Bench, Harness Maker's

Description

White pine seat with two legs at each end, set into birch cleats, nailed to the underside of the seat. Padded leather seat at one end with two legs below braced to the seat by a forked, forged iron brace. Braced legs are chestnut and ash; legs opposite are maple and ash. One braced leg is chestnut, the other is ash. Padded seat covered by leather secured with copper tacks. The vise has maple jaws, a tightening screw and nut, and swivel screw; burly maple swivel base. Fixed vise jaw secured to the swivel base with bolts and captured nuts. The moveable jaw pivots on forged iron plates with integral pins that lock into the base. An iron pin is inserted through the width of the jaw base, which passes through holes in iron plates as well. Head of the maple vise screw held in the fixed jaw by a leather strap tacked to the outside of the jaw above and below the screw head.

Notes

When acquired, the bench included a shallow tool tray (a later addition, not original to the piece) that was attached to the top opposite the seat. The tool tray was removed at some point, perhaps for the object's inclusion in the 1986 Shaker Design exhibition at the Whitney. The tool tray has since been re-attached to the bench, but the bench has not been photographed with it.