How did they make the "Seymour" Lunette Banding in the early 1800's ...

T

TheWoodWiz

Well-known member
I just finished watching Steve Latta's Bandings Part 2 DVD. It was great, much more informative than the first. It covered a lot of ground, solved lots of mysteries, and taught me many things.

The last banding he makes is the famous Seymour lunette banding. He uses a drill press and large plug cutters to make it.

As I watched though, I wondered how did the period cabinetmakers make it? Did they have plug cutters and drill presses 200 years ago?

JB
 
They may have done something similar, but with a lathe and a brace. I haven't watched the DVD but I can guess what was done.

I saw a method, I don't recall where, where a round nose bit was used to make grooves in a flat board. Then a bull nose bit was used to make half rounds on the edge of boards. The half round part was cut off, then sand shaded and glued into the 1st board. and repeat for the next smaller half round.

They may have been able to use this method with planes, or possibly some combination of both.

Whatever it was I'm guessing it was relatively fast, or we wouldn't see it on so many pieces.
 
Cartouche winner Steve Lash wrote an article for the Feb 1999 Woodwork magazine on making lunette banding.
His method used sandpaper, forstner bits, gouges, and skill.
Nothing that would have been out of place in the 1700's
 
Duncan Phyfe had several different size plug cutters in his tool chest. So I believe the inlay maker who made the banding for the Seymour's would had something similar.  The plug cutter would of had saw teeth at the end with a center point.  I also believe the plugs wouldn't be very long. 

FR
 
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