted to use as few different elements as possible, but tried to experiment with different materials to see if they would give me ideas. To create abstract structures, I used sketching, 3D-drawing, made small scale mock- ups and real sized mock-ups. I also looked at traditional Japanese objects to get inspiration.
INSPIRATIONAL IMAGES
To get some inspiration to objects, I looked at some traditional elements from Japan. 1
2
5
6
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Shoji and Tatami: paper sliding walls and straw floor. – 4 Variations of vases used for Ikebana, Japanese flower arrangements. A Japanese room with tatami and shoji. A rack for kimonos, traditional Japanese costume.
1
2
6
3
5
4
Exploration 3 | 135
EARLY CONCEPTS
Trying different ideas, and focusing on using few materials and reusing the same pieces to create different things.
SURFACES Creating surfaces with different materials.
136
MOCK UPS Creating different variations of same shape
REUSING Reusing the same pieces to create other structures.
Exploration 3 | 137
FINAL CONCEPT The final concept is based on triangular shapes. I chose this because the triangle is a strong construction. I used this shape and created three variations of it by reusing some of the same pieces. I was inspired by products from traditional Japan, but I did not want them to be solely restricted to their functions by giving them names. They are therefore simply called structure 1, 2 and 3.
138
STRUCTURE 1 It was inspired by traditional ikebana vases. The ikebana vase functions more as a stand for the flower arrangement, rather than providing the flowers with water.
STRUCTURE 2 By replacing one of the arms structure 1, I made structure 2. The second structure is a medium sized rack.
STRUCTURE 3 The third structure keeps the longest pieces of structure 2, and adds other pieces to create a larger rack. This was inspired by the Japanese kimono stand and room dividers.
Exploration 3 | 139
PRODUCTION
140
RK 2D-DRAWING
MATERIALS
LASER-CUTTING
Applying the final joineries to the shapes and dimensions that had been drawn. This was done in illustrator. The files were then ready to be produced in the laser cutter.
Choosing and preparing materials that would be used for cutting. I wanted to show a variation of materials, and worked with acrylic and ash.
Using the laser cutter to make the pieces.
Exploration 3 | 141
THE PIECES
STRUCTURE 1
142
STRUCTURE 2
STRUCTURE 3 Exploration 3 | 143
CHALLENGES After the pieces were cut and ready for assembling I met some challenges. The first was issues regarding the laser cutter and the second was issues regarding the material.
LASERCUTTER
MATERIAL
I had earlier tried to find out how much the laser cutter burned away in material when cutting. When putting the pieces together, the bows did not fit. This was mainly due to two factor when laser cutting. The first was the settings of the laser cutter, different people used different settings and the same settings would not always work. Secondly, the laser cutter cuts unevenly depending on where it is on the board.
Working with wood was a second challenge. The material had to be planed down to the right dimensions. During the small test I had made previously this was no problem. Working with larger and longer dimensions was more challenging. It was difficult to get the same thickness everywhere, and when put in the laser cutter the wood moved and would never lay completely straight down on the laser cutter board. This resulted in uneven cuts.
I had luckily made a collection of different bows cut with different outlines, but I could not find one bow that worked everywhere. I therefore had to make different bows for each joint.
144
To compensate for the material thickness, I could place a thin material between the layers. The problem with the wood was mainly on structure 3, and I used cardboard to keep the joineries tightly together and compensate for the differences.
PERSONALIZING I had several variables that could be changed to create more room for personalization. Nothing was glued together, and all the parts were independent elements. By using colored paper, colored elastics and variating the materials on the bow and the layers, the joineries could be personalized and adapted for different people and uses.
Exploration 3 | 145
Elastics
146
Bow
Layered material
Interlayer (optional)
Exploration 3 | 147
Exploration 3
SUMMARY During the last explorative phase, I adapted the technique for milling machine and water jet in addition to laser cutting. I finalized the details of the layered technique and tried to optimize the pieces for the laser cutter at AHO. I decided on creating three structures inspired by Japanese products that would exemplify the technique.
