Frames and supports in 15th and 16th-century Southern Netherlandish painting

CHAPTER I 38 121. Roubo 1977, 643. is a hollow or spoon auger. A smaller version (fig. 6: 67-68) was very often used to drill holes for pegs. The end of the stem may also adopt a helical form. The gimlet (fig. 6: 70) is a smaller model operated by one hand only, as is the wimble (fig. 6: 71) a slightly larger variant. The brace drill (fig. 6: 69) was not known in Europe until the Middle Ages. The novelty lies in the crank that can be turned continuously with one hand, while the other holds the drill in position. This was clearly a major step forward since, with the auger, it was necessary at every half-turn to release and pick up again the T-handle of the tool. For drilling hard woods and metals, the workers of the day also used the trepan drill. This consisted of an iron rod, in the end of which is placed a bit used for drilling metal or hard wood. The tool is activated by the back and forth movement of a bow, the cord of which is wound round the iron rod, with the backward and forward movement of the bow causing the drill to move in one direction and then another. 121 6. Various accessories To hold the pieces of wood securely to the bench, this was equipped with large “dogs” secured into holes drilled or cut into the table (fig. 6: 78). For the same purpose, there was also the bench clamp or hold-down (fig. 6: 80), bent iron, one end of which was lugged and which was wedged into a cylindrical hole in the bench. Several holes were drilled into the bench to allow the dogs and clamps to be moved as required. The toothed dog (fig. 6: 79), inserted into a hole in the bench, served to grab and keep in place a piece of wood being worked on. This later became the claw, piece of wood fitted with a toothed iron serving the same purpose. Also used were vices and presses (fig. 6: 75-76). These were mainly used outside, to hold large beams in place. Trestles were used for holding the wood (fig. 6: 81). A big round stick served as a lever (fig. 6: 82), among other things to shift the tree trunks that were sometimes placed on them. Pincers (fig. 6: 73) were very similar to those used today.