Books
A Carpentry Handbook
Compiling families of carpentry joints has always been an arduous, practically unmanageable task. In a huge effort, Sascha Bauer and Daniel Pauli have not only collected a myriad, but also built a cross-cultural bridge by investigating their typologies, nomenclatures, and terminologies in three languages: Japanese, German, English. As if that were not enough, in the manner of a recipe book they exemplify the process of marking, cutting, carving, shaping, and assembling each joint. What at first might appear to be mere visual entertainment is the publication’s soul and raison d’être. The unraveling of the crafting process allows the know-how to be passed on, ensuring it is applied and perpetuated.
An introduction analyzes wood’s properties and qualities, felling and sawing, volume loss and deformation during drying: information for novices and experts alike. Carpentry tools are also illustrated, varying with origins (chisels, planes, hammers, saws, framing squares, gauges), making clear the aim of connecting us to the discipline’s proprioceptive essence.
At the peak of industrialized wood’s technification, the appearance of this title is important. Now on its second edition, it is essential reading for professionals in carpentry and wood architecture, a reminder about the need to continue implementing these timeless techniques. Only by optimising these systems and maximizing the inherent attributes of a versatile material like wood can we face a future committed to reducing carbon emissions, reusing, and recycling.
