Post 44 in an ongoing series describing the design and construction of a kabukimon, a type of Japanese gate. This is a project for the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
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After setting the wall posts to one side, next up are the flanking posts, indicated in red on the following sketch:
The flanking post on the left is part of a frame and panel assembly, while on the right it serves as a door frame member. Both of these posts, like the wall posts, will carry the curved crossbeam above termed a ‘kasagi’. Both flanking posts will attach to the main posts using a series of double dovetail sliding keys.
The cut out for the flanking posts was very similar to that undertaken in the preceding work on the wall posts, detailed in Post 43 of this series, so it would be a bit too repetitive to show the same same details once again.
The post cut out went fairly smoothly. They are all done save for the sliding dovetail joins on the backsides:
The sticks are both left a bit long at the bottom for the time being as well.
The left post in the pic above is on the frame-panel side of the gate, and receives a mud sill at the bottom – here’s the mortise for that:
There are mortises for two stub tenons, mechi, and the central mortise is through and is for a type of floating rod tenon.
A look at the top of both posts, where the same arrangement of double hammerhead tenons are employed as were on the wall posts:
The upper mortises are for the headers:
Number 2:
A look now at the backside of one of the through-tenons, where you can see the two abutments to capture the floating rod tenon to be fitted later:
I’m waiting for a particular dovetail bit to arrive before I tackle the sliding dovetail key mortises, so I will set these aside for a few days and work on the headers next. It will be best to tackle the sliding mortise work on the flanking posts and main posts at the same time.
My hope was to complete the framing work by January 31st, however I have not quite met that mark. My fall back position was to complete the work by February 7th and I feel on track to do that. I have to fabricate some horizontals next – two headers, a mud sill, and the kasagi. There is also the framed panel assembly on the left side of the gate, which requires some sliding dovetailed battens.
After the framing is complete I can start in on the three doors. I have designed and ordered some tenoning heads from Italy (from Zuani); they’ve been made and shipped, so I hope to have them in about a week’s time. I’ve also ordered a tenoning stop from Martin for my shaper, and that has arrived, after delay from some shipping screw ups, sans mounting instructions. Should have that straightened out in a few days. Always want to be careful when drilling holes in the top of an expensive machine! I will probably have to rent a magnetic drill press for that task.
All for today- thanks for dropping by the Carpentry Way. Up next is post 45.