Yuugou by Greensabbath

The next step involves cutting the slanted part -- this is very important because this part would not fit in the mortise if it was not there. And once that was complete, a small cut was made on the flat surface of the tenon that would interlock with the tenon from the other piece.

As you can see, the joints fit together very tightly. After spending hours on this part of the project, the whole frame can be put together. The results are pleasing.


Next came the pieces on the side that would make up the side frames and would later accept the koa pieces. These went much faster than the first. I also made a front panel using the same techniques.

What we’re left with after the last step is a visually (and physically) bulky frame that needs some trimming. The next step would be to add the curves that will transform that bulky frame, and give it a more delicate and elegant quality. The first step was to mock it up. I then made plywood templates, which didn’t do much good but helped to keep the sides similar. I used a bandsaw to cut out the curves and a spindle sander for the initial sanding of them. What we’re left with is a very nice, but still rough, frame.

Now that the curves of the frame are roughed out, it is time to cut the grooves that will accept the aluminium interior frame. These grooves are the only places that the two frames meet and are very important. To do these the grooves, I used my trusty router table (with brand new bits).