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We were contacted by an architect renovating his home in Singapore.
The client was keen on hinoki material but did not like the traditional “white-pink melange” look of japanese evergreens.
After considering several options, the client opted for a more expensive “all heartwood” material.
The sapwood is eliminated before sawing and milling the planks so the color is more uniform and the lumber itself is harder.

We milled a tongue and grove on the long sides but did not manufacture the end matching joint (the planks would have become about 4cm shorter and would not fit the module of the project)

Also, we were requested not to bevel the edges. Our grumpy carpenter was quite uneasy about this (eliminating the corners make the flooring look more regular and prevents indenting of the edges during installation)
But we agreed that everybody would manipulate and install the planks with the utmost care and were able to manufacture the custom “perfectly flat” product.

The specs/sizes of the flooring are:
material: hinoki (Yoshino-Nara pref.) all heartwood
size: 2000mm x 150mm x 15mm.

I am looking forward to seeing the completed room!

This is sequel of the manufacture of the tub for South Africa.
for those who missed it check in a separate window part 1 – part 2

So, the planks have been laminated and the edges trimmed (you can see on the wall a plank before being rectified)

The tongue and grove joint is hand made with a handsaw and chisel. To see the process and understand the way the japanese ofuro water-tightness is assured, refer to the second video from the top in our media section

3 faces have been assembled together. Now is time to insert the bottom plank. Finally, the last wall will be hand-planed on both sides before being set in place and close the circle.

You can see here the geometry of the traditional “Tjoint”

To tighten up the faces, we use long stainless steel bolts. The head of the bolts is capped with round wooden dowels (for a natural look) or copper plates (the traditional detail of the Edo area, borrowed from the ship building practices).

Continues from a previous post. Open the blog about “choosing the lumber” in a separate window.

We have been contacted by a private client in South Africa about 3 years ago.
He was going to build a new house overlooking the sea and wanted a japanese bathtub.
Apparently it took more than expected for the permits and to start construction but he got back to us and placed the order. We have a comfortable time frame but since we will ship by ocean freight we started construction:

First the planks are planed

Then the material to compose the side walls is selected also considering the grain direction (both to avoid warping and for the aesthetic balance)

Then thru-holes are opened in the sections of the planks

and the different parts are composed together with the aid of wood dowels and waterproof glue (only on the matching sections)

The laminated side walls are pressed and left to rest for few days to dry and stabilize

<will continue…>