little woodwork project

the last time my dear friend naosuke was up here in sonoma visiting, he ended up staying longer than he originally planned in order to catch up on some r & r, and also to work with me in the shop, collaborating and learning from one another. he recently took a class on traditional japanese woodworking and learned a lot about the tools and techniques. he shared with me some of what he learned and it was very exciting. it's a very different world than western woodworking that i'm used to.

since then, i haven't had a chance to put to use anything that i learned. but finally, today, i got around to building a little bench/shelf for the shower in the bathroom addition i build for kevin and rosa lee earlier this year. it's a very simple design. it uses no fasteners or glue. only the friction of the two joints where the legs intersect with the shelf. this type of joint is called a mortise and tenon. i used my set of wood chisels, which naosuke showed me how to hone to a razor sharp edge. its was really fun.