Thursday, December 22, 2011

Who was Peter Nicholson?

Reading about the design of what we call the Nicholson work bench made me curious.  The best biography I could find of Peter Nicholson is on Wikipedia here.  Turns out he was an extremely interesting man, self-taught and accomplished in architecture, mathematics and engineering.  As a youth, he served an apprenticeship to a cabinet-maker and worked as a journeyman before abandoning the trade in favor of teaching and writing.  The list of his publications is lengthy.  A common theme is the application of science and mathematics to practical problems of construction and design.

In my opinion, the Nicholson workbench is a timeless classic, simple and elegant but based on a sophisticated understanding of effective and efficient design.  Almost every element serves multiple purposes.  It has a high strength to weight ratio and can be made very long.  It was put forward by a man uniquely qualified to appreciate its excellence.  One of the things I like about my bench is that it springs from this history.  It is timeless.

6 comments:

  1. Without the legs splayed in both directions, it looks like it will be tippy (or tipsy, if my spellchecker has it's way). I made Schwarz's style and find if I have much weight on the end it wants to tip. Had I to do it over I think I would like to try Ron Herman's bench as described in Popular Woodworking magazine.
    Paul Saffold

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  2. It is the exact opposite of "tippy." The legs are so close to the ends of the bench that the leverage disadvantage is overwhelming. There just isn't any way to tip it.

    I have been reluctant to post about this, but I think the Schwarz-style legs are a serious mistake.

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  3. I’m confused. In your blog “Who was Peterson Nicholson” you only refer to the Nicholson workbench. It sounds like Paul is referring to a saw bench (your previous blog) and not the workbench. Especially when Paul referred to Ron Herman’s “bench”. Andy, you said that the Schwarz-style legs are a serious mistake. Are you referring to Schwarz’s saw bench or the Nicholson workbench in Schwarz’s first book on workbenches?

    Thanks, Dean

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  4. I’m not sure how “Peter” turned into “Peterson”.

    Dean

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  5. Thank you Dean. My mistake Paul. I thought you were referring to the workbench, not the saw bench. Now I understand what you are saying. Yes, I suppose it might be a bit tippy. I think I'll keep the legs out close to the ends. Bob Rozaieski's saw bench is a good example of what Paul is talking about. See it at http://www.logancabinetshoppe.com/shop-projects.html

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  6. My Bad!! I posted under the wrong topic. Sorry for the confusion. I was referring to the saw bench, not the work bench.
    Paul Saffold

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