Nicholson Bench?

[Eric Hartunian]

Has anyone built a Nicholson bench? I am having a tough time finding too much info on it. There are a few pics from Colonial Williamsburg, but no real details. Adam Cherubini, on his Pop. Woodworking blog just posted a piece about it, and while it is a bit on the primitive side (as workbenches go), it seems to be a good choice for a hand tool woodworker. The new Workbench book by Schwarz has a good portion of it devoted to what he calls the English bench, which is essentially the same, but with angled legs.
Any thoughts?
Eric

[John Viola]

I recently purchased Schwarz' book and I have given that one a long look. I am now completly unsatisfied with my current bench and want to make a new one. That one, however, doesn't look like the one for me, and I can't describe why. I would think that if you had the room and a bench you were already happy with, you could make that as a second one (I saw Cherubini's post too, and I believe the Nicholson is his second but I could be wrong).

Maybe it's just my ingrained bias, but I would like a more massive bench as my primary bench. I believe Schwarz mentioned that these were originally carpenters' benches or something like that, more akin to sawhorses than a real cabinetmaker's bench.

[Chris Friesen]

That style of bench makes efficient use of wood, but it just doesn't do it for me. Also, I'm leery of the big cross-grain glue joints between the legs and the apron. On the other hand, Chris Schwarz says his hasn't loosened up at all in a few years, so I may be worrying for nothing.

I'm currently working on a Holtzapffel-style bench with a top made from maple strips salvaged from a bowling alley. The base is a mix of hard maple legs (Lee Valley's baseball bat blanks) and douglas fir for the stretchers.

[Eric Hartunian]

I spoke with Chris about the front apron as well. My concern was that the seasonal movement of the apron would be directed down, pushing against the joinery on the front legs, and that this would force the top up, off the support of the frame. He told me this hasn't been a problem at all.

[mike holden]

Go back to PopWood and search again, Chris just posted sketchup models of the Nicholson, Roubo, and (I forget - the one with two wooden screws in front).
Once in sketchup construction details become apparent.
Special thanks to the Creek's own Louis Bois who did the models, BTW
Mike

[Tony Zaffuto]

If I remember correctly, Chris Scwartz used angled legs so he could gain more room on the front vise for dovetailing. I've been toying with using the basic design to build a bench to replace my current. I'll probably go with thicker material for the top, using narrower pieces so as to have the grain facing up as quarter-sawn. The front apron will be a bit narrower and also quartersawn. I don't believe I will use angled legs.

Anyhow this is a bench that I've been threatening to build for the past several years. It was to be a winter project this year, but somehow more important things took precedent!

T.Z.