Butterflies and bow ties for wooden cracks

I was talking the other day about cer with someone who had received a request for furniture in this species of wood and wanted to know as much as possible about it. We started with its resemblance to oak tree, about the natural play of colors that distinguishes it from oak, but also about its tendency to crack. I also added that these cracks, much appreciated by those who favor the most natural look of wood and a simplistic finish, can be solved - thus increasing the value of the furniture - with the help of ... wooden butterflies. It was at this point that I definitively captured his attention, the questions cascading. She had known about these butterflies for a long time, she had always admired them, but she considered them strictly decorative and had never thought they could be useful. His interest and enthusiasm convinced me that the subject was interesting and that you might like to know more about it.

The garments (or decorations) are so called because of their shape, which looks like a stylized butterfly. They're also called bow ties (it's clear why), neckties or Dutch keys. The tie is not a modern invention. It has been known since ancient times, being used to build wooden boats, furniture and houses. The person who reintroduced this way of joining into modern furniture design was George Nakashima, a renowned American designer with Japanese origins. Nakashima is so important in this field of wood that he has an article entirely dedicated to him. Until then, I'll just tell you that tables with sliced-wood tops with natural, irregular, butterfly-cracked edges are practically a legacy Nakashima left us. In 1988, two years before his death, he was designated a "Living Treasure" in the United States.

But back to our butterflies and their usefulness. More and more people want, when it comes to wood, to go back to the natural, to those unprocessed pieces of wood that carry within them the story of wood. Also natural are the cracks that appear after cutting and slicing. During drying, due to stresses in the wood, especially hardwoods such as oak, nuc or the sky, cracks appear at the ends of the planks. That part of the plank is removed when the wood goes into production.

But if you look at these cracks, they add beauty and naturalness to the wood. Left as they are, however, there is a risk that over time they will advance and cause the plank to crack completely, or even worse, destroy the object made from it. To prevent this from happening, the two edges of the crack are clamped together with wooden butterflies.

Making joints is not very complicated. There are templates for butterflies, but since we're talking about a stylized figure, it can be made as you see fit. The recommendations are that the thickness should be between 7 and 10 mm and the length under 80 mm. This is to avoid problems of movement and dimensional variations inside the butterfly. The template is used to draw on the two edges of the crack, after which the wood is hollowed out mechanically, using a router, or manually, with a chisel. The specialists recommend that, even if a router has been used, the angles should be finished with a chisel to ensure a perfect fit.

Such joints are not only used for cracks. In fact, they were originally used to join 2 separate pieces of wood. The butterfly is one of a multitude of joints in traditional Japanese carpentry. For example, it can be used to put the sides of a frame together.

You can also put 2 planks with unfinished sides from the same tree together to form a tabletop or bench. And that's how we combine the useful with the beautiful.

As I said, butterflies can also be placed on wood for decorative purposes. In this case their thickness is not as great, 3-4 mm is sufficient. For the best effect, the wood they are made of should be different from the wood on which they are to be placed and have a contrasting color.

Also for effect the butterflies can no longer be... butterflies, but have other shapes. With a few well-chosen designs, your tabletop can be transformed into a real work of art.

Replacing wood with metal to make the butterfly is all about design and aesthetics, and you have to admit that it looks great.

Although butterflies are most commonly found on tabletops made from thick planks of the least processed wood, they are not the only pieces that can be decorated in this way. Wooden chair backs, bed bases, bed frames, chopping boards or wooden floors can be made out of the ordinary and special.

These joints allow the use of wood with problems, retrieving it, practically turning it out of the fire. It's a way to take advantage of the natural look of wood, of the flaws that make it unique, beautiful and special, without the fear that over time they might destroy it. And the little butterfly is the perfect combination of tradition, simplicity and beauty.