Japanese Joinery

Japanese Joinery – Jyuji Mechigai Tsugi

You’ll need to gather the following tools and materials:

Sashigane (Carpenter’s square).
Sharp pencil to mark the lines.
24mm (1″) chisel (back flat/edge sharp) or a similar size. Chisel
12mm (1/2”) chisel (back flat/edge sharp) or a similar size. (Refer to this video on sharpening a Japanese chisel.)
Hammer for striking the chisel.
Saw for finer work. Around 210mm or 8 inches in length. A Ryoba Saw (double-edged saw) is a good option.
Spray bottle filled with water.
Optional Tools:
Smaller squares or tri squares.
Other chisel sizes.
A paring chisel.
1 clamp

Lumber
1 piece of wood milled flat and square, approximately 50mm x 50mm x300mm (2″x 2″ x 12″). The ends cut square.
1 piece of wood with at least two sides made flat and 90 degrees. (About 30mm (1″) thick, at least 50mm(2″) wide and 150mm (6″) long). (Jig).

The wood for your joints can be any material as long as it’s easy to work with (avoid ones with knots or cracks on the ends).

Learn more about the tools here.  Tool Resources

NOTE: You do not necessarily all have to use Japanese tools. Western tool equivalent will work as well.