Comments on Traditional Boats - East and West - at Douglas Brooks Boatbuilding: Finishing the Hull

To answer Jay and perhaps others, the Japanese ver...

2009-12-22T14:26:19.207-08:00

To answer Jay and perhaps others, the Japanese verb "to kill" is "korosu" and I have heard this technique called "kigoroshi" (ki+korosu, or wood+kill) and Shimojo san has called it korosu. I need to make sure he doesn't have a local term for it, however. I remember my first "real" Japanese boat, the seaweed boat, and we lavished all this attention on sawing the planks seams, and then we stood the planks on edge and my teacher started pounding them! But even my barrel maker teacher of the tub boats used a version of this technique. To answer Jay's email: We carefully fitted those endgrain joints, probably made at least a dozen passes with the saw. Then we pounded. He lightly planed the high spots then we did the sawing technique about four more times. I do wonder about his putting the hard glue in the seam. It seems to defeat the purpose of letting the endgrain spring back. I'd say stick the timber in a bucket of water and then fasten it on! In the West, I would definitely reach for a non-drying bedding compound here, one that would let the wood spring back without resistance. Of course in the old days here (not that long ago) there would have been no glue. Shimojo san also said that he would have pounded both faces of the joint, but he feels that this is not necessary with the glue. By the way, I have never seen anything analogous to bedding compound used by boat builders in Japan.

Thank you, Douglas! I've been wondering, sinc...

2009-12-22T12:32:55.803-08:00

Thank you, Douglas!

I've been wondering, since the bottom was fitted how the end plank joint was done, expecting some type of joinery. But here we have proof, once again, that simple is best.

doryman

Dear D.: I am doing my best to stay up with how t...

2009-12-22T08:17:35.090-08:00

Dear D.:

I am doing my best to stay up with how this project is preceding. I do so look forward to reading it each time. You are covering so much information that American and Most European wood workers are unfamiliar with. "Killing wood", (I have forgotten the japanese word for this, could you ask Shimojo san?) is a very old, (and forgotten,) technique, that actually goes back, as some much does, to the Nile Valley 1000's of years ago. Tell Shimojo san that those ancient boat builders on the Nile River would be honored to see traditional techniques are living on. I just "killed wood" on a joint the other and those watching thought I had lost my mind when I got my hammer out and started smacking portions of the joint!!! It is wonderful that you are doing this, I hope you have all the details recorded for posterity. If I ever can steal the time and can pull my notes together, you and I should finish a book together updating modern wood workers to the lost and ancient methods of the East and Middle East, the true heart of working with wood.

Peace,