Kim Chang-sik 김창식

Pieces of wood. Not one nail.
Every joint cut by hand to lock into the next.
Holder of Seoul Intangible Cultural Heritage, Wooden Furniture Making, since 2001.

「못은 쓸 일이 없지.」
Nails? There's no use for them.

Recorded 14:01

BeganAt twelve

At the benchNearly seventy years

Holder since2001

TeachesSaturdays, Seoul Intangible Heritage Education Center

The eye comes first.

Before any joint is cut, the wood is chosen. Pick the wrong board and the piece will twist or split years later, in someone's home. Choosing well is the first skill of a somokjang.

「단단할수록 뒤틀림이 더 오거든.」
The harder the wood, the more it twists.

Recorded 13:52

Joined, never nailed.

Korean rooms were heated through the floor, and the seasons swing from humid summers to bone-dry winters. Wood moves with them. So a Korean chest is not fastened shut: it is interlocked, piece into piece, so it can breathe without pulling apart.

「외국 가구들은 잘라서 조각해서 연결을 하는데, 우리는 그 겨울과 여름과 차이가 심하기 때문에 그 나무가 뒤틀리는 거.」
Furniture abroad is cut into pieces and fastened together. Here, winter and summer are so far apart that the wood twists.

Recorded 13:51

Three joints, no metal.

01연귀Yeon-gwi
Two boards cut at forty-five degrees and fitted, so the corner shows only grain.
02주먹장Jumeok-jang
A fist-shaped tenon that locks into its socket and will not pull out.
03제비촉Jebichok
A swallow-tail point driven into the centre. The basic of them all, he says.

「나무값보다 품값이 더 들어가.」
The labour costs more than the wood.

Recorded 13:52

Seventy years at the bench.

He started at twelve, running errands in a workshop and learning by watching. Today he teaches every Saturday afternoon, and still works the way he was taught.