148
Exploration 3 | 149
RESULT INTRODUCTION THE FINAL JOINERIES STRUCTURES DETAILS BUILDING USES
153 154 158 170 172 174
Result
INTRODUCTION In my project I wanted to explore the potential of Japanese joineries from my perspective. I wanted to see how modern production methods and new materials could give suggestions for further evolvement. By making the technique digital and optimized for low scale production methods such as laser cutting, the technique was no longer reserved skilled carpenters, but available for anyone with a computer anywhere in the world. The pieces were combined using elastics, which made them easy to assemble and dismantle, facilitated for reusing pieces and replacing broken parts, and created room for personalization. I made three examples of structures of how the technique could be used and produced in different materials using the laser cutter.
Result | 153
THE FINAL JOINERIES The drawings of the final joineries. The planar joineries fit both laser cutting and milling, while for the perpendicular joineries I created two types. The two types can work together which means that pieces made with laser cutting can be combined with pieces made with the laser cutter. These drawings can be used in vector programs such as illustrator.
MEETINGS Outer layer
Mid layer
Outer layer
Mid layer
Outer layer
MOUNTS Outer layer
BOW
154
Cutting Guidelines
Outer layer
Mid layer
Outer layer
45%
PLANAR
30%
15%
0%
Result | 155
PERPENDICULAR Cutting Guidelines
LASER CUTTING
Outer layer
Mid layer
Inner layer
Outer layer
Mid layer
Outer layer
156
Inner layer
Mid layer
Outer layer
MILLING
Outer layer
Mid layer
Inner layer
Outer layer
Mid layer
Outer layer
Inner layer
Mid layer
Outer layer
Result | 157
STRUCTURES
STRUCTURE 1
Material combination of wood and acrylic. In this example the structure is used as a vase. 158
Result | 159
STRUCTURE 2
Made of acrylic plates and wooden bows. This example illustrates how it could be used as a paper holder. 160
Result | 161
STRUCTURE 3
Made of ash and bike tubes. This structure is an example of a clothing hanger inspired by kimono racks. 162
Result | 163
164
Result | 165
166
Result | 167
168
Result | 169
DETAILS
170
Result | 171
BUILDING Joining the pieces together to create structure 1.
172
Result | 173
USES Examples of how structure 1 could be used and adjusted to become different objects.
174
Result | 175
176
Result | 177
Reflections INTRODUCTION THE RESULT THE PROCESS
181 182 184
REFLECTIONS
INTRODUCTION I divided my reflections into two parts. The first part covers reflections directly regarding the result - the technique and the structures. The second covers reflections regarding the project as a whole and in relation to the goals I set in the beginning.
Reflections | 181
THE RESULT I have developed the technique in one of multiple possible directions. The evolvement of the technique is a constant process, and the technique I have worked with could still be improved. Many of the issues that I met were regarding the laser cutter used, the materials that I chose and the stability of the constructions. My results were also lead by the machines and materials I had access to.
LASER CUTTER
MATERIALS
Creating joineries that fit perfectly is challenging with a laser cutter. Firstly, the laser cutter that was used is shaped elliptically which gives it different cutting widths depending on the direction it cuts. Secondly, it never cuts 100% vertically, but always at a slight angle. The angle becomes more visible with thicker materials. Adjusting the speed and power of the laser cutter affected the cutting result. Where it is placed on the cutting board can also affect the end result, as some places may be slightly closer to the laser than others. It is important to know the machine and take these issues into consideration when designing for the laser cutter.
Not all materials work well with a laser cutter. I chose to work with ash timber because it was a material that was recommended when creating joineries, but it is not a material that is recommended when using a laser cutter. I needed extreme precision to make everything fit perfectly together, but the wood is a living material that is in constant movement. This became apparent when creating larger pieces. It was difficult to plane the material to the exact dimensions and when cutting, the material would not lie completely flat in the laser cutter. Another issue with wood is that it has different degrees of hardness from the growth rings. The laser cutter cuts at one power level, but it needs different levels of power to suit different degrees of hardness. These factors resulted in uneven cuts.
