Hello Sean,

In general, across the different systems of Line Rule marking methods in the different cultures that still routinely employ them (especially in the folk classes of the architecture within these culture) there is little in the way of...Reduction Housing...as understood in the Western timber framing context to a uniform size, location or even shape in some examples. Again, in the classic sense of the method...Line Layout snapped ink lines represent a point of internal registration within a given geometry of a timber that may even (as found in many Minka) have different elevations of reference along the often turning and twistings of a live edge beam. The housing are either plotted in the detail on the plan and elevation view or story poled to correspond to these reference points, and/or scribe templated to conform to the unique characteristics of each joint intersection. This was (and is) one of the key areas of interest to me in learning how this was/is achieved. Unlike European scribing methods, with the timbers ever needing to be referenced to one another, or lofted by plummet in any way, the Eastern approach rather only needs the understanding of the Line Rule modalities themselves, templates, story poles, strategic plan and elevation line drawings to do the brunt of this very complicated and often organic fitting of bespoke joint intersections. In other context of this system, items are (very much) uniform in nature, yet organic and/or rounded in shape.

If a reduction to a uniform shape (or depth) is performed it may only apply to a individual joint within a frame. Each organic shape being reduced to a more consistent and uniform geometry for a given joint intersection.