Once the roof was on, the next step was making the lattice work enclosure for the front porch. On the porch, there will be a house shrine for Buddha as well as a formal gong.

I used bamboo skewers to make the lattice work. I cut them to size first with my EZ Cutter and then used the EZ Cutter to "bite" down gently and give the bamboo a full turn to score the joints into the bamboo.

After the joints were scored in, I put the markings on the bamboo by running each piece back and forth thru a candle flame. (If you try this at home, I recommend that you keep a bowl of water close by. Bamboo splinters and some of the splinter edges will smoulder just a bit) The scorching on the bamboo gives it a very nice coloring. That's the same technique I used on the bamboo door.

I measured the distance I wanted for the lattice and taped the skewers down to hold them in place while I glued on the horizontal pieces so they wouldn't roll or slip.

After the glue dried completely, I mounted them to the porch and glued them in place.

I added a cross beam at an angle over the top of the doorway that overlaps on both sides and then put a peak at the top of that.

The front door is also installed now. The ornamentation will be added to the entry way when the house is in it's last stages. Right now, the top is open so I can put in the shrine and the gong before putting on the top of the entry way and adding the ornaments.

Deb