Play treasure master

Chapter 285 Thinking too much?
Moreover, if you find a good carpenter, after opening the box, it can be completely restored.

Although he is in Yanjing, Yu Yao also has acquaintances in this area!To be exact, he is not familiar with him, but Lin Fengcao.

Lord Mao.

Yu Yao immediately contacted Lin Fengcao, and Yu Yao didn't hide anything from Lin Fengcao, so he said he wanted to see if there was anything hidden inside.

However, Lin Fengcao was very busy these two days, so he directly gave him Maoye's contact information, "Anyway, you have met him, and Maoye also likes you very much."

"Okay, I'll get in touch myself."

Lin Fengcao instructed again, "This thing must not be left with him, it is considered a temporary urgent job, and in terms of wages, you will pay as much as he says at that time."

"I understand, don't worry."

After finishing the call with Lin Fengcao, Yu Yao called Lord Mao, who was also very interested when he heard it, and made an appointment for Yu Yao to come over tomorrow morning.

At nine o'clock in the morning the next day, Yu Yao came to Master Mao's small courtyard and found that there was also a master carpenter there.Master Mao explained a few words to the master, and let Yu Yao into a small room in the back room.

"The box from the Qing Dynasty was well processed before processing, so it never cracked." Lord Mao first took a look at the box.

"Isn't elm wood not easy to crack?" Yu Yao couldn't help asking.

"Usually when we talk about elm that is not easy to crack, we mean elm that is thoroughly dried before processing, so that it is not easy to crack and is resistant to decay. But elm is not easy to dry. If it is processed before it is completely dry, it is easy to crack."

Yu Yao nodded, "This box is very thin, it looks like mahogany work."

"So, a thing made of firewood has been dried so well, and the work has been done so carefully. It is really possible for you to say that it is hiding something."

The concept of firewood is a common name for cork.

Softwoods are compared to hardwoods.Earlier, mahogany only refers to red rosewood; the concept of hardwood is roughly equivalent to the current big mahogany category, including red sandalwood, huanghuali, red rosewood, chicken wing wood, ebony, etc. There are also different types of mahogany. Included species such as ironwood.

Cork or firewood are other common woods, such as elm, nanmu, beech, fir, cypress, and so on.

Hardwoods are really hard.Take red sandalwood as an example, if you have seen the processing scene, you will know that sparks can come out when the chainsaw is turned on.But this does not mean that the hardness of cork is very low, and some sawing is also very laborious.Soft and hard are only relative terms, and the difference may not be great.

If you observe carefully, you will find an interesting phenomenon.For hardwood things, the names are unconventional, such as red sandalwood, the tree species is not called red sandalwood, the so-called "scientific name" sandalwood red sandalwood is also a beautifying translation.Huanghua pear, let alone pear wood.

But for cork, elm is elm, and nanmu is nanshu (zhennan).

The reason is simple. In the past, furniture in the Ming and Qing Dynasties was divided into hardwood and softwood. Hardwood was basically imported, imported, and rarely found locally.Cork is all local energy-producing tree species.

Now Master Mao said "Chai Mu" in a contemptuous tone.

"Mr. Mao, although the wood is average, this box is really good, so it would be best if it can be restored to its original state." Yu Yao said hastily.

Master Mao smiled, "Although I don't like firewood, I don't underestimate the craftsmen who make boxes. Don't worry. I'll do it right in front of you."

Yu Yao originally thought Maoye would prepare some complicated tools, but unexpectedly, he only took a wooden stick similar to a rolling pin and a steel ruler.But this steel ruler is a bit special, with one end as thin and sharp as a blade.

Mao Ye first picked up the elm box with one hand, and knocked around the bottom with a wooden stick in the other, listening while knocking.

After listening, Lord Mao nodded slightly, and pressed the sharp thin end of the steel ruler against the gap on the outside, as if exerting a little force, "Well, no glue."

Then, Mao Ye used the steel ruler to rotate a circle along the gap.After putting down the steel ruler, Master Mao supported the inner bottom of the box with a wooden stick with one hand, and grasped the outer bottom with the other hand, as if exerting force together.

The previous movements were very slow, but afterward, Yu Yao was dazzled by his vision. Master Mao's hands were twirling and flying, and there was a soft "click", and the bottom of the wooden box was placed on the table, and then Mao Ye picked up the steel ruler and turned it around again, and another approximately round wooden block with eight edges fell into his hands.

Yu Yao looked intently at the bottom of the wooden box on the table, and saw that there were three tenons on it. It turned out that these three tenons were precisely stuck in the tenons on the bottom of the wooden box, while the other parts were polished as smooth as a mirror. , so it fits perfectly.

And the eight-sided wooden block in Lord Mao's hand is about ten centimeters in diameter and three to four centimeters thick, which fits the inner wall of the box. There is no tenon on it, but there is a circle of irregular threads.The bottom of the inner wall of the box is also engraved with threads correspondingly, which is fixed by this.

This eight-sided wood block is very complete, and there are no gaps or traces.

At this time, Lord Mao weighed the octagonal wood block in his hand, "There is nothing to be seen from the outside, and the weight is okay. There seems to be nothing hidden inside."

Yu Yao pondered, "If you don't hide anything, why use a double bottom?"

Lord Mao thought for a while, "If it is a box containing seal stones, the seal stones are relatively heavy, and it is possible to make a double bottom. However, to make this double bottom, the wooden blocks inside are threaded, and the bottom outside is made of thread. It is a mortise and tenon, and the craftsmanship of the mortise and tenon and the thread are very special, which is a bit of a show of skill."

"Ancient craftsmen, it's really hard to say what they think."

······
No matter how you discuss it, if you can't find something, you can't find it.

Yu Yao smiled wryly, "It seems that I was thinking too much."

"How much did you pay for this wooden box?" Master Mao couldn't help asking.

"Five thousand."

"Ah?" Lord Mao responded, "You spent so much on an elm box from the Qing Dynasty?"

"Don't mention it, I kicked and smashed a blue and white wine jug on someone's stall, and paid five thousand. This is the box they used to hold the wine jug."

"So that's it." Master Mao nodded, "However, if I had known what was going on and used this kind of mortise and tenon and thread, five thousand would be worth it—because it is very valuable for research."

"If Lord Mao likes it, then I'll give it to you." Yu Yao waved his hand, "This kind of value can only be realized in your hands, and I keep it as a gift."

"How did this happen? If I leave it, I'll give you five thousand."

"Then I'll give you another five thousand for opening the box."

"You're really not a cheap eater." Master Mao smiled, "I'm not either. Well, the box is still yours. I'll stay for two days to study, and it's worth the wages. You can take it later. I have studied the mortise and tenon and the screw thread, so I can make another one, and it is useless to keep it.”

"Okay, then I'll listen to you." Yu Yao didn't say any more.

Mao Ye flipped over the box, looked at the three mortises on the bottom of the box, and suddenly said, "Huh?"

(End of this chapter)