Joinery Notebook

As-found, Douglas fir dresser. Kona.  There is not much information out there about once-common softwood furniture that was made here in Hawaii during the period of about 1900 to 1960. Wishing there was, I figured I would at least document what I have found because such furniture is rapidly disappearing, especially the earlier examples.  Admittedly, there are legit reasons for the disappearance - and the dearth of info. This furniture is often battered, worn, splintery, termite-damaged, viewed as "old and worthless", rotted, heavy, in need of repair, has lead paint, etc. It was never intended as "fine furniture" but it served its purpose well for many years in a lot of homes here.  While koa is a beautiful Hawaiian hardwood and grown right here on the Big Island (Hawaii Island) where my furniture examples came from, few could afford such furniture during the pre...

In the Kona region of Hawaii Island (aka The Big Island), enterprising families a couple generations ago (most of whom were of Japanese ancestry) were often engaged in various home-based businesses, including growing and processing coffee. Part of the coffee processing for many farmers was the drying of coffee beans to yield "parchment" which was then sold.  Parchment The way coffee was most commonly dried was on the raised platform of a drying shed - locally known as a hoshidana - which is Japanese for drying shelf or platform . These sheds were almost as numerous as coffee farmers but over the years many of the hoshidanas have been torn down or fell down. This is a great loss, as the hoshidana is a showcase of thrift, ingenuity, and mechanical wizardry and a testament to the dedication of the coffee farming families that operated them.  So, what distinguishes a hoshidana from a typical farm shed? First, at the top plate level there is a drying platform that covers the entir...