Historical Treatises: No Mention of Clamps?

[Luke Dupont]

Reading Historical Treatises -- weather in the context of Reenactment, HEMA, or Woodworking, is something of a hobby of mine. I like to know how things were done in the past.

And, it occurred to me after reading a few on woodworking:

No mention is made of clamps -- at least, not that I have come across.

There are, of course, vises and holdfasts. But using auxillery clamps, or clamping while gluing up, doesn't seem to be mentioned.

Am I missing anything? Or did they simply not rely on them to the same extent that we do in modern times?

[Frederick Skelly]

I know they had more ways to use wedges than you could count, Luke. Could that have been a substitute?

Fred

[Kees Heiden]

What period are you talking about? I seem to remember some big panel clamps in Roubo, 18th century. Should have to look it up though.

But I do think they typically didn't have those gigantum clamping racks you see in the modern shop. They did have different techniques:

- The rub joint. No need for a clamp if the hideglue acts as a kind of a clamp itself.
- Drawboring for all mortise and tenon construction
- Rope tricks. You still see this used for example in Japanese furniture making.

[Kees Heiden]

Felibien!

Felibien clamps.jpg
Nr. E, left in the background.

[Luke Dupont]

What period are you talking about? I seem to remember some big panel clamps in Roubo, 18th century. Should have to look it up though.

But I do think they typically didn't have those gigantum clamping racks you see in the modern shop. They did have different techniques:

- The rub joint. No need for a clamp if the hideglue acts as a kind of a clamp itself.
- Drawboring for all mortise and tenon construction
- Rope tricks. You still see this used for example in Japanese furniture making.

I'll have to take a look at Roubo again, I guess. To be fair, I haven't thoroughly read all of the treatises just yet -- I skimmed through Moxon and Roubo, stopping on the parts that piqued my interest. Also reading a few lesser known works, such as "The Boy Joiner & The Model Maker".

Interesting point on "rope tricks". I've seen brief snippets of this, but never anyone showing or talking about the technique or how to execute it. I saw one person using wedges in combination with ropes, and another using what I thought was some kind of elastic band, but may have been mistaken. This seems like something potentially quite useful to know, as I always am finding myself lacking a clamp in the right size and place.

[Kees Heiden]

I don't have much time now, but when you go to youtube and find yourself some video of a Japanese box maker or furniture maker, you most probably see them using rope to press parts together for glueups.

[Kees Heiden]

There is a ropetrick in this picture. Look how the beam is clamped to one of the poles of the resawing contraption. They use a toggle to draw the rope tight.

Wierix.jpg

[Mel Fulks]

I'm sure pinch-dogs have been around a long time. I've bought some, and made some from flat bar stock.

[Mike Lemon]

Look for 'cramps'. I think Moxon mentions them (it was somone in the weird long s era, 85% sure it was Moxon).

[Warren Mickley]

Look for 'cramps'. I think Moxon mentions them (it was somone in the weird long s era, 85% sure it was Moxon).

Moxon does not use the word cramp at all. He uses the word clamp to mean a board fixed cross grain to a wide board or panel to prevent warping, like what we would call a breadboard end.

Cramp is a British term for clamp. Nicholson (1812) says that if the glue is quite stiff it may be necessary to us a cramp to pull a mortise and tenon joint together. I can't recall an earlier reference. I think the use of "cramp" is waning today.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

Moxon does not use the word cramp at all. He uses the word clamp to mean a board fixed cross grain to a wide board or panel to prevent warping, like what we would call a breadboard end.

Cramp is a British term for clamp. Nicholson (1812) says that if the glue is quite stiff it may be necessary to us a cramp to pull a mortise and tenon joint together. I can't recall an earlier reference. I think the use of "cramp" is waning today.

The complete Woodworker (Jones) uses both cramp and clamp according to the index. I will have to read it again one day and see if he uses the terms interchangeably, or if there is some distinction I have not noticed before.

[Mike Lemon]

Moxon does not use the word cramp at all...

Thanks for the correction. I didn't have my Kindle and was going from memory. Apparently I was mixing up my old guys.

[Warren Mickley]

This picture from Felibien (1676) shows three types of clamp.
felibien dbl screw.jpeg
The one on the left is called a crochet or sergent; the movable arm would have worked by being canted enough to provide a wedging action.

The one in the middle would have been one of a pair of estraignoirs. One could put a pair of boards in the in these and hold them tight for edge gluing by adjusting the upper pin and using wedges and battens. This is also illustrated in Roubo (1769). I made a pair in 1979 and used them for a while but they do not work as easily as a pair of clamps.

The one on the right is called presses de bois. This style is called a double screw by Moxon a few years later. Sort of a forerunner of what we call handscrews today.

Clamps would not have made a high priority list in the 18th century. Edge joints were routinely made my rubbing hot hide glue. Dovetails and mortise and tenon can certainly be made with no clamps. Eighteenth century cabinetmakers could make a sophisticated piece of furniture with no clamps at all. Hide glue was a part of that equation.

Kees posted while I was getting my illustration together.

[Warren Mickley]

Here is Roubo's pair of etreignoirs. The spelling changed more in a century than did the clamps.

roubo etreignoirs.jpeg

[Kees Heiden]

Kees posted while I was getting my illustration together.

But you added a lot of interesting info. Thanks.