The New Jersey Carving Bench

Construct your own bench using this simple historical design.

The Core Sound Decoy Carvers Guild holds an annual summer workshop at which participants carve traditional decoys under the tutelage of master carver and historian Jamie “J.P.” Hand. About four years ago, Jamie supplied several basic carving benches for those who hadn’t brought their own. Those benches didn’t have any moving parts or clamp systems for holding projects like shaving horses do. Instead, the carver places the decoy against a block of wood fixed to the bench and leans in against the other end, holding the decoy in place.

Seeing those simple carving benches took me back to the second article I wrote for Wildfowl Carving Magazine, which appeared in the Winter 2014 issue. I worked on the piece with Jerry Talton, another master carver of traditional decoys. During that project, Jerry taught me a ton about the tools traditional decoy carvers used, including what he called the “New Jersey carving bench.” I recognized Jamie’s benches as being of the same style. As it turned out, Jerry got his push into carving tradition al decoys through Jamie’s influence. I realized that the carving bench design had made its way from the banks of New Jersey (where Jamie was from) down to the carvers’ shops along coastal North Carolina, where Jerry has taught dozens.

I knew I wanted to write about the New Jersey carving bench and decided to dig into the history of its design. Anyone who knows Jamie knows he loves to talk about the history and heritage of New Jersey. He has written many books and articles on various well-known decoy carvers, significant historical politicians, battles, and towns in his home state. I decided to pick his brain, knowing that if you want to ask Jamie a specific question about something as simple as a carving bench, you have to be prepared to hear about anything that may have a little something to do with it. My lesson on the history of this carving bench began with a lecture on the history of the first wooden decoys.

Nobody really knows when the first wooden gunning decoys were made along the Eastern Shore; however, decoys were mentioned as early as around 1850 in several written publications. Those first decoys had flat bottoms, narrow heads, a line tie at each end, and no weights. Back then, hunters also used live ducks to decoy wild ducks. As for the wooden decoys, they were lashed front and back to a triangular frame and floated in front of a sculling skiff or makeshift shoreline blind.

As Jamie continued talking about decoys, I start ed to understand how the New Jersey carving bench made its rounds within the decoy-carving circle. As decoys developed from the simplest renderings of a duck, they began to exhibit more complicated construction techniques. They went from having sol id bodies to finely carved hollow bodies. Harry V. Shourds, John English, and John Blair were the most well-known carvers back in the late 1800s, and their decoy designs were copied by other makers. As decoys became more refined, the need for more efficient ways to construct them developed. Patterns, techniques, and tools were shared, so it follows that a simple but effective design for a bench used to hollow out, hatchet carve, draw down, and smooth out decoy bodies would also be shared from carver to carver in the region.

The design actually dates back to the Roman days. Jamie said it could be credited to a Colonial design that came over from Europe, the Colonial chair maker’s bench—or, more specifically, the Windsor chairmaker’s bench. While researching the Colonial chairmaker’s bench, I was led to an article that stated the design was originally developed by the Romans and called a Roman workbench. In 1775, an article written by M. Hulot Père called “L’art dutourneur mécanicien” detailed various woodworking techniques and included several images, one depicting the Roman workbench. The basic design is nearly identical to what we decoy carvers call the New Jersey carving bench. The bench, referred to as “the saddle” by the Romans, was basically 5 feet long and 10 to 14 inches wide. Its dimensions were easily modified to meet the specific size of the user and intended purpose. The height of the saddle was usually 16 to 17 inches, which allowed the worker to bend over and apply maximum pressure to the work with their stomach.

Most of these benches have four legs, but I’ve seen some with three legs and some with a full width board at each end for legs. The diagram of the Roman bench included a detailed drawing of the “head”—the carving stop or block—at one end of the bench. This block is stair-stepped to catch and hold the project in progress. It is the single part that most users customize to meet their specific carving styles. Jamie learned to carve from his mentor, Hurley Conklin. He said Hurley called the block “the stairway to heaven,” since the original Roman and Colonial design was a series of short steps resembling stairs.

For my first attempt at creating my own New Jersey carving bench, I utilized the stepped block and single, full-width legs at each end. One of the first negatives I noticed when using it was that my work kept sliding over the short steps. The structure would retain the thin tail end of the decoy, but putting the blunt, rounded breast of the carving against the steps often resulted in the decoy launching forward like a plane taking off from an aircraft carrier’s catapult deck. A remedy to this issue that many carvers use is laying a small piece of suede leather over the steps. Some even attach the leather to the back, where it can be flipped forward over the steps when needed or draped over the back when not needed.

My second version of the carving stop included a slightly taller first step with a deep V cut in the middle. This helps me hold the block on its side by inserting the tail into the cut. The second step is a bit taller and has a large U cut in it. This holds the rounded breast when shaping and using the spokeshave.

I think my third version of this bench will also have the traditional half-inch top step to catch the tail when working on the back and belly of the decoy. You will find that as you use your carving tools against the carving block, the block will get a bit worn down, but it can easily be re moved and replaced or updated. However, you may want an alternative surface to chop on if using a hatchet.

Many of the New Jersey carvers placed a round log of cedar next to their carving bench. They would swing one leg over and straddle the log to use it as a hatchet block. That works great if you have the room for a spare log; however, Jamie came up with a brilliant alternative that takes up very little room.

The design actually dates back to the Roman days. Jamie said it could be credited to a Colonial design that came over from Europe, the Colonial chairmaker’s bench—or, more specifically, the Windsor chairmaker’s bench. While researching the Colonial chairmaker’s bench, I was led to an article that stated the design was originally developed by the Romans and called a Roman workbench.

