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107K views 170 replies 67 participants last post by  mafe 
#1 ·
The short story of the Scandinavian workbench and a visit at a museum.

Scandinavian workbench restore
The short story of the Scandinavian workbench and a visit at a museum.

In this blog I will try to tell about the workbench as good as I can and then show the restore of an old one I bought and restored.
Actually my workbench is Danish, made in Denmark, more exactly Copenhagen app. 100 years back is my guess and the Scandinavian workbench is of German origin… First full version with front and end vise known is from Nürenberg app. 1500 by Löffelholz, but it took more than 200 years before it became standard. The end vise became standard in Germany and Scandinavia, where in the South the workbench was more primitive as the so called Roubo workbench, where it has a table, a stop, a holdfast and the leg vise where you need to bend down to lock the leg according to the board thickness (he was a French cabinetmaker and author). So it should have been referred to as the German workbench, but since I am Danish (and so live in Scandinavia) I will stick to that name (bandit I am).
But before I start I will share some good news with my fellow LJ's here - I got a new workshop! - this was why I bought the bench; I finally got room for a full size cabinetmakers workbench that has been on my wish list since I was a young boy.

Here I am in front of the new shop, cheers guys and girls.
My shaving horse has become useful as a bench for me and the visitors.
The shop has two rooms, kitchen and bathroom - quite a luxury since I used to have only a small basement room.


Here the main room, a wonderful workroom with fireplace and plenty of room for playing.
I have started to use the shop but most of my tools are still in storage - my ohhhhh I can't wait to find room for them all here.
But what is important for this blog is what is in the center; the workbench.

MUSEUM:
But we start at a museum city just outside Copenhagen:
It is a wonderful place called Frilandsmuseet.
In this place houses from all over Denmark and from different periods of the Danish history are now rebuild and all details including furniture and workspaces are intact.

Historically a workbench started something like this, known as the Roman bench.
Wooden pegs as stops and support or metal clamps could hold the wood in place.
A top from a board and some legs, simple as that, easy to make on the work site.


I will guess the shaving horse is just an advanced version of this.
Here a sample from the museum.


This is an old style table from a farmer's house, the wedge holds it together and this detail is later transferred to the workbench.

A simple workbench could have been like this, just a sturdy base and two planks.
Notice the shaving horse.


A really old workbench where the front vise has been lost, but it is easy to see the main plank with bench dog holes and how the stretchers has been transformed into a tool storage.


And here it is, the traditional workbench.
Wedged together base so it can easily be moved.


From one end, notice the way it is joined is the same way as we use today.
Also notice the holdfast.


The front vise.


Holdfast old style.


From another workbench, more primitive holdfast.


Carpenters workshop, notice the plane cabinet…


Again the stretchers are used as storage.


Yet another bench from a sawmill, the guy is sharpening the saw.

SIDE COMMENT:
(N. C. Roms, Haandgerningsbog, 1894)

An old style DIY workbench could look like this, quite elegant I think.


Or be a simple on top version that could be stored away.
End of this part of the blog, in next part I will show how my bench looked when I bought it and tell about how it was restored.

Hope it can be to some inspiration.

Best thoughts,

MaFe
 
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#2 ·
Congrats on the new shop Mads! Great picture too. I will be following along this blog, it will be interesting to watch i'm sure.

Any idea why the old primitive holdfast were not bent? seems like these would be more difficult to make.
 
#3 ·
Great blog Mads! Wonderful pictures. Fascinating pictures. Cant wait to see the rest of the detail. Congrats on the spacious shop, you deserve it.
 
#4 ·
Happy that you have found a space with a little more 'elbow' room.

Your dreams can now grow larger.

Work Safely and have Fun.

Best Regards. - Grandpa Len
 
#5 ·
I'm very happy for you, my friend!! You deserve a shop like that so you can create beautiful things the way you do and with more working space!! I wish I was there to celebrate with you and a few beers!!...........Jim
 
#6 ·
i cant believe this, i am so happy for you i just cant sit still, seeing you outside of a real work space , MADS A REAL SHOP…this is most wonderful and my heart is so happy for you, the thought of what you have gone through and now to have this wonderful new place, a glorious wood stove to warm the place, i cant wait to see all of your tools there , and you doing the work you have loved, this is just a wonderful thing…you enjoy it, and you smile while you enter your new shop and let your creative soul go to work…fantastic brother!!!!!!!!!!
 
