This One Rings a Bell (13)

More progress has been realized in the past few days. Getting pretty close to completion now with the drawing work, and I thought it was high time to share a few pictures of the bell tower as it stands.

The first view is of the structure with most of the layers in place:


The exposed planks at each end of the gable are the interior of the fukiji, and are where the minoko will be placed, and I haven't drawn them yet. I will probably draw them in a similar piece-by-piece manner to which they are constructed.

Pulling off a few layers now, it can be seen that a few parts have been added to the interior;


First off, of course, the irregular hip rafters are completed, down to all their jack rafter mortises. Here's a look at the terminal end of the hip as it meets the fukiji miter:


Looking in the gable end, the cantilevers - ha-neh-gi - are now in place:


Also visible in the above drawing are the stub posts atop the ridge to carry the decorative ridge. This building has three different ridges!

A bit more pulled off the model now gives a clearer look at those hanegi:


The hanegi are all compound splayed, parellelogram in cross-section, and the outer pair are slightly curved as well. I may use logs in the round if I can locate something appropriate.

Another view of the hanegi and one of the irregular hips, with jacks attached:


A bird's eye view:


There's getting to be a fairly tidy pile up of chunky timbers in the middle of the roof, and there are more to come. First I need to draw out the cantilevers for the other two sides of the roof, and then I can develop the various purlins, which rest upon the cantilevers in the lower end of the roof. The purlins carry the common and hip rafters of course.

All the hanegi are mortise and tenoned into the kaya-oi:


A slight space is left between the end of the hanegi and the inside face of the kaya-oi to accommodate settling.

Last one today is a shot from directly above:


Along the uphill edge of the eave ceiling boards are the hanegi-osae-ita, which are the fulcrum for the cantilevers. They bear directly down, through the hiro-komai and fan rafters, right onto the wall plate. They will be notched to receive the hanegi.

All for today. I envision just one or two more posts on this, the principal design phase, and it will be all done. Certain details I will deal with later on mind you, such as the gable wall treatment, the drop ceiling, and the gegyo (the carved pendant hung at the apex of the verge boards). Also, the carving details, if any, for the beam ends in various places has yet to be specified.

It's been a long slog with many challenges to get to this point in the process, and I am feeling a curious mix of exhaustion and elation. Tomorrow I will tackle the remaining cantilevers and the so-called 'drooping verge', or minoko. It should be fun.

Thanks for your visit today. Comments always welcome. --> on to post 14