The Workbench Book
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.. The Workbench Book The Workbench Book Scott Landis First published by Lost Art Press LLC in 2020 837 Willard St., Covington, KY, 41011, USA Web: http://lostartpress.com Title: The Workbench Book Author: Scott Landis Publisher: Christopher Schwarz Photos: Scott Landis, except where noted or on p. 244. Distribution: John Hoffman Copyright © 2020 by Scott Landis. Originally published in 1987 by The Taunton Press First printing of the Lost Art Press edition ISBN: 978-1-7333916-8-9 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher; except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. This book was printed and bound in the United States. Signature Book Printing, www.sbpbooks.com Acknowledgments To Gerald Bannatyne, who uses no workbench at all. With wis dom and grace, he taught me more than he’ll ever know. owe thanks to a great many people larly thank the people at: The Winterthur Museum; Mercer and institutions for their unselfish Museum; Han cock Shaker Village; Fruitlands Museums; contributions. My first and greatest Mt. Lebanon Shaker Village; Shaker Village at Chatham, debt is to the craftsmen themselves, New York; Colonial Williamsburg; The J. Paul Getty Muse- many of whom appear in these pag- um; Mystic Seaport Museum; Hordamuseet of Fana, Nor- es. Your insights were always wel- way; Skoklosters slott at Baal sta, Sweden; The Rockport come, and greatly enriched my own Apprenticeshop; Robert Larson Co.; C.F. Martin Co.; Re- I appreciation of the subject. cord Marples Ltd.; The Paramo Tools Group Ltd.; and The I particularly want to thank Jay Black & Decker Mfg. Co. Thanks also to Valerie Oakley at the Gaynor, Richard Starr, Tage Frid Southbury Public Library in Southbury, Connecticut, for and Ian Kirby for allowing me to include their written ma- her research assistance. terial in sidebars. Thanks also to: Jerry Grant, Rob Tarule Finally, I would like to recognize the vital role played and G.L. Gilmore for granting me access to their unpub- by three other friends and colleagues: Mark Kara, who lished manuscripts; Sam Manning for the use of his draw- rendered all the color and thumbnail drawings; Heather ings; Greg McAvoy for demonstrating his Emmert vise in Brine Lambert, who built many of the benches on paper the photos on p. 139; Paul Kebabian for allowing me to pho- and whose good eye is responsible for gracefully tucking tograph parts of his tool collection; and Charles Hummel an unruly tangle of material between covers; and especially and The Winterthur Museum for access to the Dominy and Roger Holmes, who helped me find order in the chaos. His Greber collections. Photos have come from a number of good ear and fine humor always encouraged me and helped sources and these are credited where they appear through- keep my feet on the trail. out the book and on p. 244. If ever a book was written with the help of many, this is I greatly appreciate the efforts of the following individu- it. Hundreds of people, in several different countries, wel- als, who read and commented on portions of the text: Mi- comed me into their workshops, their homes and their chael For tune, Ron Hickman, Frank Klausz, Nina Maurer, lives. They freely shared their experience and my excite- Tom Nelson, Toshio Odate, Richard Schneider, Peter Sha- ment–indeed, they fueled my momentum with their own piro and Simon Watts. Special thanks to John Alexander, enthusiasm. I hope I have done them justice. Regardless who not only read several chapters, but vigorously chal- of what we all may have learned in the process about the lenged my assumptions and avidly shared my discoveries. workbench and our craft, these many friends remain my The staffs of several museums, schools and companies greatest reward. You have made the journey well worth went out of their way to facilitate my research. I particu- taking. Foreword don’t believe I saw an hon- benches for specialized trades, such as boatbuilding, luthe- est-to-goodness workbench until I rie and carving. picked up a copy of The Workbench Though the book is only 248 pages, it is densely packed Book by Scott Landis (Taunton with an astonishing amount of information, including Press, 1987). complete plans for a Shaker bench, Frank Klausz’s bench, At my first woodworking job– Michael Fortune’s bench and Ian Kirby’s bench. Every page building entryway doors–we overflows with technical drawings, historical images and I worked on sawhorses. When I grad- contemporary photos of workbenches in use. uated to building folding tables, it Despite its technical nature, The