: Learning New Mortise and Tenon Structures

Zhang Mingxi saw him to the gate of the courtyard and whispered, "Come earlier tomorrow."

"Okay." Qian Cheng nodded, looking at her. "Let's go back, it's cold outside."

Zhang Mingxi responded but didn't move. He watched Qian Cheng walk away before turning back into the house.

Qian Cheng walked home, feeling warm inside.

This meal at my master's house tasted just like home.

Although Zhang Changtian was still a little awkward, Qian Cheng could sense that the old man had accepted him.

As for that bit of jealousy...

Qian Cheng smiled.

understand.

If I have a daughter in the future and she gets snatched away by some guy, I'll be jealous.

However, he will treat Zhang Mingxi well.

for sure.

In the evening, Qian Cheng lit an oil lamp and sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) to start making a fishing rod.

During the day by the river, he noticed that Li Jianguo and Liu Tiedan's simple "fishing rods" were just thin wooden sticks with hemp ropes tied to them, without even a proper handle.

As for Zhang Changtian, although the old man didn't say it, Qian Cheng could tell that he was quite interested in ice fishing.

Then make a few more.

Anyway, the materials are all readily available.

There were still a few bamboo poles in the yard, all of which were used for drying clothes in the past. They were thin, long, and flexible. Qian Cheng picked out four of them and cut them into lengths of about 1.5 meters.

He twisted the fishing line into strands using sewing thread, and this time he twisted it more carefully, making sure each strand was tightly twisted. He twisted all six strands together and tested it; it was stronger than the one he had during the day.

Fishhooks are still made with needles.

He heated four sewing needles until they were red-hot, bent them into hook shapes, and sharpened them.

With yesterday's experience, I was able to do it faster this time, and the hook shape was also more regular.

The floats were made of goose feather tubes, cut into small sections, with holes punched in the middle with a needle.

While assembling, Qian Cheng thought for a moment and added a handle to each fishing rod, wrapping a rag tightly around the end of the bamboo rod to make it more comfortable to hold.

It was almost midnight by the time I finished making the four fishing rods.

The oil lamp flickered, and the oil was almost gone. Qian Cheng rubbed his sore eyes, put the fishing rod against the wall, and prepared to go to sleep.

But after thinking about it, I still opened the book.

With the college entrance examination just around the corner, we cannot afford to slack off.

He was studying math, specifically the trigonometric functions section, which had many formulas and was easy to get confused about.

Qian Cheng read the document while simultaneously working out the concepts on a draft paper.

sin, cos, tan, angle conversion, formula transformation...

Student proficiency +1

A notification flashed before my eyes.

Qian Cheng perked up and continued watching.

After about an hour, the lamp oil completely burned out, the flame flickered twice, and then went out.

The room was plunged into darkness.

Qian Cheng put down his book, climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed) in the dark, and crawled into bed.

The next day, when Qian Cheng woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.

He got up, glanced at the sky outside the window, and guessed it was almost noon. Hou Yufen wasn't home, but there was cornmeal porridge and steamed buns heating up in the pot.

Qian Cheng hurriedly ate breakfast, tied the four fishing rods together, carried them on his back, and went out to Zhang's house.

When Qian Cheng arrived at the Zhang family's house, Zhang Changtian was sitting in the main room smoking. He was taken aback when he saw Qian Cheng carrying a bundle of bamboo poles and asked, "What's this?"

"A fishing rod." Qian Cheng put down the bamboo rod. "I made it for you."

Zhang Changtian stood up, picked up a bamboo pole and examined it. The bamboo pole was smooth, the handle was tightly wrapped, the fishing line was even, the hook was sharp, and the float was made of goose feather tube. It looked quite convincing.

"Not bad," Zhang Changtian commented. "Much better than the back scratchers you make."

Qian Cheng laughed: "Master, are we still learning carpentry today?"

"Learn." Zhang Changtian put down his fishing rod. "But we have to teach new things first. Just knowing how to make stools isn't enough. We need to learn some complex mortise and tenon structures."

