Last week I got to examine two Scandinavian workbenches, presumably from the 1600s, that were on display at the Skokloster Castle museum outside Stockholm. Both benches had some interesting details that I had never seen before on workbenches.
A Different Pinch Dog (& Bench Nipple)
The bigger workbench at Skokloster had a massive shoulder vise that has a curious round protrusion as part of the face vise. We got to calling it the “bench nipple.” It looked like a huge bead, and I strongly suspect it was purely decorative.
But you always wonder, did the owner find some use for the nipple? The thing had lost a lot of fights with a saw blade during its life. Though, to be fair, the entire bench was covered with tool marks. These woodworkers were not precious about marring their worksurface.
The other unusual feature of this bench was a forged metal dog that we came to call the “pinch dog.” It fit into the dog holes of the workbench, but it had two peculiar characteristics. It was much longer than the other dogs. And the metal spring of the dog went all the way to the top of the dog. When the dog was pushed into its dog hole, the leaves closed like the jaws of a vise. But they did not close all the way. I suspect the dog was used to pinch thin stock so it could be worked on its edge – planing it or grooving it, perhaps.
The dog could also be used like a standard metal bench dog. It was quite clever, and I might need to chat with a blacksmith about making one.
A Different End Vise
The second bench was much shorter than the first and was equipped with your standard stuff: shoulder vise, tail vise, tool well and a storage locker below.
The curious part of this bench was a third vise located up by the face vise. The vise had a small screw compared to the face vise and tail vise screws. It had a small chop that was fitted with a small dog hole. A matching small dog hole was mortised into the frame. Clearly a piece was missing from this vise that might have answered some questions.
After some thought, I suspect this vise could have been used to pinch wide boards between the small dogs for face planing. As I mentioned, the bench is shorter than I would like. So this would be a way to handle longer boards. Both of these benches were used primarily by joiners who were fitting up the castle with wooden hearths. Plus frame-and-panel trim throughout the structure.
If you have seen a vise like this on an old bench, leave a comment.
— Christopher Schwarz
Not that it matters at all, but I have a vague recollection that we thought the benches were 19th century. There was some shuffling around of bits and pieces in the castle’s history, the scaffolding in that room was dis-assembled and then re-constructed in its present arrangement. So some work was going on in that room after the 1670s – but not enough to chew up those benches that much. So who knows. Not me.
Hence “presumably.” But still.
that vise sticking out of the end vise looks to me like a leather stitching vise or a saddler’s clam.
The nipple: maybe a handy place to hang a small bucket or a LAP vest at the end of the day?
The nipple, among other things, looks like a good handle for helping to drag the bench around, or a good notch for leaning a board against the bench that would keep the vertical board from sliding and hatcheting down.
The ‘third vise’ reminds me of a chair vise, for cutting tenon shoulders. But without a matching shoulder saw on display somewhere, who knows. I’m curious about the notch on the end of the bench/ side of that vise, too… if it’s there to help hold a separate part in alignment to whatever is being held by the small dogs, for joinery layout or test fits or something. Looks like a very specific thing to do something they did a lot of, whatever it is.
My first thought was a chair vise. But there was no evidence of the telltale scratches from the teeth.
the vise at the end of the second bench looks a little like the milkmans vise
Yes, it does! These woodworkers were Dutch, and the Milkman’s Workbench is Dutch as well….
A milkman’s workbench needs a vise nipple.
Can ewe have a nipple without a teat? I’m udderly confused, I couldn’t help myself
You can milk anything with nipples.
I hang boards off the end of the bench for crosscutting. I have a stanley 700 L vice clamped on the end, but that vice would be perfect.
Interesting. I wonder if the bench nipple and/or pinch dogs would work for things like spoons etc. kind like how some spoon mules pinch the spoon with leg pressure etc.
When they see you guys coming do they frisk you to make sure you are not about to clamp up a chair seat and have at it with a scorp?
The nipple is functional. The saw marks tell the story…..but I’m not sure what that story is exactly. The fact that it is near the vise may be another clue. It would also be odd that the only decoration would be there. It could also the furniture makers kid learning to use a bow saw.
