Our second book at Lost Art Press was “The Joiner & Cabinet Maker,” a rare and early 19th-century fictional account of an apprenticeship in a rural England shop.
It’s a fantastic little book, written by someone who obviously served an apprenticeship in the 18th century.
In addition to us reprinting the original, Joel Moskowitz (who found the book) wrote an excellent account of what woodworking was like in early 19th-century England. And I contributed several chapters on constructing the three projects that young Thomas made – a packing box, a schoolbox and a nice chest of drawers.
All in all, it’s an interesting introduction to hand-tool woodworking from an historical perspective. (And this might be the only book where I keep my sometimes-troubling tongue in check.)
We sometimes get asked if we have SketchUp drawings of the three projects in the book. And while the construction drawings in the book are all you really need, we make these files available free here.
Using the below link you can download a compressed folder with the three files in them.
While I work every day in SketchUp, I’m no expert on the compatibility of all the different versions out there. You should be able to open them with any version of SketchUp, but I can’t guarantee it.
In our research on Roman workbenches and holdfasts, Suzanne Ellison has turned up some images I’ve not seen before that are a remarkable reminder that our tools, mouldings and hardware haven’t changed all that much in 2,000 years.
Of particular interest has been the Roman fort Saalburg, which was built along the Roman frontier and later abandoned. The fort has been reconstructed and is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site – check out the fort’s site here.
Saalburg has become a center of research into Roman material culture and houses many artifacts and volumes or research. Several of the artifacts have become the basis for the planing stop that blacksmith Peter Ross has made for my early Roman workbench.
One of the real gems that Suzanne has turned up is a two-volume set of 1897 books called “Das Römerkastell Saalburg” (The Saalburg Romans), which documents the excavation and artifacts found at the fort.
You can download the volumes for yourself. Volume 1 is an overview of Saalburg and a discussion of the architecture and artifacts. The second volume contains supplementary material, including all of the detailed drawings shown here.
I’ve been staring at these for the last couple days and fairly transfixed by the tools, mouldings and hardware in particular. If you’re into planes, definitely check out Vol. 1, which shows planes found at the bottom of a well.
One of the important parts of my book on Roman workbenches concerns holdfasts. Likely a Roman invention, the origin of the holdfast and its early form remains a bit of a mystery.
Modern sources, such as Roger Ulrich’s “Roman Woodworking,” don’t shed much light on the tool. Instead these sources focus on what the Romans built more than the tools and processes used.
So Suzanne Ellison and I have turned to looking at Roman gravestones and monuments – hundreds and hundreds of them – to find clues about the Roman workbench and its workholding equipment.
We’d both dug up some drawings from this source – which is about 1,700 pages all told. Including one that looked like a holdfast. Probably.
But you have to be a little skeptical when you are looking at an old drawing of an even older monument that had been decaying for 1,500 years.
Then Suzanne found it. A photo (above) of the monument that clearly shows the holdfast with a curled-under proboscis – Suzanne calls it “the curlyfast.” (Shown is An altar to Minerva in the Capitoline Museum in Rome, erected by a ‘College of Fabri’ and dated 31 BC.)
Would this device work on the bench? If I were on an Internet discussion forum, on pain pills and in a particularly crotchety mood, I’d say: No way. And I’d make up some claptrap about the spring action of the curled-under front would resist the tensioning forces exerted by the shaft vis-a-vis. The point is moot. Lorum ipsum dolor.
But the truth is we don’t know. No, Gary, not even you know.
So I sent an email to blacksmith Peter Ross today….
The following topics of discussion are generating a lot of discussion over at the Lost Art Press forum. Remember, if you have a question about our products, procedures in our books or anything related to Lost Art Press, the fastest way to get an answer is our forum. Check it out here.
Wooden Layout Square – Looking for Info Steve Swantee had a photo of a large square he was curious to identify. Turns out it is the large square from “Book of Plates.” Want to see what it looks like finished?
Waterstone Recommendation? Martin Jones is looking to switch from oil stones to water stones and asked for some feedback. He has had a lot of info thrown back his way regarding products and technique. If you want to add to the mix or just see what others are doing, here’s the thread.
Staked Coffee Table Joshua Krieger’s coffee table met its match in a three year old and he is now building a staked one. After putting up his original plans he is keeping us posted on his progress. See his journey and his solution for exposed tenons. (photo at top)
Knockdown Nicholson Bench Ouida Vincent built this bench from Popular Woodworking Magazine in the fall and it turns out a few others did and still are. Questions are still being asked about the process. Thinking of building one?
Drawbored AND Wedged Brian Clites is asked about the advantages and disadvantages of drawboring and wedging a joint. Was it done historically? Readers dug up a trestle table where Christopher Schwarz did just that. (see above) Other participants are looking for specific instructions on how to wedge a joint. Got any suggestions?
The mallet is one of those tools whose shape and form we accept without question until an alternative is brought to our attention. In the opinion of many who have used both types, the German pattern is preferable to the generally accepted British mallet.
The designers of the latter went to great pains to make the tapered shaft in order that centrifugal force should tighten the head in use. The continental designers decided that what is good enough for a hammer head is good enough for a mallet head. Possibly in England in earlier days the general carpenter or cabinet maker had no access to a lathe and so evolved this type of mallet. The German pattern, however, relies upon a bored hole, a turned handle, glue, and wedge.
As most readers already possess a mallet, two alternative sizes are given. The first figures produce an average sized mallet suitable for general work. The figures in brackets are for a lighter model. Mallet shafts are invariably too long. Many workers will prefer a shaft as short as 7-1∕2 in. (compare with the carver’s mallet, handle length about 5 in.). Though beech is the traditional wood for the head, other hardwoods, both British and imported, will give many years of wear. Oak and ash are both suitable. The handle on the other hand ought to be of straight-grained ash, or better still, hickory.
The head is made first, the angles sawn and the hole bored. Preferably a pilot hole of about 1∕8 in. diameter is put through first, boring from both sides. The twist bit will then follow through easily. Bore a similar hole in a piece of thin ply and thread this on the tail centre of the lathe.
Centre the handle, still rectangular in section, and turn down the end nearest the tail stock to fit the plywood gauge tightly. An extra length of 1∕8 in. should be allowed to project beyond the head. The remainder of the handle is then turned to shape with gouge followed by chisel, a rather bumpy operation, but a good finish can be obtained with no great difficulty. The smallest shoulder should be turned on the shaft to fit against the head. Before cutting off a little individual embellishment may be added. This is particularly useful in a communal workshop where several such mallets may be used.
Slot the handle for the wedge or wedges which are made from the waste at the driving centre end. Open out the mortise either for two wedges with a tapered auger such as ladder makers use, or for one wedge with a suitable gouge or a small rasp to give an oval hole on top. Glue preferably with synthetic resin glue. Cramp up with a sash cramp. The plywood gauge is a useful cramping block to allow pressure to be exerted on the head after the shaft has poked through it. Now hold the shaft upright in the vice and check that the head is parallel to the vice jaw. This must be corrected quickly if required. Drive in the wedge or wedges and recramp until dry.
Plane off the projecting wedges and the handle. The top may be left square as it now is,or it can be curved as the drawing shows. The shaper tool produces this shape easily and quickly with a good surface.
A small bevel on all the edges prevents splitting and a coat of clear cellulose or french polish keeps grubbiness at bay.