If you were captivated by these animations of traditional Japanese woodworking joints, here's a chance to try out some intricate joinery techniques for yourself.
In the spirit of open access to information, professor Jochen Gros and designer Friedrich Sulzer headed up a research project at the C...Lab of the Hochschule für Gestaltung Offenbach in Germany, where they have developed 50 different wood joinery techniques capable of being fabricated digitally, using tools such as a CNC mill or lasercutter.
Now these files have been made accessible to the public via downloadable files in various data formats (including several Autocad capable formats). They have also provided each joint with a PDF guide to assembly, to make piecing together the wood elements a snap.
On his site, Gros explains why architects & designers may be so fascinated with joinery:
Every time we come across them, we are filled with admiration: Admiration for the skill of the master craftsman, as their creator, but also admiration for the balance between function and beauty, which turns the furniture or temple into a work of art.
With the onset of industrialisation, the traditional wood joints have been banned more and more to the background. Manufacturing has to be above all efficient, so there is no more room for traditional wood joints. Or is there?
As computer-controlled wood processing machines move into the cabinet-makers' workshops, the way two pieces of wood are joined together in a construction needs to be reconsidered.
By making the joint files publicly available, the team hopes to inspire designers, architects and DIYers to utilize the joints for their own projects, and encourage users to send them pictures of their creations, and ideas for how to make the joints even better.
You can find a link to the files and contact info for submissions, here.
Over on Intstructables, user Ladycartoonist was so inspired by Gros' work that she created a beautiful poster as a visual reference. It too has been licensed under creative commons and can be downloaded here. Enjoy!
News via Flexible Stream.
