In 1827 French carpenter-cabinetmaker M. Nosban published “Manuel du Menuisier en meubles, suivi de L’Art de L’Ebeniste” (Furniture Carpenter’s Handbook, followed by The Art of the Cabinetmaker). The book was a compendium of the nature of native and exotic woods, and the ways to work with them to make all kinds of furniture. The author consulted the works of his predecessors, adding his experiences to the book.
In Nosban’s 1927 edition of his book, the pictures of various tools, and techniques were in the form of plates in the rear of the book. The description does not seem to be as complete as later editions, so the discussion here focuses on the 1857 edition of the book, which was extended to include marquetry, and sculpting, and was titled “Nouveau Manuel Complet du Menuisier de L’ébéniste, du Layetier, du Marqueteur, du Sculpteur”. It was published in Paris by À la Librairie Encyclopédique de Roret in 1857.
I have translated and edited some of the main text as it applies to the bench. The text makes reference to a simple figure of a bench – Figure (1) on Plate I. Although I could not find this associated with the 1857 version of the book I accessed, a similar figure can be found in nearly all earlier versions. Plate I really depicts a simple bench, and the sort of accoutrements which could be added to it, be-it tail-vices, leg-vices, or bench hooks, and an assortment of woodworking tools. Figure 1 (on Plate I) depicts a workbench with the hook box A, and the circular holes.
The workbench is described in the section “L’établi” starting on page 131 of the 1857 edition (I have translated and rewritten the text to make it easier to read). There is a very normal bench with a leg-vise on page 131 of the 1957 edition. However this isn’t really described.
A bench is described as a kind of table or bench, usually 48-65 cm wide, and 1.94-2.6m in length. It’s height is around 81cm, but can vary according to the size of the workman so they can work comfortably. The bench top is made of elm or beech – elm being a heavy and common wood is ideal. The legs are made of oak. The legs are joined together a few centimetres from the ground with stretchers assembled using a mortise-tenon joint. The bottom of the workbench between the stretchers is closed together with planks to create a tool storage area. The benchtop is at least 81mm (3.2”) thick, and is pierced perpendicular with a certain number of holes, scattered irregularly and 27-41mm in diameter.
About 81mm from the front of the table, and close to the left side is a square hole, with a side of 54mm. The round holes are for holdfasts, the square hole is designed to fit a square wooden dowel or box, furnished with a toothed hook on the upper end – the planing stop (fig.1A). The toothed hook looks like a thin, triangular plate of iron, fixed at right angles to the top of the box, and projecting a little from the front. In this manner it presents a row of sharp teeth facing the right tend of the bench top. This box can be raised of lowered with a mallet – raised by striking it from below, lowered by striking it from above. It is against this hook that boards to be planed or polished can be affixed. The teeth penetrate the thickness of the board, and the action of the plane along the board keeps them in place. The planing stop does not hinder the plane, as it is always below the face of the board.
The act of raising and lowering the planing stop will eventually result in the mortise in which it is housed expanding, with the movement becoming too loose. This could be fixed with the use of a screw to apply pressure. A horizontal hole is bored in the end of the bench, parallel to the length of the workbench, and penetrating as far as the mortise; this hole is then tapped. A screw with a broad, flattened head is placed in it which, depending on whether it is turned in one direction or another, lets the planing stop slide if withdrawn, or be fastened against the opposite wall of the mortise if advanced. The screw should be quite string, and cut squarely at its end.
The text then goes on to describe the use of iron holdfasts (which in French is called a valet). There is the traditional valet (fig.1B) shown in use on the bench, which the text describes as being a cylindrical rod, 48 to 65cm in length, with a diameter of 27 to 41mm. The upper part curves back and ends in a wide, slender leg, which, when the stem is in a perpendicular position, lies almost completely horizontal. The inclination of the leg must be such that it pinches the wood, but only by its extremity. There is also the screw-jack valet (fig.2), the screw-and-nut jack valet (fig.3), and the rocking valet (fig.3*). This is followed by an extensive treatise on tail and leg vises.
working by hand 