The specialists guide to Chinese antiques » Furniture Design & Construction

Chinese Woodworking: books and resources from around the web

Roger S. — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:33:19 +0000

Chinese Woodworking: Stock Preparation

This is a nice overview of materials preparation that was posted in the forums at Fine Woodworking.

“In some way it is lucky that we met Liu Shifu at the end of his career: early in his career a Chinese Shifu will hardly ever allow outsiders to watch them work, not to mention photograph. In fact, Liu Shifu was very interested in the prospect that his life’s work could find a forum in the United States. Stock preparation starts with the equivalent to a broad ax which, with enough practice, get’s you fairly close to the final dimensions of the board.”

Read the Full article: http://forums.finewoodworking.com/fine-woodworking-knots/hand-tools/chinese-woodworking-stock-preparation
PDF Backup (for broken links): Chinese Woodworking_ Stock Preparation

Books on Chinese Woodworking with good diagrams

There are a lot of books on Chinese antiques out there, most of which we have on our amazon list already. And not to boast but I do think this list is about as complete as it gets. However, I find these ones have the most complete details in terms of specific diagrams of joinery and construction.

Amazing that this book was written in 1944 and today still remains ones of the most popular books on Chinese woodworking. The detailed drawings are stunning and this one is a no brainer for any connoisseur. I would say this is considered to be one of the classics.

Another classic, this is essentially a partial translation of the Fifteenth-Century Carpenter’s Manual the “Lu Ban Jing.” A lot of topics covered here – not just construction. The image above is from this book.

Google books has a fairly comprehensive preview of the book here.

Ming Inspiration

Ming Inspiration from The Carpentry Way blog, is a 50 post series of absolutely ridiculously geeky and in-depth explorations of one carpenters journey to complete a Ming inspired table for his customer. Touching on historical background, design, materials, joinery and construction, this sort of detail oriented study is exactly the sort of thing I appreciate. The amount of information here is really amazing and I have not even made it through the entire series yet.

Ming Inspiration: http://thecarpentryway.blogspot.com/2010/11/ming-inspiration.html

Chinese Joinery

Some interesting diagrams and images here illustrating various approaches to Chinese Joinery.

Read the Full article: http://www.hypersurf.com/~charlie2/Joinery/Joinery0.html

PDF Backup (for broken links): Chinese Joinery – Sideboard Example 1 and Chinese Joinery 3 – Table Joinery and Chinese Joinery 2 – Chair Joinery

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How to avoid cracking and splitting in Chinese solid wood furniture

Roger S. — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 15:19:53 +0000

Lacquered Furniture? Then wood frame construction with MDF panels is probably the correct choice.

“Is that a crack?” About once a week, I am asked this question. Some of the times, its about furniture which has been purchased elsewhere. Other times its about our own furniture. It might have been custom made or simply the customer purchased it from from a moving sale. Some pieces might have traveled the globe and eventually landed in a dry climate – a once beautiful stable piece, is now turning into a cracking, splitting mess. But rest assured, at least once a week, I am asked this question.

Solid wood/old wood vs. veneer and composites

When making furniture,
the first question one must ask is, do you want solid wood or are composite woods also acceptable.

Solid wood furniture is strong, long lasting and can be re-sanded, re-finished and re-stained for years to come. That’s the good news. The bad news is, this comes at a price. Since wood is a natural, living, breathing material, it therefore has a tendency to swell / shrink, warp and/or crack as it ages, in relation to environmental changes in temperature and humidity. In door environments, in particular modern homes where dry electric heat is used, will accelerate this process. If the furniture is painted or lacquered, this presents an even bigger problem as the lacquer covering the outer surface will crack (often badly) when the wood underneath expands and contracts.

Reclaimed wood waiting to be used in furniture making

One way furniture makers attempt to compensate for this by using aged wood and reclaimed wood. While all wood, including old wood continues to breathe and change, unlike new wood, old wood has (theoretically) already reached its critical drying point over many, many years. Unfortunately access to reclaimed wood depends on the supply of old wood (often from buildings) which may not always be available in large quantities. Aged wood may also have a certain amount of dents, nicks and other characteristics that come along with age. And because its still real wood, this means it will still breath and change to some extent.

A second method of compensation is by using air dried or kiln-dried wood. Air dried wood, which has been exposed to outside air for extended periods of time, is often harder, though tends to have a higher moisture content and may take months or even years to dry. Kiln dried wood can be ready to use in under a month, but is softer as the artificial heating process stops the wood from naturally hardening any further. The heating process may also cause defects in the wood such as the “honey comb effect.” Unfortunately many smaller factories do not have kilns as the process is costly and requires specialized technical expertise. Even large modern factories shipping 200 containers a month may find running their kilns to be expensive and technical. Therefore because Kiln dried wood must be either pre-purchased or sent out for drying, air drying is the most common method in use for smaller workshops.

