OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

124068 Paul Lalonde <plalonde@t...> 2003‑11‑06 Re: Bench top Opinions sought (and de-lurk Bio)
>On 6 Nov 2003 at 1:24, T&J Holloway wrote:
>
>
>
>>      Most old-time benches you see have a work surface maybe 15-20"
>>      wide, not as wide as many modern models. These are not intended
>>      as assembly tables, but for plane and chisel work. You want to
>>      be able to reach across it handily. Bigger is better than small,
>>      but there are practical limits to the preferred size.
>>
>>
One of the key observations on the difference between old-time benches
and modern benches is how many uses we put them to. Old-time benches
tended to be very focused on the particular production they were for:
architectural joinery (as seen in Roubo's bench), smaller casework
(witness late 16th century german cabinet maker's benches), to larger
builtins (shaker workbenches) and so on. The key to most of these is
that assembly is separated from planing, joinery work, and parts
storage, with the bench focused on the first two elements and reflecting
the size of the work done upon it.

Our modern benches are jacks of all trades. We expect them to hold parts
between operations, we expect to do glue-up on them, we even
occasionally use them to hold machines we don't like to admit we have (I
love, and hate, my 12" portable planer).

In practical terms, my long ago bench was nearly 30" wide, which was too
much. I found it difficult to approach a clamped piece of work from both
sides, which I sometimes found useful. My new bench is more like 24",
which lets me put some effort onto a piece from the far side. If I was
limiting myself to handwork on 15th-18th century cabinet work, I'd
probably drop down to 18" without any pain and some additional utility.

So all that said, I'm now de-lurking after a 6 or 7 year absence from
this list. My long-ago bio can be found at http://www.frontier.iarc.uaf-
.edu/~cswingle/archive/bio.phtml?message_id=-408#message but I figure if
I'm going to post again I owe a bit of an update...

I finished my degree some 7 years ago, and integrated myself into the
workforce, and for some years didn't manage to get in a lot of woodwork.
I bought a first house, a nice late arts-and-crafts inspired house in
Vancouver, and spend much effort doing renovation and restoration. Then
last year SWMBO and I (yeah, I got one of those too during that 7 year
hiatus) moved to Victoria where we have a proper 1908 bungalow that
managed to keep its original interior trim work. There's very little
reno work to do, which led to construction of the dream shop in the back
yard. I get to have 656 sf of dedicated woodworking space with 14 foot
ceilings, skylights, and all the goodies.

I have to admit as well that since long ago I've fallen off the wagon
some and own too many electric apprentices. I'm producing Stickley and
Roycroft reproductions at an astonishing rate trying to get the house
properly furnished for its original era, and I wouldn't turn in the
machines that were originally used for that work in exchange for
hand-tool technique on that work.

That said, I'm hoping to re-develop the medieval and renaissance
furniture markets that I had going 8 years ago, with a goal of leaving
my high tech job behind in a couple of years (it always seems to be a
couple of years off, doesn't it?) and go into production of custom
pieces. At least I'm feeling clueful enough to put my current income up
against my future lack of income :-)

I wish I had a good tool gloat to go with this, but the best I'm going
to manage is a plug for the Gransfors carpenter's hatchets. I borrowed a
friend's last summer during a re-enactment event where I had to make a
bunch of shoe-lasts - I'd left my usual hatchet behind, and I needed to
hew some rough logs to shape before I attacked them with my draw knife
and heavy rasps. What a surprise. I went without those two and managed
to take my time per pair of lasts down from 8 hours to about 3 hours,
all with just that hatchet. Brilliant combination of axe, chisel, and
carving gouge. I have my own now, and I love it to pieces.

Anyhow, I'm glad to see this list is still going strong, and I
look forward to remembering how much liked all the tool gloats and
usage advice!

Paul


Recent Bios FAQ