The two entered the carpentry shed.

Zhang Changtian took a plane off the wall and then a piece of wood: "Today I'll teach you dovetail joints. This is the strongest type of joint in woodworking, and it can be used to make boxes and cabinets."

He drew lines on the wooden board, explaining as he drew: "Dovetail tenon, as the name suggests, is shaped like a swallow's tail."

The male tenon is trapezoidal, and the female tenon is an inverted trapezoid. The two interlock perfectly, fitting together seamlessly and becoming tighter with each pull.

Qian Cheng listened attentively.

Zhang Changtian drew the lines and began sawing.

The saw cut trapezoidal notches along the drawn lines.

The cut is very fine, and the gap is almost invisible.

"Did you see it clearly?" Zhang Changtian asked.

"I see it clearly." Qian Cheng nodded.

"Then you do it." Zhang Changtian handed him the wooden plank and saw.

Qian Cheng took it, took a deep breath, and began sawing.

He imitated Zhang Changtian, aligning the saw with the drawn line, and steadily pushed and pulled, the saw cutting into the wood, scattering sawdust.

Zhang Changtian watched from the side without saying a word.

After Qian Cheng finished sawing a notch, he stopped to look at it and found that the cut was a bit crooked and not straight enough.

"Again," Zhang Changtian said.

Qian Cheng sawed a second one.

This time it's better; the cut is straight, but the depth is uneven.

The third, the fourth...

By the time I sawed the fifth one, the cut was almost straight and the depth was consistent.

Carpentry Proficiency +1

A notification flashed before my eyes.

Qian Cheng didn't stop; he continued sawing.

After sawing off all the dovetail tenons on the entire wooden board, the edges were trimmed with a chisel to make each tenon neat and smooth.

After finishing those, he began working on the tenon on another piece of wood.

The female tenon is more difficult to make.

Based on the shape of the tenon, a corresponding inverted trapezoidal notch should be chiseled out on another piece of wood.

The dimensions must be precise, otherwise it won't fit.

Qian Cheng measured and measured again, drew the lines, and began to chisel.

The chisel struck the wood, making a "thud" sound.

He chiseled very carefully, removing the wood bit by bit, and occasionally picking up the tenon to compare it.

Zhang Changtian stood by and watched, but didn't interfere.

After chiseling the first female tenon, Qian Cheng picked up the male tenon and tried it out.

It won't fit.

It's too small.

Qian Cheng frowned, picked up the chisel, and widened the gap slightly.

Try again.

It's in this time, but a little loose.

"If it's loose, the dovetail joint is meant to fit perfectly; if it's loose, it won't be sturdy."

Qian Cheng nodded, took out the male tenon, and retried the edge of the female tenon. He narrowed the notch slightly and tried again.

This time, the male tenon was firmly inserted into the female tenon, fitting perfectly, and it couldn't be shaken by hand.

Qian Cheng breathed a sigh of relief.

"Not bad." Zhang Changtian finally spoke up. "For your first attempt, it's quite good."

Qian Cheng smiled and continued working on the remaining tenons.

One, two, three...

By the time he got to the fourth one, he was already quite proficient.

Drawing lines, chiseling, and trimming—all done in one smooth motion. The tenon fits in perfectly, a seamless finish.

Carpentry Proficiency +1

Carpentry Proficiency +1

Two consecutive notifications.

Qian Cheng looked at the dovetail joint that had been completed in front of him. The two wooden boards were tightly interlocked, as if they were a natural whole.

"Master, is this alright?"

Zhang Changtian picked up the joined wooden board and tried to bend it, but it wouldn't budge.

"OK."

Qian Cheng was secretly delighted.

"But don't be arrogant. Dovetail joints are just the basics. There are many more tricks to woodworking. After the New Year, I'll teach you how to make cabinets, doors, and windows."

"Okay," Qian Cheng replied.

Zhang Changtian glanced at the clock on the wall: "Alright, that's enough for today. Didn't you say you were going fishing?"