The so-called “Bench Nipple” looks like something one would use to tie a rope around. Were ropes ever used to secure boards to the bench? Just brainstorming.
The pinch dogs fascinate me.
Perhaps for bending around the curve of the front vise?
I definitely want to hear more about that pinch dog.
The bench nipple looks like it could be for sawing. I would put my right hand on the nipple, using my fingers as a saw guide, then saw with my left hand, resulting in the saw marks in the bench. I have the same marks on my bench.
Well that’s just great Chris. The debate about saw nibs rages on and now you’re throwing the bench nipple into the mix.
Plot twist: the bench nipple is the target that you aim the saw nib towards for straight cuts.
A guy on woodnet sold boards tha have been shaped like that. For filing and rasping in saw handle making. Sadly he took his page down after the workshop burnt in the paradise fire.
Scroll sawing or copy sawing comes to miy mind, to.
Please have that conversation with a blacksmith when you get home.
To me, the area around the nipple is more interesting. It is rounded, why take the time to round that area of the bench? Maybe a template for the hearth work and the bulk of the cuts in the bench at the curve represent stop cuts for whatever was making the cut. They have coping saws?
Does the negative space of that curve match any decorative elements elsewhere in the building?
The end vise looks like it would hold those German bench dogs that Peter showed the other day real well but that not right cause it would be for short pieces of wood only
I’m curious about the dimensions on the dog hole and how high the pinch dog sat above the bench. Is the dog hole close to 5/4? Thanks
This is really interesting, thanks for posting it. I was thinking about the hard use these old benches took, and the thoughts of the craftsmen, including what they would have thought of their bench dog being carefully handled with gloves.
The “nipple” may in fact be a decorative red herring, but I suspect it would be quite handy for propping up a board/broom or for hanging an apron or bucket.
I would question though the saw marks there, low angle and consistently parallel to the front edge of the bench, yet inconveniently made by a right handed person standing at the front vise, implying perhaps they were made from someone standing at the end position, perhaps sawing off door frame tenons while the frame rested on the bench (but then why all parallel? Ripping cuts would likely be more vertical, so maybe joinery cuts made while a piece is held in the front vise? (The errant saw cuts seem to be entirely forward of the front vise plane)
The wooden square you posted last week has two different decorative ends, with one matching the “bench nipple”. While this could have found use as a handy pommel or horn, I’d say you’re on the money to consider it decorative. Probably a favoured trademark of the craftsman who built them.
Googling “bench nipple” didn’t turn up much of anything useful… but I found a blog that shows the underside of that bench. https://hyvelbenk.wordpress.com/2013/10/02/skoklosterbank/
I wonder if the so called “ bench nipple “ was actually a scrap piece from architectural work that happened to fit the spacer block need for the vice. It looks like an oversized quirk moulding of some sort or a former exposed joist end. Interesting either way.
I think the “nipple” may have been used for crosscutting, you say that area is heavily saw-marked. A roundish protrusion would allow to make angle crosscuts across corners for better precision, while still supporting the offcut section firmly from below. Or perhaps the user had to make cuts on some odd shaped pieces? Or maybe I am just clutching at straws?
Really cool bench. I wonder what the focus was for this artist, furniture, boats?
In looking at the benches in relation to the rest of the castle and its original owner, what if we shifted our woodworking thinking from furniture and buildings to 1600s firearm manufacturing, ie muskets and pistols?(Many in the museum…and Wrangle was a military commander who lead Swedish forces in the 30 Years War.) The castle has a room dedicated to Dutch lathes and tools Wrangle bought which might also have been part of the gun crafting process.
The funky pinch dog would function to hold a long thin barrel. The nipple area would function well for stock shaping in terms of support underneath yet rasp/file angled and side access. The nipple area also drops off at an angle a bit from the bench’s flat top plane similarly to the angle of a gun stock in relation to a barrel. Photos of 17th century muskets show gunstock shaping that appears a requirement for the guns to be operated properly.
The “milkman’s vise” on the smaller bench also resembles modern vises being used for gunstock shaping.
https://www.pinterest.fr/pin/499336677410868501/