Zen and Japanese Carpentry - Begins
Teachers, priests, monks, and students gathered at the temple on a Sunday afternoon, in the back of a valley.
Zen and Woodworking: Final Preparations
A flurry of milling, layout, and tool preparation before the class
Somakosha in the New York Times
I had the opportunity to interview Jon Stollenmeyer of Somakosha about his path becoming a carpenter in Japan for the New York Times about his start at Nakamura Sotoji Komuten and most recently at Somakosha with Kohei Yamamoto. The interview was about 4 hours formally, and about 7 days, informally
A Dozen Sawhorses
The wood for the frame had showed up. But before I could get to milling it up, I needed to build some sawhorses.
Japanese Woodworking and Carpentry Classes (This year)
Most 2025 class schedules for my favorite woodworking teachers are online.
Quarter-Ton Dog Step
Gathering materials, off island and on; A dog step bench meant to support a quarter ton.
A Table for Liljestrand House
Replicating a historic table made from framing lumber and nails (but with joinery)
Studying at Mount Fuji Wood Culture Society
Studying japanese hand tools through the lens of furniture and sashimono, with Tak Yoshino