Butternut With Walnut Kumiko Moribana Coffee Table
*Price includes shipping
48w x 18d x 17t
Butternut with unsteamed walnut kumiko.
Designed, built, finished, and photographed by Robert Morrissey.
Copyright Philomath Woodworks 2023.
About this table:
Solid butternut top featuring unsteamed walnut kumiko.
This table is in my "Moribana" series, inspired by the beauty and tranquility of traditional Japanese flower arranging.
My Moribana series features two continuous grain "waterfall" boards framing a kumiko center.
The kumiko pattern is called "Asa-no-ha" and represents a hempleaf. This ancient square kumiko pattern is believed to encourage healthy growth and is often used as a design motif for children.
This table's kumiko has 840 hand chiseled joints
Kumiko is a delicate and sophisticated technique of assembling wooden pieces without the use of nails. Thinly slit wooden pieces are grooved, punched, mortised, and then fitted individually using a plane, saw, chisel and other tools to make fine adjustments. After dry fitting I then reassemble using glue to make the kumiko structural for furniture. The technique was developed in Japan in the Asuka Era (600-700 AD), and has since been refined and passed down through generations of craftsmen who are passionate about the tradition of kumiko.
You can watch my "Making Kumiko" video on the ABOUT page.
Proprietary Philomath LinBee Finish - a natural blend of linseed oil and Montana beeswax (for more details please see LinBee product page).