Stacks of "burlwood" veneer ready for use in furniture making

The third and most common method today is the use of wood veneers and composite woods. A veneer is a thin sheet of wood affixed to a underlying layer of plywood, pressboard or MDF (medium density fiberboard consists of finely ground wood particles bound together with a resin). Other composites are like thin layers of wood, sandwiched together for extra durability. While a common perception is that these materials are weaker and less costly, in many cases composites may cost as much as solid wood, and even be heavier and stronger. If the veneer is relatively thick, it can even be re-sanded and refinished in the future as well. Good quality veneers and composite “man made” woods are also chemically dried and treated and thus extremely stable. Generally if treated properly, venners will not expand, contract or buckle in relation to the climate or humidity.

A "pickled finish" applied to both a veneer and solid wood. Can you tell the difference?

In many cases, the average person cannot tell the difference between solid wood and a veneer. For this reason much of what’s available on the market today is in fact made from veneers and composite woods. Unfortunately because there is a stigma attached to veneers with many people believing a veneer is inferior to solid wood, manufacturers often advertise their furniture as being solid wood, when in fact its actually “solid wood veneer” – a closer look at the fine print will often reveal this.

Splitting & cracking vs expansion & contraction.

Cracking is a side effect of solid wood that is either not properly dried or simply not dry enough relative to its environment. As the wood expands or contracts according to its environment, the movement gradually builds pressure, which in turn stresses the joinery. Cracks and splits then begin to occur allowing the wood to release this built up tension.

Over the years, Chinese joinery developed a method for wood to both expand and contract without stressing the wood or joints, through a technique called “floating panel construction.” In dry climates, the “floating” wood panel will contract in the frame, without splitting or cracking. Alternately, in moist climates, this same “floating panel” will expand without stressing the joints and frame.

Floating panel construction

This is an important distinction, as one is deliberately engineered (expansion/contraction) where as the other is accidental (splitting/cracking). About 50% of the time, the piece in question is in fact not cracking but rather contracting. Unfortunately many people don’t see the difference. A contraction is normal if the home / climate is dry. Rest assured this means the floating panel technique is properly doing its job. The alternative is cracking and as we can see, the results are not pretty.


Normal: A floating panel on the top of a desk, properly doing its job. Only a bit of stain is required as a touch-up.	Problem: A major crack in the wood requiring repairs.

Making the right decision:

If your furniture is to be painted or lacquered, then composite woods like MDF are generally the best choice, as solid wood construction will likely cause major problems over time (lacquer is extremely stable ,but because the wood underneath is not, cracks and splits will occur in the lacquer as the underlying material shifts and contracts). Unless you plan to strip the furniture down and refinish it completely years down the road, you best choice is to use composites and veneers.

This cabinet is best made with composites like MDF to protect the overlying lacquer from splitting or shifting.

If your furniture is to be stained and (with the wood grain visible), then veneers are preferable for any panels and faces (places which are most likely to expand or contract).

This cabinet is best made from veneers or kiln dried wood to prevent cracking.

Solid wood such as air-dried/kiln dried or reclaimed wood, is also a choice, however you must be able to accept gaps caused in floating panel construction and the potential for cracking / splitting.

This cabinet which is intended to appear as if it were an antique, must be made from 100% solid reclaimed wood.

A bit of luck?

When problems occur, sometimes the issue is joinery related. Other times improper use of wood glue might play a role. And sometimes? Well, sometimes it simply comes down to a bit of luck. In the case of hand made furniture, the construction techniques used may have been employed for hundreds of years. Sometimes this creates challenges not foreseen when such techniques were invented. Like modern homes with air conditioning and dry central heating, children likely to spill soft drinks everywhere and heavy TV sets sitting on the top.


Bad luck? Two identical desk, were each constructed at the same time, by the same carpenter, from 100% solid wood reclaimed from antique doors panels. One desk cracked within a week inside a heated home. The 2nd desk remained pristine with no cracks whatsoever despite modern dry heating and other changes in the home environment.

How to find 3d models of Chinese furniture.

Roger S. — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:52:56 +0000

Here’s a somewhat arcane post, yet one that’s incredibly useful for anyone who is either an interior designer, furniture designer or even just someone redecorating their home with one of the many 3d programs like Google sketchup. Which brings me to the topic of this post: where to find 3d models of Chinese furniture

So, here are a few suggested sites:

Free sites:

http://www.3dmodelfree.com/3dmodel/list425-1.htm

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/

Paid Sites:

http://www.the123d.com/furniture_collections/asian_furniture_kit.html

http://www.turbosquid.com/FullPreview/Index.cfm/ID/330344

http://www.the3dstudio.com/product_search.aspx?id_category_0=0&search=Chinese+furniture

Excellent diagrams on chinese joinery and chinese furniture construction.

