Category: Kumiko

In order to be able to make Kumiko, you will need a few jigs. The amount and types of jigs highly depend on the pattern you want to make and the needed angles on the infill pieces as well as the type of grid you will make. In this article, I am gonna demonstrate the jigs for the Asanoha-pattern in a square grid, since it is one of the most common patterns and is a good starting point for beginners. I did start with it, too.

The Asanoha consists of a long diagonal infill piece (b), two smaller infill pieces ( c) and a small piece (d), that locks everything in place.

In order to fit perfectly together with the following angles on the pieces have to be cut:

a: 90-degree notch

b: 45-degree bevel on each side 

c: 22.5-degree and 67.5-degree

d: 45-degree on each side

The grid can be cut in a few different ways. There are two common ways. With a Japanese pull saw and a narrow chisel or on the table saw with a jig that is similar to a box joint jig.

I like the table saw way. It is fast, accurate and repeatable. There is a downside. The thickness of your strips must match the thickness of your table saw blade. In the picture below you see my jig. The little pin sticking out of the fence is the same thickness as the grid.

Note: The triangular pattern (Mitsukude) is cut on a different jig, but with the same principle.

My preferred method of cutting the small bevels on the infill pieces is with a shop-made jig and a sharp Japanese chisel (I sharpened it 25 degree – Any angle would work but I found that 25 works best in terms of sharpness since durability is not really an issue when pairing only tiny pieces).

The jigs are essentially just a miter box with an adjustable stop, where the infill pieces stick out on one side and the excess gets cut by the chisel.

The jigs are made out of hardwood (I like oak for that). They are about 50mm (2”) by 45mm (1 ¾”) with an 8mm deep and 12 mm (½”) wide groove in the middle. The angles at the end match the angles needed for your pattern. 

The stop is held at its place with a wing screw going in a threaded insert.

For the Asanoha I like to make only two blocks with an angle on each side. Therefore it is important which angle is on the same block with another. You want to have one jig with 45-degree plus 67.5-degree and the second with 22.5-degree plus 67.5-degree on the other end. This makes cutting the smaller infill pieces ( c)  much easier since you are able to set both blocks with the 67.5-degree angle to different lengths. You can find more about how to cut the Asanoha pattern in my video below.

If you decide to build your own jigs make sure the angles are dead on and the stop is adjustable to the lengths you will need, depending on the grid size.

Here’s is how I build the jigs

I start by milling an oak board to 45mm (1 ¾”) thickness and then ripping strips slightly over 50mm (2”) off it. The next step is to send them through the planer one more time in order to get perfect 45mm (1 ¾”) by 50mm (2”) strips. For cutting the groove I use a flat-top table saw blade and make several cuts until the groove is about 12mm (½”) wide.  A trick I like to use is rotating the strips 180 degrees between passes. Therefore you can make 2 cuts with each crosscut fence positions and it saves time setting up the fence. 

After the groove is cut, I mill some more strips to fit the groove. They should have a nice friction fit. The height is not so critical. I let them sit a bit proud of the groove because that makes it easier to adjust them when cutting the pattern. They receive a 5mm (3/16”) slot in the center, where the wing bolt goes through.

The main body of the jigs gets a hole in the center. The depth, therefore, depends on the threaded inserts you use as well as the length of your screws. After installing the insert, I wipe on a single coat of oil to protect them. 

Tataaaah finished are your Kumiko jigs and ready to build some awesome stuff.

Get your own jigs now

In my shop, I have finished jigs and Kumiko kits for sale. Give yourself a headstart and order one right away.

Choosing the right species for your wood latticework makes it much easier and enjoyable.

When I made my first Kumiko pattern I didn’t ask myself this question and started with oak. Why this was a bad idea, I am gonna explain in a minute.

Traditionally Japanese Kumiko work is made out of Japanese cedar or Japanese cypress, but not everybody lives in Japan and has access to that. Nor has it the right color for every project. 

Here I am gonna write a little bit about the best wood for making Kumiko. Although there is no definite answer to that question. As usual, it depends…

In general, you want to use boards with straight, tight grain and with as little color differences as possible. Since the Kumiko pattern itself is visually very striking, the quiet grain gives a more uniform and calm look. If you have different color tones in your infill pieces, you will see the beveled corners pretty clearly and the Kumiko will look like a bunch of strips thrown together instead of a clean pattern.

Another concern is the hardness of the wood. Softer wood will compress a little when you put the pieces together. A harder wood like oak will not compress as much and makes it harder to get a clean pattern. And that is exactly what happened to me. Choosing oak for my first pattern ever made it so much more difficult.

