A centuries-old technique used by Japanese carpenters and joiners, wood assembly is a traditional art that allows for the construction of timeless works. The training in artistic crafts allows the participant to approach woodworking by hand, through the study and creation of Japanese assemblies to create a decorative work.

Particular attention will be paid to the material and the resource during this workshop. Victor Levecq addresses the physical properties of wood, sharpening, tracing, assemblies and finishing, as well as the variations specific to carpentry and cabinetmaking, as well as the differences between Japanese and Western carpentry.

This training offers the broadest possible opening, by exploring a specific area of ​​woodworking to provide the participant with all the resources necessary for their subsequent progress.

At the end of the training, the trainee will have assimilated:

• Choose the wood according to its origin and destination
• Prepare and sharpen your cutting tools
• Recognize the main Japanese assemblies and describe their function
• Make solid and precise assembliesAssemble a work composed of different elements
• Organize your work space

This training allows learning the basics of Japanese assembly. A library of books and multimedia content will be made available to the participant during the training, to allow him to subsequently seek out the information himself according to the direction in which his interest points. In the introduction, wood, its origin and management will be discussed, an opening on its various uses in the sphere of crafts and industry, as well as its anatomy. The basic structural principles that govern wood construction in Japan will then be discussed, and the major families of assemblies, to then go into the detail of their vocabulary which allows them to be classified and to know their structure and function.

A practical application will allow to take control of the basic tools, apply an order of drawing and execution of the assemblies chosen by the participants. Then the realization of a carpentry work will allow to undertake an implementation in a more complex assembly. The objective is to learn to anticipate the steps and organize yourself to avoid fatigue and distraction.

The training is designed as an initiation to allow the participant to have a global vision and keys to deepen by himself after this week, as well as bases to practice and develop according to the desired goal.

Day 1: Discovery of Japanese carpentry and preparation

Day 2: Tracing and production of training assemblies

Day 3: Launch of personalized projects

Day 4: Production of an original work

Day 5: Finishing, storage and collective restitution

Victor Levecq, itinerant carpenter.

He began his apprenticeship in 2014 and traveled to France for several years where he trained in various companies, in traditional carpentry and heritage restoration. In 2017, he went to live in Japan for a year. He worked for the Roy Mokkou company, which built a tea pavilion and participated in the construction of a temple with the Momoyama company. It was a new world that opened up to him, with new types of wood, new tools, new gestures and another way of thinking. He will remain deeply marked by this experience which will lastingly inspire his practice of the profession. Back in France, he worked for historical monuments in Troyes and in 2020 joined the École Polytechnique de Bari to carry out a one-year research project on assemblies. By studying ancient construction techniques and parametric design, he created a construction game inspired by dovetails: Gumi. In 2021, he joined the European Institute of Carpentry, Fitting and Cabinetmaking where he developed new training courses for the Compagnons du Devoir. At the same time, he continued to train in artisanal design at the Grands Ateliers as well as in the Art du Trait and became a trainer for the Marseille School of Architecture. He wrote a thesis on learning through play and joined the Fondation de Coubertin in 2022 to deepen his artistic culture before creating a tailor-made training and furniture design company: Menuiserie Kinoko. He continues to travel and share his passion for woodworking, respecting the material and those who transform it.

Training in Japanese woodworking techniques, from tool preparation to traditional assembly and slice finishing.

For all audiences with a strong interest in woodworking.

• Conference
• Workshop
• Supply of materials
• Active participation and experimentation of participants is encouraged

• Collective and personalized monitoring of work, regular updates
• Self-assessment of technical skills
• Collective restitution
• Sign-in sheet per half-day
• Certificate of completion issued by Campus MaNa