Why do mahogany furniture use 榫卯 connections instead of nails?

Why can't mahogany furniture use nails? This problem seems simple, but it has deep mysteries.

The study found that as early as 7000 years ago in the Hemudu Neolithic Age, our ancestors had already begun to use it. That is to say, the 榫卯 structure is a unique craft creation of the Chinese nation and has a long history. The reason why Chinese traditional furniture (especially Ming and Qing furniture) reached today's level has a direct relationship with the use of this structural feature, and it is precisely the application of this clever structure, which promoted the artistic value of Chinese furniture for domestic use. Surprised by exterior furniture and architectural artists. Therefore, it can be said that Chinese furniture does not use nails. It is a tradition, a convention, and a continuation and development of the upper hand. The reason why Chinese furniture is called traditional furniture is that the structure is the core.

Furniture with a combination of 榫卯 structure is more durable than furniture with nails. The 榫卯 structure is a combination of 榫 and ,, which is an ingenious combination of woods between multiple and small, high and low, long and short. This combination can effectively limit the twisting of wood pieces in all directions. The nail connection can't be done. For example, the two rafts are made into a T-shaped combination with nails. The mullion and the sill are easily twisted to change the angle, and when combined with 榫卯, they will not be distorted.

Second, metals are prone to rust or oxidation, while real mahogany furniture can be used for hundreds of years. Many Ming-style furniture have been around for hundreds of years, and although they are vicissitudes, the wood is as hard as ever. If the nails are combined, it is likely that the wood is intact, but the furniture will fall apart due to corrosion, aging, etc. of the connected metal.

The 榫卯 structure of the furniture is easy to transport. Many mahogany furniture is disassembled and transported, and it is very convenient to assemble and install at the destination. If you use iron nails to connect the furniture, although you can do the composition, but there are more furniture such as chairs and small pieces of wood, you can't do it.

The 榫卯 structure of the furniture is easy to repair. No matter what kind of furniture, it will need maintenance and maintenance for a long time. Furniture that is connected with nails is not as easy to disassemble as it is to make structural furniture. If it is made of glue such as fish gelatin, the glue will be soaked in soft water during maintenance, and the nail will be loosened quickly, but it can't be done with nails unless the furniture is unloaded. Instead, it caused damage to the furniture.

The mahogany wood is hard, and the nail can only be hardened by the squeezing and drilling. This process is very easy to cause the wood to split, which is very clear to the carpentry master.

In summary, we can easily see that the use of enamel-connected mahogany furniture has a greater advantage than the use of nails, which can greatly enhance the intrinsic quality of mahogany furniture, which is probably why mahogany furniture does not use nails!