Roger S. — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:30:55 +0000

This diagram from an article on the Woodworkers Institute website
shows how traditional Chinese joinery works

There is a great article on the Woodworkers Institute website which I stumbled upon quite randomly. I was actually researching some information on construction techniques for making dining room extension tables, when “lo and behold” I came across this two part article entitled Poetry in Wood.

“One of the reasons why joints were so complex in China, Japan and Korea was the climate. There are huge changes of temperature and humidity throughout the whole of central and south-east Asia, and many European colonists discovered the furniture they took with them from Europe fell to pieces because the animal glue softened in the high humidity and heat. The woodworkers of those countries found that it was necessary to make interlocking joints which had mechanical strength rather than rely on glued joints. I recall the world-record price 18th-century mirror that I worked on at Sotheby’s, pictured left, which had tiny bamboo dowels joining the 6mm-thick backboards rather than the European equivalent which would be a rubbed joint.

This is not to say that oriental furniture was not glued; it just didn’t rely so heavily upon glue. There is a similarity with 18th-century Continental chairs which tended to be pegged and glued as opposed to British ones which were only glued. One could perhaps argue that Continental colonial furniture stood up to high humidity better than British furniture! One of the roles of the furniture restorer in China was to replace and tighten the dovetail wedges used when the joints in furniture had become loose. One needs to remember that the whole assemblage of a piece of Chinese furniture depends upon the interlocking joints for stability. The top is not glued up, followed by the legs being glued on etc. The frame holds the top boards, the legs then anchor the frame, and the dovetail wedges anchor the whole lot together.”

The article is not bad, though the best part is the excellent diagrams illustrating some of the standard Chinese joinery techniques used in Chinese furniture making.

The full article is here: “Poetry in Wood” on the Woodworkers Institute website .

Dutch designer Maarten Baas in Shanghai: Interesting twists on Chinese traditional furniture designs

Roger S. — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 07:27:22 +0000

I stumbled upon this rather amusing post on designaddict.com which talks about Maarten Baas‘s, recent Jully 2008 exhibition at Contrasts gallery in Shanghai.

While participating in Contrasts’ residency program, which brings Western artists to China to study local artistic and cultural practices, Baas became fascinated with traditional Chinese woodcarving; this exhibition is dominated by the results of this interest. His work pushes the boundaries of this time-honored Chinese craft, while also revealing the designer’s playful imagination.

Needless to say, these are some very interesting interpretations on Chinese furniture. The plastic garden chair in wood is just brilliant.

Personally, I like his smoke series in which wooden furniture has been burned with the remaining charcoal’ed pieces then preserved with a coating of clear epoxy.

From design to finished product – manufacturing your home decor product in asia

Roger S. — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:12:31 +0000

If you are designer or retailer of lighting, accessories or other home decor items and have designs you are considering producing over in this part of the world, there is a worthwhile post on our other furniture industry blog called “Design Phase: The initial steps to manufacturing your home decor products in Asia.”

Trend Guide: Rustic furniture made from reclaimed elm and other salvaged woods

Roger S. — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:48:21 +0000

I was in the warehouse the other day looking over some pieces when I was reminded how much reclaimed, recycled and/or renewable materials are definitely a growing trend. A quick Google turns up a range of articles from Reclaimed furniture: Give trees a chance to buzz on various designer blogs. Even Furniture Industry trade publications are recognizing this trend which really started to take off last year. Furniture Today wrote an article entitled “Several sources introduce lines with reclaimed wood.” Another from FurnitureStyle Magazine is called “Las Vegas Furniture Market: Beyond Distressed.”

Reclaimed & salvaged materials are environmentally friendly in that there are no new trees cut down to make the piece. Sources of wood may be old railroad ties, beams from old houses that have been demolished or even old doors. Old elm tends to be a favorite as Elm in fairly common in China. Pine is also an option as well. Other woods are also used like cypress, walnut or beech though these woods are much less common and not available in large quantities.

