Kashihara Table

Taking its name from the famous Shinto shrine in Nara, Japan, the Kashihara Table hybridises specialised Japanese joinery with typical breadboard end detailing.

Many visitors to Shinto shrines in Japan will have marvelled at the use of extremely large sections of timber in their construction. Japanese carpentry and joinery are famous for the masterful detailing techniques which manage the use of natural materials of such large scale.

In the case of the timber doors found throughout the Kashihara shine, clever detailing permits the use of single sections of massive timbers without seasonal variations in dimension causing the doors to jam. Vertical joints allow the large timber sections to shrink and swell in response to fluctuations in air humidity without altering the overall dimension of the door panels. Top and bottom rails are integrated subtly with mitred joints for support. The overall impression is a humbling sense of awe as one is dwarfed by sections of timber cut from trees with trunk diameters measured in meters.

Taking inspiration from this approach, the tabletop for the Kashihara Table utilises an offset tongue and groove joint with inset breadboard ends for support. Unlike typical breadboard end detailing, which allows the overall dimension of a table to fluctuate seasonally, dimensional changes are accommodated within the tongue and groove joint. The result is a fixed width table that accommodates timber movement internally.

At over 3.2 metres long, the Kashihara Table is quite large. Below the tabletop, the understructure manages this scale, and the large spans involved, whilst maintaining an overall lightless. A tapered beam provides support for both the central span and cantilevered ends. Crossed legs at either end are braced by handmade brass struts, fixed with custom connectors.

Handmade in American white oak with a water-based finish, the table also encourages tactile engagement with the materials through a variety of edge details that accentuate and celebrate the different qualities of timber grain.

Project
Kashihara Table

Status
Completed

Maker
Martin Johnston Furniture, with
Woods Welding & Fabrication

Photography
Jesse Smith