#7 ·
congrat´s with both your new shop and new bench Mads
know how you have lusterd for this since you packed the old shop
but you will have tooo many visitors that comes to look at the giraf in the Gallerie
to be able to make anything beside coffee for them …......... :)

take care
Dennis
 
#9 ·
WOW WOW WOW!!!

So happy for you Mads. I can't wait to see that shop with all of your wonderful tools on display. With that warm fire burning away, there won't be any stopping you now.

Congratulations.
 
#10 ·
Congratulations! If you listen carefully, you can hear the cheers from Canada. It's a beautiful shop and you absolutely deserve the very best. I hope you have many happy years working in it.

With fondest best regards,
Doe
 
#15 ·
Fabulous mads, it ooooozzzzzes a "creativity" from days gone by to match your inboard love for sharing History with us all.
Got the feeling this is going to be the start of a whole new & exciting era for you my friend.
Can't wait to see what comes out of the woodwork from these walls.
The look on your face says it all ::: ))))))
Pete
 
#18 ·
well done my friend

finally a place to spread
your wings again

better start with shelves and cabinets
for the girls at home

they will want the room you were using
for more shoes and clothes
just to keep up with you
 
#19 ·
Congratulations on the new workshop! I'll be closely watching your restoration project as I have my wife's great-grandfathers bench stored in my basement. We think he built it around 1880. It's a cool old bench but it needs work. The wooden vice screws are very worn.
 
#20 ·
Congratulations on the new shop.
It is good to see you actively posting again, some of us were going into withdraw symptoms!
Such a wonderful space with a gorgeous wood stove that I am very jealous of. It will provide heat, smell amazing and let you burn any projects you don't want.
Looking forward to a new workbench build Mads style.
 
#23 ·
BIEN HECHO COMPAĂ‘ERO!!!!! NOS INSPIRAS Y NOS DAN GANAS DE ESTAR ALLĂŤ :)
MUY BUENAS FOTOS Y EL RELATO PARECE UN LIBRO DE HISTORIA: GENIAL MADS ;-)
GRACIAS Y DISFRUTA DE LO QUE TE MERECES AMIGO ;-)
 
#24 ·
Congratulations on your new show case studio. It looks as if you are happy, good for you!

The photos from Copenhagen are interesting in that we can really appreciate what those people in that time brought to the wood working trade and eventually down to the hobbyists.
 
#26 ·
My heartfelt congratulations go out to you Mads! It looks to be a wonderful space that your creativity will transform into a magical place. You well deserve to have this space. I too, so enjoyed the additional photos of the workbench and museum pieces.

As I've spent the last few years totally renovating my 'lersten' (adobe) house here in SkĂĄne, I've come to appreciate the older treasures from these past ages. Here are a few pictures of my workbench discoveries in this renovation process you might also enjoy.

The workbench and metal vise were built into a corner of the 'magasin' (storage area) around the end of the 1800's. When we purchased the house, I didn't notice this so much as it was a very dark corner covered with 40-50 year old rubbish. Ihad noticed that the benchtop had a couple of large areas of what looked like hardened tar on the surface in a couple of areas. Turns out it was dried linseed oil (clumps) that had well preserved the oak surface over the decades. So after scraping that off and replaning the surface to level again while replacing the rotten pine boards forming the back shelf area, this is what I have now. All the oak has been cleaned and re-oiled as well.
Wood Floor Table Hardwood Gas


Wood Chair Hardwood Wood stain Glove


Wood Machine tool Gas Machine Hardwood


Wood Motor vehicle Outdoor furniture Automotive wheel system Gas


I also appreciate the numerous pictures you've posted here and in the past of the shaving horses, as I'm in the process of carving my little colt now. Here is another picture of an antique shaving horse, also from Denmark. It is in the Maritime Museum of the Kronberg Castle (Helsingör), which was the historic castle that inspired Shakespeare and was the setting for 'Hamlet'. A beautiful treasure of history I may add. I was delighted to be able to tour it extensively last month. This shaving horse was used in the manufacture of giant pulley blocks used in the hoisting of canvas sails on the sailing ships of yesteryear.

Window Wood Table Gas Flooring


Again, I want to thank you for all you've contributed to this site …. and to me personally (with your creative ideas and solutions).

I am excited to see what comes out of your workshop now!

The best to you my friend.
 

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