Build Your Own Japanese Carpentry

Japanese carpentry is often romanticized for its strength in the absence of nails, screws, or glue. Using razor-sharp chisels, saws, and planes, skilled craftspeople join two (or more) pieces of wood with unrivaled precision. The resulting joint relies on friction, sometimes with the help of a wooden peg, to hold up furniture, homes, and even the Matsue Castle. All in all, these are simple tools, but in the hands of a master, they help build beautiful things.

Kanna Hand Plane: For smoothing wood. Check out picture 5 for a fun play feature that makes this a working LEGO Kanna. The thin strip of wood is actually part 25440!

Traditional Scarf Joint: Two identically cut pieces of wood nest into each other perfectly.

Atsunomi Chisel: Legend has it these chisels used to be made by swordsmiths. They're used to create the more detailed parts of interlocking joints.

Mallet: Used to drive chisels through wood and hammer-in pegs.