Diy Yakisugi
- Mar 30
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 3
If thinking about writing blog posts counted I would have so many up but I'm working on it! I'm working on a lot of things right now. One thing is gaining skills.
(Bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills...)
The other day a friend came over and taught me how to use a chop saw so that I can build stuff. I grabbed a free plan from my girl Ana to create a little corner couch for my greenhouse as a beginner project and my friend has offered to show me how!
Once the wood was cut I thought to myself, "You know what I should do here? I should set it on fire." And so I did!
Yakisugi is a Japanese method of preserving wood by charring the outside. It is typically done with cedar but will work with other soft wood. By charring the outside of the wood you're burning off the sugars and carbohydrates and removing moisture from the wood which makes it resistant to water, fire, rot, and insects. Yakisugi is traditionally seen on the outside of homes on shingles and there are examples still in use after hundreds of years.
I decided to try my hand at a DIY version. Traditionally, three long planks are tied together to form a flue and fire is ignited inside. The boards are moved in such a way that the fire works up, completely charring the boards. The boards are either left at they are - charred with the bubbly "alligator" surface- or then wire brushed revealing the grain of the wood. Wood preserved this way should be oiled lightly initially but the only upkeep necessary would be another light oiling 15 or so years later. As this was done on the outside of homes in Japan, my plan to use it on a couch I am putting in my greenhouse should be just fine.
Instead of the traditional flue method, I got to play with the blowtorch and it was love at first sight.
I took the blowtorch evenly over the surface of the wood and it was interesting how the different boards reacted to the fire differently.
One thing they all had in common was that the knots seem to reveal deranged ostriches all around.
I'm using this wood to make a couch but now I couldn't imagine putting cushions over it!
I'll be sure to share the final result once it's all together and oiled. I have more cutting and firing to do before it's time to put it all together!!
Learning to cut this wood is such a simple thing but it opens a world of possibilities for me!
Tell me; With Spring and bouncing back outside where all the fun stuff happens, what are you working on right now? Gaining any new skills??
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