Checkered yosegi (ichimatsu) panels
Today’s weather was very stable again. It wasn’t sunny, but it was actually good for drying wood 😊 I carried on with my usual work today. Since the assembly of 5-sun drawer boxes were completed, I spent the morning doing the finishing work.
The side panels, which are made from three different types of wood, require special care because they tend to warp easily. In fact, using three kinds of wood together also helps reduce warping. Walnut, in particular, can be tricky to handle when it’s thin, so I need to pay extra attention to it. Of course, the characteristics of wood vary depending on which part is used, and ideally, I would only use the most stable sections to prevent warping — but that’s not always easy.
In recent years, the price of walnut wood has increased sharply, making it difficult to use only the best parts. Even so, depending on the box’s structure, I select different parts of the wood for fixed panels and for movable panels. For example, I use the most stable parts of walnut for the moving panels that are attached over the Aruki moving panels.
Compared to walnut, Nyatoh wood has less variation in quality. However, its color is rather plain — a light, skin-tone shade — so combining it with walnut or other woods helps bring more visual contrast and character to the box’s design.
After that, I worked on making and attaching the top and bottom panels for the 3-sun cube boxes. For this batch, all the checkered yosegi panels were glued onto natural Agathis wood. Normally, when making other boxes, I attach the top and bottom panels to plywood, but since this box uses the same yosegi for both the side and top/bottom panels (with the same width and length), it’s easier to work with natural agathis wood in this case.
However, for the top and bottom panels (I’m making 28 boxes this time, so fourteen of those panels), I make them slightly thinner. I don’t prepare thinner panels in advance — instead, I glue the yosegi sheets first and then shave them down a bit later when assembling. The difference in thickness is about 0.2 mm. Structurally, this box tends to be slightly taller than it is wide, so this adjustment keeps all sides the same length, as required for a true cube. Because The top Aruki panel is made to protrude slightly above the frame, this adjustment is necessary.
Using solid wood for the top and bottom panels does carry a small risk of shrinkage, but since the weather has been dry these past few days, it should be fine. At this stage, I attach the panels a bit tightly. It’s easy to loosen them later if needed, but it’s very difficult to tighten them once they’ve become too loose. I just hope the weather stays stable again tomorrow…🤔
The side panels, which are made from three different types of wood, require special care because they tend to warp easily. In fact, using three kinds of wood together also helps reduce warping. Walnut, in particular, can be tricky to handle when it’s thin, so I need to pay extra attention to it. Of course, the characteristics of wood vary depending on which part is used, and ideally, I would only use the most stable sections to prevent warping — but that’s not always easy.
In recent years, the price of walnut wood has increased sharply, making it difficult to use only the best parts. Even so, depending on the box’s structure, I select different parts of the wood for fixed panels and for movable panels. For example, I use the most stable parts of walnut for the moving panels that are attached over the Aruki moving panels.
Compared to walnut, Nyatoh wood has less variation in quality. However, its color is rather plain — a light, skin-tone shade — so combining it with walnut or other woods helps bring more visual contrast and character to the box’s design.
After that, I worked on making and attaching the top and bottom panels for the 3-sun cube boxes. For this batch, all the checkered yosegi panels were glued onto natural Agathis wood. Normally, when making other boxes, I attach the top and bottom panels to plywood, but since this box uses the same yosegi for both the side and top/bottom panels (with the same width and length), it’s easier to work with natural agathis wood in this case.
However, for the top and bottom panels (I’m making 28 boxes this time, so fourteen of those panels), I make them slightly thinner. I don’t prepare thinner panels in advance — instead, I glue the yosegi sheets first and then shave them down a bit later when assembling. The difference in thickness is about 0.2 mm. Structurally, this box tends to be slightly taller than it is wide, so this adjustment keeps all sides the same length, as required for a true cube. Because The top Aruki panel is made to protrude slightly above the frame, this adjustment is necessary.
Using solid wood for the top and bottom panels does carry a small risk of shrinkage, but since the weather has been dry these past few days, it should be fine. At this stage, I attach the panels a bit tightly. It’s easy to loosen them later if needed, but it’s very difficult to tighten them once they’ve become too loose. I just hope the weather stays stable again tomorrow…🤔