When you choose the wood you also want to take a species that takes an edge well and does not splinter as much.

Considering the facts here are some wood species to start with. 

The most known wood for Kumiko right now is basswood. It scores well on all the three factors above, is a great wood for hand carving and is relatively cheap compared to other hardwoods.

Another good choice can be white pine which is similar to basswood.

My favorite species for Kumiko is whitewood (yellow popular). My lumberyard was short of basswood and I told them what I wanted to use it for. They suggested whitewood and I gave it a try. I did not regret that move. It was so great to work with and the Kumiko turned out so good. Also, the availability and selection of whitewood at my lumberyard is pretty good. That makes it perfect for me.

Especially if you want to use contrasting species in a Kumiko panel or match the color of other components in your workpiece you may need to turn your attention to some other species. Cherry, oak, walnut and mahogany are also great for Kumiko. But since they are considerably harder, they are less forgiving, way harder to pair and it is more difficult to achieve a nice Kumiko pattern without gaps. 

Summary

You need a wood species that pairs well and boards with little defects, minimal color differences and straight grain. 

Basswood, white pine and whitewood are great woods for beginners in Kumiko. Cherry, oak, walnut and mahogany can be necessary because of color but are more challenging to work with.

Get your Kumiko Starter Kit now

In my shop, you find Kumiko kits for sale. Give yourself a headstart and order one right away.

There are hundreds, maybe thousands of different kumiko patterns that are used not only by japanese woodworkers.

In this article, I want to show and talk about a bunch of them.

Note: I am gonna add pictures of every pattern as I build them and also more patterns in the future.

The base of the patterns is the grid (kaku). The grid can be made up of squares(), triangles (Misukude) or diamonds().

The Mitsukude and diamond grid are a little bit more challenging to make. The square grid is great for beginners.

Square patterns

How to make the square pattern

Asa-no-ha (more precisely kakuasa-no-ha)

Asa-no-ha means hemp leaf in Japanese and shall mimic its shape. Kakuasa-no-ha just means square hemp leaf. In Japan the pattern is often used on the fabric of baby clothing and stands for strength as well as beauty. It is one of the most used patterns, although it is not that easy to make. 3 different infill pieces have to fit perfectly and a total of 7 infill pieces is needed per square. Angles are 45-degree, 22.5-degree and 67.5-degree.

Izutsu-Tsugi pattern

This pattern looks fairly simple. It’s a small square held by 4 diagonals at the corners. In order to make this pattern a 45-degree jig enough. It is pretty quick to make, too.

Triangular patterns around the Mitsukude

Asa-no-ha 

The asa-no-ha in a triangular grid is fairly easy to make and one of the easiest patterns in terms of infill pieces. You only need one setting on the 30-degree jig and another on the 60-degree jig. One triangle gets filled with 3 pieces. Once the grid is done, this Kumiko pattern fairly quickly knocked out. In the Japanese believe that the aggregation of triangles protects against the evil.

Kuruma kikko

Kuruma means car in japanese or in this case wheel. Kikko just means that it is hexagonal.  

The pattern consists of the same piece over and over. It has 60-degree bevels on the end and two 60 degree half-lap joints on opposite sides. 

Sakura

The cherry blossom (sakura) is one of the most important symbols in the japanese culture and known as the national flower of Japan. So no surprise that there is a Kumiko pattern for sakura.

Sakura symbolizes beauty as well as mortality and is believed to predict that year’s harvest. It also kicks off the rice planting season.

The pattern consists only of 2 different pieces but needs 6 pieces per triangle. The bevels on the thicker pieces are 60 degrees and on the thinner pieces as well, but there are two on each end. 

The thinner piece can be joint either with a normal groove in the thicker piece or with a bird’s mouth joint.   

Goma gara

The goma (sesame) gara (pattern) represents the sesame flower. Sesame is pretty big in the japanese kitchen and Japan is one of the biggest sesame producers.

The pattern consists of the same piece (60-degree bevels on the end and two 60 degree half-lap joints) as the kuruma kikko but with different spacing for the lap joints. 

Kasane-Rindo (Gentian sequence)

Rindo is the gentian and this pattern derives from a sequence of gentian blossoms.

Gentian stands for sincerity, justice and tolerance. The roots of the flowers are used for medicine.

The rindo pattern is also made of the same piece over and over. It has a 90 degree half lap joint, a 15 degrees bevel on one end and 75 degrees on the other (the one closer to the half-lap).

Get your Kumiko Starter kit now

In my shop, you find Kumiko Starter kits for sale. Give yourself a headstart and order one right away.