The most precise woodworking tradition in the world is in
- Japan - there is a tradition of temple construction over the centuries - where complicated load bearing joints were made without using any fasteners or glue.
On a smaller scale - the Shoji style of making partitions, cabinets and boxes also involves amazing precision and ingenuity.
The same kinds of traditions are found in
- China also - these techniques seem to be prevalent across South East Asia and originate from a very long time ago.
It is not very clear which is older.
On another continent, the traditional Swiss cabinetmakers and clock makers had a very fine woodworking tradition - they built cuckoo clocks and complicated wooden mechanisms with great precision.
- Europe in general has had a tradition of fine woodworking that got a new life when a horde of Europeans migrated to America and took their skills with them.
The clear winner is Japan (lumped together with China)