He cut out a large square of second-grade wood and cut a square indentation that will fit tightly around the carving head into one side. The block can then be slid into position for hatchet carving. When he is ready to switch to the drawknife or spokeshave, he pulls the chopping block off and sets it to the side. Here’s one modification I suggest making to this chopping block: cut an indentation into the middle of the block to help hold the decoy steady while chopping.

MATERIALS AND TOOLS
●12 feet of 2″ x 10″ lumber—two legs cut to 16″, the bench cut to 60″, and a single square cut to 9″ x 9″ ●(20) 31⁄2” decking screws ●Wood glue of your choice ●Carpenter’s square or framing square ●Pencil ●Saw ●Screwdriver ●Electric drill with 3⁄32” bit

As mentioned, this bench works by trapping the block of wood you are working with between the front stop block and your belly or groin. This works pretty well with my big belly, but I’ll say that working on a species with a sharp tail such as a pintail or old squaw will flat out hurt. The Romans had a solution to this: a thin, rectangular piece of wood they called a “belly.” The carver would wear an apron with a pock et at the bottom for the “belly,” which was secured with the apron straps. These “bellies” often had slits or grooves cut into them to help catch and hold the piece of wood they were carving. They would trap the work between the “head” and “belly,” leaning into it with their body. When I work on sharp-tailed birds on my bench, I simply use the chopping block with the indentation cut into it to hold the work and keep the tail from digging into my gut.

Enough with the history lesson; let’s build a bench. This version will use single, wide legs at each end instead of post legs, since the single-leg construction is a much simpler build. If you have the skills to make a bench using post legs, the result will be a good bit lighter in weight and more traditional. For lumber, you can use typical lumber-storemilled pine or any other dimensional lumber you have on hand. You can use two-by-eight-inch boards if that is what you have. If you have a piece of knotty cedar that is too messed up for a decoy, it will also work fine and be a good bit lighter in weight than pine. I suggest building the bench on a flat floor and assembling it on its side. Let’s begin!

1. Start by cutting out the bench top (saddle). It is normally five feet (60 inches) long but can certainly be shorter if you have a smaller stature. Then, cut out two 16-inch leg sections. If you are taller, you may want them to be up to 18 inches, or if you are shorter, 14-inch legs may be right for your best sitting comfort.

2. You will then need a single square piece measuring nine inches square. Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner and cut it so you end up with two identical 90-degree triangles. These will serve as your leg braces, giving you two 90-degree angles. With the remainder of the lumber, you will cut out several steps to make your head block.

3. For the bench, using the carpenter’s square, mark a line three inches from each end on both the top and bottom of the saddle. This will serve as your guide for where the legs will be attached. Lay the saddle on its side on the floor. Apply a bead of wood glue across the top edge of one leg and press it in place on either side of the line you drew three inches in at one end of the saddle. Drill three pilot holes spaced evenly across the top of the saddle near the middle of the leg. Run three decking screws into your three pilot holes to secure the leg. Mark the center of the leg and saddle where they meet on the inside of the leg, extending a centerline both across the saddle and down the leg. Measure and mark nine inches out in either direction. Your leg brace will connect in this space. Drill two pilot holes on the line before the nine-inch mark on both the leg and the underside of the saddle. From the top of the saddle, start a screw in each pilot hole. Put a bead of glue on each nine-inch side of the brace, and while holding the brace in place, finish inserting the screws from the bench top into the brace. Then screw in the two screws from the leg into the brace. Repeat on the other end.

4. With the bench made, flip it up onto its legs. Using the leftover lumber, cut out a 10-by 8-inch chopping block. Cut in a 2-by-41/8-inch indent on one of the 10-inch sides as shown in the image. I suggest having the wood grain as shown because, at some point, these cuts are going to split, and once that happens, you can run in a screw from the side to secure the split. If you happen to have any scrap plywood in the shop, laminating several layers together to make this part will eliminate any splitting down the road.

5. Decide how you are going to build your steps on the head: the traditional way (pictured) or my modified way. Cut out the steps using the leftover lumber or scraps you may have in your shop. One option is to cut the head out of a single piece of wood using your band saw. Do not use hardwoods since you will be using a fairly soft wood for your decoy and will be running your sharp tools into this carving stop (head). Consider the head a replaceable part, just like the chopping block. Glue your steps together and clamp them until the glue has totally dried. The width of the carving head needs to fit inside the insert cut into your chopping block. Once the glue has totally dried, place the head at one end of the saddle and drill a couple of pilot holes into the saddle top on each side of the head. Also drill at least one hole into the saddle on the back side of the head. Run screws into these holes to secure the head to the saddle. Countersink the screw heads deep enough into the wood that your cutting-tool edges will be safe if you miss a stroke. This should complete the construction of your New Jersey-style carving bench.

TECHNIQUES

The benefit of this style of bench compared to a shave bench that uses a long arm that clamps against your work is that there are no long pins or moving parts to lose or fall out at inconvenient carving moments. The New Jersey bench is much lighter and travels much more easily if you carve with other people or do demonstrations anywhere. It is quick to reposition your work, whereas the clamping head on a shave horse can often be in the way of your carving tools, requiring you to reposition the work often. As you have seen, it takes very little material to construct your own bench. I’ve made several of these benches so others can use them at my shop. They also serve as wood horses when laying up multiple blocks from large pieces of wood. If you plan on traveling with your bench, I suggest making it out of the lightest wood you have for lifting convenience. I’ll also add that when not in use, this bench makes a fitting historical display stand for your decoys when slid against a wall in your hallway or study—once you get a bit of paint and patina built up on it a few years down the road. Of course, you’ll have to build another to replace it in your shop!