Since the material has been aged it tends to be more stable then new wood (which must otherwise be kiln dried and chemically treated before it can be made to be stable). In essence, pieces created from salvaged materials are antique in a very unusual way – as the materials themselves have their own story, rather then the finished piece. Finishes are less of an issue to as rather then spend time carefully creating the right distressed finish, the focus is on the already distressed natural appearance of the wood. Construction is typically using the traditional methods of tongue/groove and Chinese joinery.Reclaimed wood furniture tends to fall within either one of following three classifications:

Antique / Vintage: Often these are antique farm items which have simply been given a clean up. In other cases they have been stripped down and their original finish removed. Often traces of the original finish & color remain giving each piece its own unique “hue.”
Salvaged & Rebuilt: Old doors converted into tables tops with bases added are a good example of this. The prime element here is that a good portion of the piece is in fact antique and can be distinguished as so.
New designs from old materials: These are basically new pieces built with primarily reclaimed materials and its for this reason that the line between salvaged and new can become a bit blurry. The dining table below from ACF China Co as well as the “Haider Natural” Dining Furniture from Horchow Collection & Four Hands are good example of this. The design on the Horchow table has clearly been updated for the western buyer as the bottom stretcher would not an original feature on a Chinese type of table.

So, where is it reclaimed wood furniture being sold on the web? What are the popular looks?

Here are a few nicer examples:

“Haider Natural” Dining Furniture from Horchow Collection & Four Hands

Reclaimed Elm Table from Neiman Marcus.

Blue Wash Console Table from Wisteria

Reclaimed Elm Doorwood Coffee Table

From the The Olde Good Things Webstore. Looks so similar I wonder if it originally came from us?!

RECLAIMED WOOD FURNITURE from GreenTea Designs

Other nice pieces of reclaimed wood furniture out there?

Share them with us! Send them in or post the links here…

Comparing apples to oranges – more on determining quality in Chinese antique furniture

Roger S. — Mon, 12 May 2008 10:02:34 +0000

Photos of these two cabinets have been floating around on our file server for quite a while and I have been meaning to put them up here as another excellent example of differences in quality between Chinese antique workshops and restoration as well as in Chinese Country Antique Furniture in general. These are both essentially the same piece but restored in a different manner by two different factories. They are both restored antiques, both a once fairly common Mongolian style antique cabinets and even the dimensions are approximately the same. Piece A (bright red one) comes from a smaller workshop owned/operated by George, a gentleman who has worked with Chinese antiques for more then 20 years. He services mostly foreign customers and says he offers “good quality.” The other piece (Deep burgundy red) was purchased from Raymond, a larger volume based, Beijing wholesaler who claims to offer “good quality product.” Lets examine the differences to see which factory really does offer “quality” and which one is simply inexpensive.

Its the details which count

The first place the differences are evident is in the overall attention to detail. George’s cabinet has been carefully restored with extra attention paid to small details. However, Raymond’s cabinet has been sloppily restored. Area’s where the lacquer has been rubbed off have not been touched up and instead, have been given a quick coat of wax instead – thus saving costs on the lacquering. Simple (IE inexpensive) fittings have been fitted to the door, instead of the large, more functional (IE more expensive) hardware seen on George’s cabinet. Even the painting on the doors of the cabinet alludes to “cheap” – its style clearly from the 1970/1980′s and thus the un-restored cabinet itself probably was much cheaper at the time of purchase.

The original un-restored cabinet would have had a round circular style fitting enabling the owner to lock the doors and drawers together in one action. Impressions of the original hardware can still be seen one both cabinets. Possibly removed during the 1970′s during China’s great leap forward the un-restored cabinet may have already been missing this hardware. But on George’s cabinet, the time has been taken to touch up this area so it looks relatively crisp and clean. On Raymond’s cabinet, this element has been skipped over completely.

Then there is the sides of the cabinet. Often embellishments become damaged, fallen off and then lost over time in China’s harsh peasant countryside. Depending on who restores the piece these embellishments may be added back on or sometimes skipped all together. I am guessing the embellishments on George’s cabinet was either retained or carefully recreated true to the original form. On Raymond’s cabinet, a down and dirty board has been added to the side with minimal carving detail (again – cheaper) and an even sloppier painting. Unfortunately we didn’t take a photo of the insides of the cabinet, but if I remember correctly, the shelf inside George’s cabinet was made using a relatively thick board. Raymond’s? A flimsy peice of wood which looked as if it would break before supporting any amount of weight.

So which claim is correct? George or Raymond? On a scale of 1 to 10, I would put George at a quality level of at least 6. Raymond’s cabinet is what Chinese suppliers love to call “rustic,” however, I have seen good quality rustic furniture before and I think “crap” is probably a much better word to describe this piece. I would rate it at a 3 or 4 at most. Interestingly George’s piece a was not much more expensive then the other one – maybe ten to 15 percent. Which piece would you (or your customers) rather have in their collection?

For more on this topic see our previous posts on this topic:

Low Cost vs. Low Quality? You get what you pay for