You can see shoji screens in many Japanese temples.
Japanese shoji screens represent a mixture of complexity and simplicity that is characteristic of the culture. Craftsman meticulously craft the joints so that the interlocking lattice fits perfectly, but then either leaves the wood unfinished or covers it with a simple coat of black lacquer and attaches the paper by simply gluing it with mucilage. The carpentry techniques are basic, but the attention to detail gives the screens their character. You can make shoji screens yourself, but if you want to do it right, plan to spend a little time doing it.
Instructions
1. Rip boards for the frame of the screen of basswood, cedar or redwood on a table saw. These boards should be 1-by-1 1/2-inch. Cut these to the height and width of the screen with a Japanese pull saw. These dimensions can be anything, but they usually are about 6-by-3-foot. Cut the pieces for the top and bottom 3 inches longer than the inside width of the screen to allow for overlap.
2. Rip sticks for the screen lattice. They should be a half-inch thick and 1 inch wide. You can design the lattice spacing to be as wide as you choose and then cut the number of sticks you need to make it. Cut the sticks to the inside dimensions of the screen, plus 1 inch.
3. Smooth the wooden components of the screen you have just cut with a hand plane, in the traditional Japanese way, or use sandpaper.
4. Chisel out tenons in the top and bottom frame pieces. Make a mark 1 1/2 inches from either end of each board and cut a 1/4-inch deep groove on all four sides with a pull saw, then chisel 1/4 inch from all four sides, starting at the end and working back to the groove.
5. Draw the outlines of the tenons on the ends of the side frame pieces, on the 1-inch edge and chisel out mortises that extend all the way through the wood. Tap the frame together with a wooden mallet, fitting the tenons into the mortises. They should fit tightly enough to hold the screen together without glue.
6. Lay out the lattice sticks on the frame so that the ends extend 1/2-inch past the inside edges and mark the positions of the ends of the sticks on the frame. Mark each point of intersection on each lattice stick as well.
7. Make a tenon in both ends of each lattice board with a pull saw by cutting a 1/2-by-1/2-inch notch on either side, leaving a 1/2-by-1/2-inch protrusion in the middle. Chisel out corresponding mortises, centered in the frame on the marks, that are 5/8- to 3/4-inch deep.
8. Make notches in each stick at each intersection point with a pull saw and chisel. These notches should be half the width of the stick in depth and equal to the thickness of the stick in width. Be sure the notches are facing each other on intersecting sticks.
9. Separate the frame, fit in the lattice, then tap the frame back together.
10. Spread mucilage on the edges of the all frame pieces and lattice sticks on one side of the screen, then lay rice paper, or washi, on the glue. Make sure the washi is straight and has no wrinkles, but you do not have to pull it tight. Let the glue dry for at least four hours, then trim it with a utility knife.
11. Make another screen in the same way, then join the two screens with metal hinges, screwing the hinges onto the wood with a screwdriver.
12. Stand the screen up and spray water on the washi, lightly soaking it. When the water dries, the paper will shrink and tighten on the wood.
Tags: frame pieces, with pull, 2-by-1 2-inch, 4-inch deep, each lattice, four sides, lattice sticks
