Wooden box from Ancient Egypt Gallery, Louvre Museum

Photo credit: Gary Todd

From ancient Mesopotamia, researchers found well-preserved remains of an ornate wooden table, now referred to as the “Pagoda Table,” with elegant struts and a discernible dowel system. The man buried in the same tomb is assumed to have been a king, surrounded in the afterlife by his most valuable earthly possessions.

The Ming dynasty in China, regarded as the “golden age” of Chinese furniture, featured elaborate joinery (often mortise and tenon joints, again) combined with more ergonomic and simple design. Though China’s woodworking and carpentry legacy began much earlier (see China’s “father of carpentry,” Lu Ban), it wasn’t until trade routes opened, allowing the country to import higher-quality, denser wood that enabled more complex joinery techniques.

During the Medieval Period in Europe, joinery skills for furniture construction in historic churches became highly coveted, leading to the rise of the joiner profession. Joiners in the region learned how to better manage wood movement in humid climates, opening the door for greater artistic endeavors.

Similar stories exist in Japan, India, Southeast Asia and other areas where woodworking practices are well documented. Ultimately, no one culture is responsible for advancing fine furniture joinery. Master craftsmen across the globe learned how to use tried-and-true joints within local contexts, innovating whenever possible.

Industrialized joinery: efficiency & cost-effectiveness

Industrialization upended fine furniture joinery. Before the advent of saws, mechanical routers and other power tools, joinery was done by hand. Starting in the 19th century, machine-cut joints, adhesives and mechanical fasteners became more prevalent, and the era of scaled furniture making began.

Thanks to the Swedish company, IKEA, millions of people today are now amateur joiners. At any given moment over the course of a year, like this one right now, approximately 170,000 people around the world are in the process of joining panels to dowels and assembling household furniture in simple visual steps.

Photo credit: IKEA

IKEA has achieved what the ancients would have thought impossible—the mass production of reliable furniture that anybody can assemble. They’ve struck a balance between cost, design and logistical efficiency. What IKEA and other mass furniture manufacturers sacrifice, though, is the ability to deliver distinctive and impressive furniture, much like what joiners were charged with doing for centuries.

The middle path: beauty & value

We have the opportunity today to merge the best of traditional techniques with modern innovation. Our aim is to deliver distinctive wood lighting fixtures that demonstrate mastery over both legacy and contemporary approaches when it comes to joinery, textures and finishes.

Some of what we pursue is achievable only by hand with traditional tools. Even then, however, we embrace and leverage the precision and efficiency of advanced CAD and CNC capabilities where appropriate. This combination of traditional and modern craftsmanship is and always will be a hallmark of Idaho Wood products.

Consider the chair you’re sitting in. Or the table across the room. Or the roof above. The joinery that holds them together is more than just engineering. It’s encoded with values and philosophies from cultures near and far.

Joinery today is the culmination of thousands of years of humans building, experimenting and refining. People spent entire lifetimes working meticulously by hand to carve and combine wood. Now, we have the ability to empower and elevate human skill in a way that serves both maker and customer. It’s a privilege that we take seriously at Idaho Wood.