182
STABILITY
FURTHER DEVELOPMENT
The stability of the example structures vary depending on size. Nothing is glued together, and the elastics holding the joints in place are flexible materials. Even with much more precisely cut pieces, there will still be some movement in constructions made with the technique. The two main factors that would make the construction more stable would be to add more diagonals and to give the longer pieces, such as in structure 3, additional support. The joineries I made were quite small, but increasing the dimensions would reduce the influence of the cutting precision.
The technique could be better adapted to the laser cutter. There are ways to make the laser cut on the outside of the cutting lines as opposed to following the middle of the lines, resulting in more precise results. I did not have access to this software, which is commonly used by industrial laser cutters. It would also be interesting to have tried other production methods to see what challenges they offer and how the expression changes. Another step would be to look further into other dimensions and see how that would affect the stability and use of the technique.
Reflections | 183
THE PROCESS I had a set of goals in the beginning of the project. I wanted to learn more about the joinery technique, I wanted to gain insight into the related Japanese cultural traditions, I wanted to learn more about the explorative approaches, I wanted to create new ideas and forms of expression, and finally I wanted to discover something undiscovered within the joinery technique. Have I been able to achieve my goals?
LEARNING ABOUT JOINERIES By using an explorative approach, testing and creating my own joineries, I learned a lot about how things around us are joined. I also learned that the materials and the production methods affect how the technique works and can be used.
GAINING INSIGHTS Before this project I possessed limited knowledge of the Japanese culture and traditions surrounding the joinery technique. By looking into these aspects I gained insight into two areas in addition to the joinery technique. The first was the field of Japanese aesthetics. It was much more extensive than I presumed, and it pervaded all aspects of Japanese culture. The second was the cultural values of the Edo period. I was not aware about the sustainable values prevalent in Japanese society at the time. Appreciating the simple and taking just enough, is a form of beauty in itself.
184
THE EXPLORATIVE APPROACH
DISCOVERIES
I wanted to experience an explorative approach and learn how it worked. The explorative approach gave me time to test and not be critical to early ideas. It was very liberating and inspiring to work with this approach, but at the same time challenging not to have a specific problem formulation. The explorative approach could easily have ended up with a lot of ideas and tests. Going from the mindset of just exploring to actually creating concepts of the findings was challenging. I was glad that I had decided in the beginning to create at least one object of the findings from the explorations. This gave me deadlines and something specific to navigate towards.
My main discovery within the joinery technique was that of layered joineries, but during the whole project my most important discovery was on more of a personal level. I tried to approach this task functionally and pragmatically, but even so I made subconscious decisions based on aesthetics. During the project I realized that aesthetics are an important part of me as a person and as a designer, they influences my work and inspire me. This interest most likely comes from my parents who are both artists. During the project I discovered a new side of myself as a designer.
LOOKING BACK CREATING NEW EXPRESSIONS The combination of the traditional joinery technique and aesthetic values with modern production methods further developed the expression of the traditional joineries. The material combination and the burned edges of the example structures have a MakerBot aesthetic look and feel to them. They are very maximalist in contrast to the Japanese aesthetical views. What the Japanese believe in and what they practice can however be complete opposites. The city landscape in Japan is chaotic and goes against their traditional aesthetical values, so in a way maximalism is found in Japan as well. The burned edges also have some values from Wabi Sabi, where the traces of production are maintained and appreciated. The new expression I created was a combination of simple shapes with a MakerBot aesthetic.
Looking back, I wish my focus had been more specific and that I had made decisions earlier. When I started looking into production methods, I did not think that production methods would determine the direction of my diploma to the extent that they have. I am however glad that they did as this led me to the open source design world and a greater understanding of the small-scale production methods we have access to. Small-scale production methods are becoming more accessible, and if this is the future, the way we think of services and products must change. From a sustainable perspective, if people create their own objects maybe they are also better at maintaining them and repairing them. Other directions I would have liked to look further into are how small-scale production methods could facilitate a more sustainable everyday, and how to combine the values from Wabi Sabi with modern production methods.