Workbench Book is writ- was worse than that–our work was ten in an intimate, conversational style, almost like a trav- all done on an assembly line. elogue–but instead of visiting different countries, Landis And when I landed as an editor at Popular Woodwork- visits different workbenches, along with the people who ing Magazine in 1996, the shop there was equipped with built and use them every day. benches that were basically kitchen cabinets that had an As far as I am concerned, The Workbench Book has yet to old door for the benchtop and a quick-release vise. be eclipsed as the definitive work about the most import- But the magazine did have a library. ant tool in the woodworker’s shop. One night when I was working late, I spied The Work- Though I know almost every chapter of The Work- bench Book on the shelf. I was amused. An entire book bench Book like an old friend, I have a special place in about workbenches? That seemed a stretch. I flipped my heart for Chapter 2, which is about Roubo’s 18th-cen- through the book, and the rest is history. tury workbench. In this chapter, Landis offers a transla- I borrowed the book and read it several times over. I tion of a critical section of Roubo’s text on workbench- couldn’t afford to buy a new copy on my salary, but I talk- es. And he profiles Rob Tarule’s version of the Roubo ed one of my fellow editors into selling me his for $5, as bench, which was built with a massive maple slab for he had sliced the cover off for photography. I wore that the top and the curious sliding-dovetail/tenon joints book out. that fasten it to the legs. The Workbench Book is the first and only survey of the I had so many questions about that bench. What was it entire world of woodworking workbenches, from Roman like to build? What was it like to work on? How did that leg times to the present. It covers Japanese benches, country vise and the crochet work? Could you really build furniture brakes and shaving horses, commercial workbenches, and on this beautiful beast? A few years later–in 2005–I built my first Roubo work- But thanks to Landis’s persistence and great patience, bench, and have since built 50 more during woodworking we’ve been able to bring this book back into print with classes and for customers across the country. I’ve used the technical specifications that meet or exceed the original same materials, joints and processes shown in Roubo’s hardback volume. volume but also employed modern machinery, construc- The book you are holding is produced entirely in the tion-grade lumber and new vises. This bench, and its con- United States. It is printed on premium 100-percent recy- temporary English cousin, inspired me to write dozens of cled paper. Its pages are sewn, glued and affixed with a fiber articles and four books on benches. tape to keep it together. And the whole thing is wrapped None of that would have happened without the direct with heavy, cloth-covered boards and a sturdy dust jacket. and nearly divine inspiration from Landis’s The Work- The Workbench Book is a title that deserves to be in print bench Book. for as long as woodworkers need workbenches. The new In 2020, I learned that The Workbench Book had gone edition is extremely durable and should survive having its out of print, and the rights had reverted to Landis. Thanks cover sliced off–just in case some impoverished, low-level to an introduction by Robin Lee at Lee Valley Tools, Landis magazine editor in the far-flung future needs a jolt of in- and I began talking about how to get The Workbench Book spiration. (and its companion, The Workshop Book) back in print. There were lots of technical problems–these books were Christopher Schwarz printed during an awkward phase of the desktop publish- Covington, Kentucky ing revolution. October 2020 Contents Introduction 1 Chapter 1 The Evolution of the Workbench 4 Chapter 2 18th Century: The Roubo Bench 18 Chapter 3 19th Century: The Shaker Bench 32 Chapter 4 AnOld-Fashioned Workhorse 48 Chapter 5 A Modern Hybrid 62 Chapter 6 A Basic Bench 80 Chapter 7 A Workbench Sampler 90 Chapter 8 Benches toMarket 114 Chapter 9 Shop-Built Vises 120 Chapter 10 OtT-the-ShelfVises 136 Chapter 11 Japanese Beams and Trestles 130 Chapter 12 Country Shaves and Brakes 164 Chapter 13 Boatbuilding 180 Chapter 14 Lutherie 190 Chapter 15 Carving 200 Chapter 16 The Workmate® 210 Appendices Bench Plans 222 Bibliography 242 Credits 244 Sources oj Supply 243 Index 246 Introduction hy a book about workbenches? This intimate relationship-between the maker, his tools This book grew, in part, out of my and his bench-suffuses our working life.