Traditional Asian Furniture: Spotlight on Joinery

When most people look at furniture, the last thing they notice (if they notice it at all) is how the pieces are joined together. As long as the furniture is sturdy, the owner is satisfied. If the chair sustains the weight of the sitter, if the table is stable, if the cabinet stands firm and reliable, it is enough. But how the elements are joined together is actually a detail of craftsmanship.

Asian furniture, especially those forms that are greatly influenced by ancient Chinese methods, is notable for how the pieces are joined together. There are three notable features in this type of joinery: first, no glue is used at all for structural purposes; second, no pegs are used to hold pieces together; third, no metal fasteners such as nails or screws are used.  You may wonder, “How is it held together, then?”

Therein lies the art of joinery in Asian furniture.

Folklore says that Chinese joinery has its roots in the work of an ancient scholar turned woodworker, Lu Ban. But his works have nothing about joinery in them, so no one knows for sure. He was very inventive, and created many other things, and so the tradition holds. In any case, by the Tang Dynasty Chinese joinery as it is known and practiced now was fully established, and has not changed much at all.

The methods used for joining pieces in the construction of furniture needed to last in harsh climates. Because most parts of China have great extremes in humidity and temperature, the joints need to accommodate swelling and shrinking of the wood, while keeping the whole piece of furniture stable. It took some inventiveness to find a means that would hold the materials together.

One method is called the “frame and panel” type. The frame is held together with mitered, mortise-and-tenon joints. To secure the panel part, around the upper, inside edge of the frame, a groove is cut, while the panel has a matching tongue on its outer edge. The panel and frame are fitted together, and transverse braces are placed in shallow dovetail housings in order to give the thin panel support and keep it from warping.

The “recessed-leg” form, used in many cabinets, tables, chairs and stools, has the legs joined inside (hence “recessed”) the corners of a mitered frame. This gives the upper surface an extension out over the leg. The legs themselves slant outward toward the bottom, and are likely to be connected to each other  by variations of stretchers or aprons. The top of each leg will be fitted to the underside of the surface frame with double tenons.

For variation, there is also “corner-leg” construction. Unlike the recessed leg, a corner leg is flush with the corners of the top frame. This makes the top of the leg seem to be part of the upper surface. However, these legs also come in a variety of shapes, from straight up-and-down vertical to a c-shaped curve (similar to the European cabriole style). The feet of these legs are often shaped like an animal claw, or hoof of a horse, or even a simple scroll. And all held together without glue, nails or screws.

Terra Nova Designs of Los Angeles, carries a wide selection of beautiful, high quality Asian Furniture created with traditional joinery techniques.  If you're in the neighborhood, visit our store at 2251 S Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064 and see for yourself!  Otherwise, give us a call at ((310) 478-0228.  We'd love to hear from you :)