Reflections | 185
References
LITERATURE
Brown, A. (2012) Just Enough: Lessons in Living Green from Traditional Japan. Sydney: Tuttle Publishing. Brown, A. (2010) Bent by the sun, changeobserver.designobserver.com [internet] 03.29.10. Available at http:// changeobserver.designobserver.com/feature/bent-by-the-sun/12958/ [accessed 06.10.13] Koren, L. (2003) Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers, www.shambhalasun.com [internet] January 2003. Available at http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1631 [accessed 06.10.13] Seike, K. (1977) The art of Japanese Joinery. Japan: Weatherhill/Tankosha. Teshigahara, S. Ikebana: Sogetsu Flower Arrangement - Text for Beginners. Japan: Sogetsu Shuppan inc. Yanagi (1989) The Unknown Craftsman: A Japanese Insight into Beauty. Japan: Kodansha. Thompson, R. (2007) Manufacturing Processes for Design Professionals. United Kingdom: Thames & Hudson.
References | 189
IMAGES
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Trees growing into each other [accessed 28.04.14] http://d.lib.ncsu.edu/collections/catalog/ua023_007-005-bx0013-013-004 Illustration of the Skeletal system [accessed 28.04.14] http://www.healthpages.org/anatomy-function/musculoskeletal-system-bones- joints-cartilageligaments/ Wood stools cast in Aluminium by Hilla Shamia [accessed 28.04.14] http://blog.wanken.com/11639/wood-stools-cast-in-aluminum/
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Beam Replacement [accessed 03.03.14] http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DmWWhgRfXpw/UNZLZp7LcXI/AAAAAAAAO2Y/-iI97n0Uuog/ s1600/imafuku37.jpg
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General observations [accessed 09.05.14] http://www.travelphotoreport.com/2010/09/09/japan-5-osaka-shinsaibashi/
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The Art of Japanese Joineries Seike, K. (1977) The art of Japanese Joinery. Japan: Weatherhill/Tankosha.
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From top left: Metal rail [accessed 02.03.14] http://www.archdaily.com/289791/casa-a5-csa-arquitectura/509806cc28ba0d041c000015_ casa-a5-csa-arquitectura_a5_house_seoane_csa_detalle_barandilla-jpg/ Wood close up [accessed 01.12.13] http://2or3things.blogspot.no/ Puzzle Piece table [accessed 24.11.13] http://assets.dornob.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/joinery-detail-custom-fit.jpg
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Wood wave by francesco citterio [accessed 01.12.13] http://www.behance.net/gallery/SWALLOW/4621007 Page 108
Illustration of softwood and hardwood angle [accessed 30.03.14] http://www.materialstechnologywood.com/resources/angles%20for%20dovetails.jpg
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Design for Download by Droog [accessed 08.05.14] https://studio.droog.com/studio/events/design-for-download/ Patch by Beza [accessed 08.05.14] http://www.bezaprojekt.pl/en/products/beza-elements-patch-inauguration/ The Layer Chair by Dyvik [accessed 08.05.14] http://www.dyvikdesign.com/site/portfolio-jens/the-layer-chair-amsterdam-edition.html
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Shoji and tatami [accessed 08.05.14] http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Takamatsu-Castle-Building-Interior-M3488. jpg Ikebana vases Teshigahara, S. Ikebana: Sogetsu Flower Arrangement - Text for Beginners. Japan: Sogetsu Shuppan inc. Japanese room [accessed 08.05.14] http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Shoji_Doors_at_Tenryu-ji.jpg Kimono rack [accessed 08.05.14] http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31JFD-pGC2L.jpg
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Photos by Kjartan Vaaland
References | 191
THANK YOU
Erling Rohde Setsuko Rohde Maiya Rohde Benjamin Donald Smith Audun Grimstad Ingrid Fløgstad Svein Westad Tadao Kajikawa Toshiko Kiuchi Yoshiharu Hamada Jens Dyvik Kjartan Vaaland Even Braaten Geir Ă˜xseth Geir, Roald, Halvor and Trond Jonas, Pernille and Ole And a special thank you to Birgitta Cappelen
CONTACT Mariko Kurioka Rohde +47 98 45 90 61 marikorohde@gmail.com marikokr.com