In Denis Diderot’s 18th century multi-volume epitome, “Encyclopédie” (1751-1777) there are a bunch of differing woodworking benches. Below is Plate II from Plate Volume VII (Planches tome VII) (1769) Menuisier en Batimens (building joiner) showing a carpentry workshop with various activities underway.
Extract from Plate II
A sample picture of a bench can be found on Plate VIII, where the bench is known as a table. The description of this bench can be found in Volume X [MAM-MY, pp.346a–357a], under the heading “Menuiserie“, on page 356. It introduces the bench as “a necessary item, upon which the joiner does their work“. What is interesting is that the only tool provided to the workers by the master carpenter was the valet (A), or holdfast, all other tools they had to provide themselves. This means that the holdfast was likely one of the main means of holding the work to the bench. These benches have a number of holes for holdfasts, but no clear indication of any vises being used.
The bench is described as having a large top (B) which was 5-6 inches thick (which gives you an idea of there size of the holdfast), 2½ feet wide, and 10-15 feet in length (now imagine constructing this bench!). The bench was assembled using (through) mortise and tenon joints, with four legs (C), and spacers (stretchers, D). The underside of the stretchers were covered with planks nailed against each other, providing a place for tool storage. On the top left of the bench top is a tool holder (E) where tools like scissors, chisels (F) etc. can be stored. In the left-forward portion of the bench is a square hole (G) into which fits a piece of wood (H) which holds a cast iron planing stop (I). The device is moved up and down using a mallet. Just in front of this on the side of the workbench is a wooden crochet (K) for holding large items.
Whereas woodworking in general has evolved into the use of precise machinery to make perfect furniture, wood carving hasn’t changed that much from 1000 years ago. Wood carving is more of an art than a craft per se. Whereas one builds a piece of utilitarian furniture, a carving is often for the sake of decoration. Not withstanding that a chest or chair can be embellished with carvings, elevating it to more of an artistic form. Of course we often don’t know much about ancient wooden carvings because they don’t stand the test of time very well. Some of the most interesting are the artifacts from the Oseberg find in Norway from circa AD 834. (If you are interested in Viking ships, check out my post on the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo).
Carving was an important part of Viking society, and many different surfaces were carved, including most prominently the prow of Viking longboats. Carvings existed in form of relief carving, incised carvings and openwork. Wood carving was important in part due to the availability of materials, but also because other forms of visual arts required materials such as paper and stone which were not readily available. The all-pervasive nature of this art form lead to all manner of household wooden artifacts being carved, from spoons to chests. In the Oseberg artifacts, both the cart, and the sleighs are covered in ornate carvings.
Carving on the Oseberg cart
The most interesting carvings in the Oseberg artifacts are those of the animal head posts. There were five of them in the Oseberg burial mound, yet one is in such poor condition that it is not exhibited. The remaining four offer an exquisite view in the world of the Viking wood carver, sometime around 800 AD. There has never been any certainty as to the exact use for the posts. Four are 50cm in length, with the remaining one attached to a wooden shaft about a metre in length. It is possible the animal head posts were carried in some fashion, maybe for religious processions, or as walking sticks? It is unlikely they had a practical use.
The Academic close up.
The heads are part of a common motive for many of the carvings of the Viking period – animal figures. The style shown in these figures is part of the animal ornamentation, which had arisen long before the “Oseberg” period, and continued long the Viking age (e.g. carvings on Stave churches). It says a lot about a culture that produces such artifacts. The heads could be representations of everyday animals, or mythological beasts of some sort. The four heads are named as follows: The Academic, The Lions Head, The Baroque, and The Carolingian.
The four animal heads: Academic, Lions Head, Baroque, and Carolingian
The intricacy of the work is phenomenal, and must have required highly experienced wood carvers. Two are even decorated with small silver nails. The heads are made of maple, which is odd considering it is a hard, dense wood, likely not easy to carve. It is possible that maple held some significance. Other woods that were available during the period, namely walnut and oak. But the grain of oak can sometimes be difficult to carve, and may not have held the fine details the same as maple. Maybe maple was chosen for the lightness of the wood, or the fidelity of the fine detailed work?
The woodworking tools from the Mästermyr Find (adapted from Birkebæk, F., Vikingetiden, 1983)
The question of course is what sort of tools did these carvers use? Obviously the quintessential axe was used in preparing an appropriately sourced piece of wood, usually to the rough shape required. Wood shaves and drawknives were probably used to prepare the surface of the wood, with possibly spoon augers used to make any large hollow openings. There is no doubt most of the shaping could be achieved using simple carving knives, files and rasps. Although chisels have been found in various archeological sites, few if any are small enough to perform the sort of detailed work seen on these animal heads. The most conclusive evidence of the type of tools used by Vikings hails from the Mästermyr chest, found in Gotland. It contains tools for smithing, carpentry, joining, and woodcarving.
working by hand 