Hello All,
I know I'm coming to this conversation late, but for the sake of the public record, and Chris's support. There has been some information on this post thread I must comment on. I have PM'd the original poster and offered my assistance with the his challenge of square pegs.
For what ever reason, when Americans or Europeans typically speak of timber framing in Asia, they seem to go in their minds, to Japan first. I have always found this a bit strange. Timber framing, was a craft of the ship wright as well as the house wright, and originated in the Middle East, moving into Asian thousands of years ahead of Europe. If you consider what the North American Pacific Coast People build as timber framing, as I do, then they are even ahead of Europe. The Shang Dynasty of China had an architectural timber frame wood culture in complexities that rivals today, and that was in the 12 century BCE; at which time most of Europe was just coming our of their Neolithic period with only basic, at best, post and fork lashed frames. When I read comments like the following, I become incensed:
"speaking of draw bore pegged joints,"
but just as a fact, that it was introduced relatively late, 150 years ago sounds about right, from the west, where, in European joinery it's equivalent place is central,
From the West? You mean Europe? This statement, beside being completely and utterly untrue, further demonstrates a continued European/American since of superiority; whether intentional or otherwise, it presents that way.
"Draw Boring," was practice in Asia for thousands of years ahead of European architecture, and in my specialty, folk architecture, the trunnels may be as large as 30 mm. I know in Japanese Minka, they are commonly over 20 mm or larger and can be found in frames that are over 300 plus years old. So, know they did not come from Europe.
As far as the literature that was referenced, though informative and worth reading, they are full of errors and opinions, once again, from the European perspective. If anyone truly is interested in a complete understanding of a craft, they must read from all perspectives of the host culture. Better yet the people doing the craft today.
I won't even start about the realities of oblique vs horizontal frame stiffing methodologies as they were eluded to in this post thread.
Respectfully Submitted,
Jay C. White Cloud
