Planning a Japanese inspired garden shed

[GRadice]

Started milling the CVG boards for the door and window jambs. These are jointed two sides before ripping to width. Nice stuff and I really hope I don't screw this up.



 

 

[Walnut Beast]

Looking great! 

[JRWoodchuck]

Been on Stan's website quite a bit. Really enjoy looking and reading on there. I am really impressed with your knowledge. There is something about working with old growth lumber that I really enjoy. It smells different cuts different and is a joy to work with. 

[GRadice]

Thanks. In carpentry I'm just somewhere below an apprentice, since I've never done this before. Maybe "enthusiastic amateur?" But I will claim to be a fair furniture maker. If you search Stan's blog you might find my guest post about "Gary's tool cabinet," also made with my amateur's interpretation of Japanese joinery.

[GRadice]

Rafters. These will probably look dinky to Western carpenters but realize that they will be on 1 ft centers and their maximum span is only three feet. They are not quite at final dimension since I'm taking them down slowly to correct for any movement and I want to leave extra for final fitting and finish planing. Final dimensions will be 50 mm x 65 mm and roughly 6 ft long.



 

[GRadice]

Got the rafters down to dimension but no joinery. I'll do that after the frame is up. I also finished dimensioning the floor joists. Joinery after the frame is up as well.

I'm almost done with the joinery for the barge boards. Just like the test boards shown up thread but with much nicer stock. The boards are about 7 ft long and will finish at about 6.5'.

Despite my best efforts I didn't get the angles on the back side of the joints layed out quite right. I spent the day fixing that. The miters on the show face are dead on, though. All hand saw and chisel work with a little routering to level the mating faces of the large tenon surface. I still have to chisel out the trenches for the tapered locking pins.

A few pix.




 



 

 

 

And Willa is now 7 months old. Here she is today looking all golden retriever-y.



 



 





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[GRadice]

Got the barge board miter joinery sorted out, with a little cleanup planing to do.

Here is one set. I'll make the wedges when I'm ready to assemble the frame in a few months. I'll also do the joinery for the ridge and eave beams on the back sides then.



 

 

[Walnut Beast]

Very nice work Gary! Beautiful looking pup! 

[bigblockyeti]

Looking good Gary.  You must be burning the candle at both ends with this project and posting everything online, in at least two places I've stumbled upon.  I was on the other site seeing what you've done and saw this here, when I went to compare, there was no comparision, same pictures :laugh:

[GRadice]

Busted!  Yes, I've posted on another forum, too. Mostly different audiences, I suspect, but I guess not entirely!

[bigblockyeti]

I think there's probably pretty good overlap between woodworking machinery and forestry machinery.  I joined as a woodworker who's now sourcing logs for my own lumber.

[GRadice]

Here is an updated drawing of the shed. Although the dimensions have not changed the walls, roof cladding, wall cladding (now plaster) and windows and doors have.




I'm working now on lattice filled sashes for the gable end infill. Those will later be backed by bronze screens to keep the bugs out. The idea comes from a house built by East Wind/Higashe Kaze in California.

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[GRadice]

I have all the laps cut. Next up is finishing the mortise and tenon work to join the lattice to its frame. 






 

[realzed]

I see your Quality Control Super peeking in - checking up on your work..
Love them Goldens!  

[GRadice]

One sash done except for flushing the corner joints. All the parts were hand planed before glue-up.





 

[JRWoodchuck]

Looks awesome! 

[GRadice]

Finally got all four gable lattices done. It took a lot longer than I hoped. On the other hand with the hand planed finish there will be no sanding or staining or painting. Painting these would be a real drag. The joinery isn't perfect but they are square and flat and rock solid. I think the light coming through them will be a treat. And this was good training for doing the doors and windows later.





 

Mocked up with the center post and sills:



 

[GRadice]

For a break I took the weekend to make a couple of commanders. Unlike many of you who make them of softwood so as not to mar your timbers, my frame is already softwood (Port Orford Cedar) so I chose to make the commanders of Oregon white oak and face them with leather. The handles are European beech.

The small one that is finished is about 5.5 pounds. The larger one in progress is about 12 pounds.




 

 

[GRadice]

Bigger one done. It doesn't look like it but I made the handle a little beefier for this one.



 

[GRadice]

Moving on to test fitting joints and finish planing and beveling. I started with the two eave beams. I have them both done and here is one including its loose dovetailed tenon and black locust wedges that will secure the barge board. Those wedges aren't tapped home, just loosely inserted.



 


 

[GRadice]

Started fitting the roof assembly. Cogged laps between the eave beams and tie beams, M&T between king posts, ridge, and tie beams. So far so good. I'm seating the joinery about half way for the test fit. Everything seems tight but not too tight. I've never done this before so I'm guessing and crossing my fingers.



 

 

 

 

 

[Jim_Rogers]

Normally when we do test fits we want the timbers to seat completely so that we know it will.

If it is tight, there is a risk of splitting the mortised timber. Correct fitting is the best in my opinion.

Jim Rogers

[GRadice]

Jim, thanks for chipping in with your experience. I come from a furniture making background and I wouldn't dream of assembling something without a test fit first.

On the other hand:

I've asked a couple of folks who do Japanese timber framing about test fitting. One said the only joints he test fits are scarf joints so that he is sure about the total length of the scarfed beam. For typical M&T joints he leaves the wide faced side of the mortises a little loose and the narrow faced sides of the mortise a little tight. For example, a 30 mm x 90 mm mortise might have a tenon that is 29 mm by 91 or even 93 mm if it is softwood. That avoids the risk of splitting the sides of the mortise but still give a tight joint on assembly. Another carpenter I asked said something similar. If you watch any Japanese timber frame videos, on assembly those guys are wailing on the M&T joints to get them to seat. Perhaps they did the same thing during a prior test fit, and then also wailed on them to get them apart. I don't know how they are sure that the shoulders will pull in tight all around without test fitting. In my case, most of my M&T joints are housed so I don't have to worry about shoulders fitting flat. Maybe that is a key.

I'd love to have others weigh in on this topic. Maybe it deserves a separate thread.

[GRadice]

Got the housed mortising done on the barge boards for their floating dovetailed tenons that will attach the boards to the eave and ridge beams.



 

 

 


How it all comes together when partially fit.



 

[JRWoodchuck]

I've really enjoyed every step along the way. Super excited to see you put this thing together!