Chinese Lattice

Re: Chinese Lattice *LINK*

Chris Scholz

>Almost always M&T often with floating tenons, no glue.

I am sure there are strict design rules, usually the patterns are related to Buddhist and/or Taoist symbolism. The Lu Ban Jing is most likely the most comprehensive reference. Gustav Ecke has a few exploded drawings.

Chris


Sample of Chinese lattice work

Re: Chinese Lattice

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Perhaps it would be useful to check out Japanese shoji, too. These are screens/doors, but the kumiko in the center look like lattices. There are two good books on making shoji by Toshio Odate and Jay van Arsdale.

Pam

Re: Chinese Lattice

Larry G

>Thanks. Anyone have/read the Daniel Sheets Dye book on Chinese Lattice designs?

http://store.doverpublications.com/0486230961.html

Re: Chinese Lattice

Peter Hyde

>I made this white oak garden bench about 10 years ago. Bench is 6ft. long and fished with a vinegar/steel wool stain and multiple coats of BLO. The lattice is 3/4" x 3/4" and I seem to remember there are only 3 or 4 different shape pieces to make the lattice. All half lapped and glued with marine plastic resin glue. I have also done stair balusters using a similar design.

Re: Chinese Lattice

Chris Scholz

>No, I have not.

I have a few books on Chinese furniture mostly geared towards collectors (AFIK pretty much the only books on Chinese furniture on the market today, with the notable exception of Gustv Ecke's book from the 1930's). The crux of the matter is that most collectors seem to focus on dating pieces of furniture, interpreting the symbolism, understanding the historic context, etc. and tend to be be quite uneducated with regards to plain old woodworking. Authors routinely recommend to look at the joinery as one of the criteria to evaluate the potential value of a piece of furniture, some even have basic drawings. One book even went so far as to claim that well done joinery tightens as the wood ages (without any indication how this could physically be possible).

Every book I have ever seen agrees that 1) Chinese carpenters labored away anonymously in proto-industrial manufacturing facilities 2) produced some of the most stunning furniture that has ever been produced, today many Westerners consider that as an artform in its own right 3) there has never been an appreciable collectors' community of Chinese furniture (with the exception of the the 1700s when collecting chinoise was hip and Chippendale/Queen Anne etc. borrowed a lot of style elements form Chinese furniture; the 1930s when folks like Gustav Ecke became interested in the topic, these efforts were abruptly stopped after a local guerilla leader won control over the country; and during the last decade when prices of genuine antique furniture skyrocketed).

In short, pattern books might help if you know how to implement them, assuming you strive for not only looks but some form of historic authenticity.

Attached a breakdown of one implementation of the classical wanzi lattice pattern. Wǎn (literally: 10,000) is also an auspicious character and when repeated means something like infinity.

Chris Scholz

Galoot-Tools

Re: Chinese Lattice

Larry G

>Thanks Peter & Chris.

Re: More Chinese Lattice

Peter Hyde

>Here are 3 different lattice designs I worked up for stair balustrading. They are based on a 4" square opening to comply with local building code.

Re: Chinese Lattice

Larry G

>Chris - Aren't the small vertical pieces a mitred M&T into the horizontals?

Re: More Chinese Lattice

Larry G

>How'd you join the right angles?

Re: More Chinese Lattice

Peter Hyde

>Larry,

I make lattice with half lap joints glued with either marine plastic resin glue or epoxy. If you study the patterns you will see there are only 3 or 4 different shaped pieces in each so it is a mass production job to make all the pieces and alternate the cut outs in each to form half laps. If you wanted to make things complicated you could also mitre the half lap joints.

To lay out a pattern, I start with a grid of squares. Each square is the smallest opening I want in the pattern. Then it is just a matter of repeating identical shapes built around the squares. It is a lot easier than it sounds. I use CorelDraw in the design stage and then work up a full sized layout from the design.

Re: Chinese Lattice

Chris Scholz

>Yes, according to the drawings in Ecke's book mitered M&T throughout for most of the lattice work. This is consistent with my casual observations.

I was wrong, it is wan4 (simplified: 万, traditional 萬) not wan3 as I wrote earlier.

In the Ecke's book some of the joints are pinned, pins are not shown in my sketches. Classical Chinese furniture strives to refrain from using pins/dowels, glue and metal fasteners. From Ecke's description it is not clear if the pins are original or were added when re-assembling the furniture after a complete breakdown and measurement. My sketches are just for illustration based on casual observation, not an authentic reference.