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Two very interesting books on medieval furniture have been published during the last three years, which I was able to obtain this month: Le Meuble Medieval - ustensiles et ceramiques de 500 a 1500 by Georges Bernage (Editions Heimdal) and Meubles et Ameublements Medievaux en Europe Occidentale - VIe-XIIIe siecle by Cecile Lagane (Presses Universitaires de Rennes). Both books are written in the French language, which is not exactly my forte, but nowadays with the help of your mobile phone and the translate function reading the text is perfectly doable. 

For Le Meuble Medieval this is not even neccesary, as most of the content of the 192 page book consists of photos. The whole set-up gives off the vibe of the DK 'Eye-witness' books and travel guides, but also of articles in the Moyen Age magazine (published by Heimdal) - to which the author also contributed.

The double-sided lectern in on the left bottom of the page can be found as a low-resolution image without any other information on the internet, but in this book you can find a good-quality picture with the information: The oak tripod lectern was sold by the auction Espace Tajan SVV in Paris in June 2012. The height of the lectern can be regulated with the screw thread of the central column, so the provided height could be a maximum or minimum one. Height 147 cm, length 73 cm, width 73 cm. French, 15th century.

The book starts with the early middle ages (6th century) and then makes a jump into the 11th and 12th century (high middle ages), followed by the 13th, 14th and 15th century (late middle ages). The few page articles are ordered by furniture type, as well as country of origin. Indeed, there are clear stylistic differences and overlaps visible between the different regions of Europe. A small part of the book also gives attention to some other household utensils: candleholders, ceramics, glass and spoons. 

An article on English (15th century) medieval furniture in Le Meuble Medieval.

Many of furniture examples were taken from auction pieces of Sotheby's, Aguttes SVV or Prunier. These unknown examples (to me) would have been otherwise 'hidden' away in forgotten catalogues. For that alone I would already recommend the book. There are a few downsides for this book. Some furniture types are hardly mentioned, such as the common north/mid-German pointed armoires (Giebelschränk). Whereas the number of photos is exceptionally large, the bibliography is very short and mostly concerns manuscript illuminations. 

Meubles et Ameublements Medievaux en Europe Occidentale by Cecile Lagane is a bit harder to digest, but it is a trove of information, especially on furniture of the early medieval times, such as the beds of the Anglo-Saxons, Franks and Vikings. The book connects the surviving examples from the early and full medieval period with descriptions in medieval literature and art. It contains a dictionary of furniture items in different languages (like the Multilingual medieval furniture dictionary posts 1 and post 2), and it is lavisly illustrated with photos and construction schematics as well. The book meticulously covers all aspects of each furniture type, from wood, iron and polychrome colouring to its use. This book contains a large bibliography, in which I already found some other interesting furniture literature. 

Meubles et Ameublements Medievaux en Europe Occidentale is more than just photos (there are 173 in this book), it also contains discussions on the furniture, schematics, and tables listing examples of similar furniture (on this page the Noyon armoire type III).

• Georges Bernage. 2025. Le Meuble Medieval - ustensiles et ceramiques de 500 a 1500. Editions Heimdal, St Martin-des-Entrées, France. ISBN 9782840486312. 192 pages, 39 Euro.
• Cecile Lagane. 2023. Meubles et Ameublements Medievaux en Europe Occidentale - VIe-XIIIe siecle. Serie Archeologie & Culture. Presses Universitaires de Rennes (PUR), Rennes, France. ISBN 9782753593749. 226 pages, 34 Euro. 

One of the last two (miniature chest) projects is 99% done, just waiting on pigment to arrive.  The bookcase needs the doors hung, knobs installed, and some touch up shellac work to be 100%. I don't have a warm and fuzzy that I'll get either one completed before the ball falls.

 

it is twisted

I went to the shop after dinner and immediately checked the lid for twist. Sad to say but there was a lot of twist in it. I couldn't check the top face because of the stop but the underside told the story.

I was so concerned and focused on the lid being flat and straight, that it didn't occur to me to check it for twist first. Ignoring this detail has bit me on the arse before. 

it is up over an 1/8"

I couldn't see this twist eyeballing down the edges. Laid flat it jumps right out and slaps you.

shoulda, woulda, coulda, but didn't

This is the second time I glued back on a chip on the feet. After this had set up I rasped a chamfer on all four. I should have done this right after I glued and nailed it together.

new lid

Sawed off a new lid and planed a twist free reference face.

other face was twisted

I was gentle untwisting this face. My goal was to maintain as much of the thickness as I could.

done

 I didn't make the two faces parallel. My thoughts on it were this - the reference face will be down on the top of the chest. The opposite face just has to look flat and straight, which it does.

hmm......

The opposite face to the reference one - there is a teeny bit of twist but IMO it can be ignored. I left the lid stickered on top of the chest overnight.

AM work

I had an appointment at the hospital this AM. Had a pulmonary function test but I won't know the results until after my MRI on the 9th.  Back from the hospital I played with the new lid. Used the same 1/2 pattern I used the first lid and routed a 45 degree chamfer on the front and sides.

happy face

Got the lid on the chest and no rocking. I had checked the lid for twist before I started playing with it and there was still none.

rasped the feet

The shinto rasp is quicker but I don't like the surface it leaves. I prefer to use this rasp. It is a little trickier to use and you have to rasp in the direction of the grain. The surface is smoother and I find it easier to get a consistent chamfer on each foot.

back stop

New back stop. I did consider sawing off the one on the original lid but nixed it. I had too many scraps to pick from for a new one.

got lucky

I was surprised after checking the two shelves that both were twist free. All I had done to the two of them was to plane away some cupping.

hmm.....

The top had a small bit of twist to it caused my me wandering out into left field fitting the first lid. Corrected that and checked the diagonal corners with a straight edge. I don't know what this proves/checks but I had the straight edge on the bench and did it.

checking the width of the shelves

The front edge of this stop is what the inside faces of the doors will close against. 

hmm.....

 One shelf was short of this by a 16th and the other one was a 16th over.

need to be wider

 I planed the wider shelf a 16th. I had to make the notches for the shelf pins wider. As is there was gap between the back edge of the shelf and the carcass back. I thought of filling the notches in (still might do that) but for now I just made them wider.

it is flush

This was a good feeling. With the shelf width thinned, the left door is flush with the edge of the carcass.

hmm.....

I don't like the amount of movement in the shelves in/out. On the flip side the shelves are the right width and the doors close up flush.Maybe I could a partially fill in the notch to eliminate the excessive in/out movement?

slight gap

I wasn't expecting to see this. The gap on both shelves is about the same too.

sigh

Got clamp rosebuds on the top and bottom. They weren't deep and after eyeballing them, I am convinced that they were caused by the clamp pads. I don't see clamp rosebuds when I use the quick grips.

hinging the lid

I put a few dabs of super glue on the hinge. Positioned the lid and clamped the hinges for a few minutes.

not moving

I have tried this super glue trick without clamping but I didn't have much success. The hinges would pop off with the slightest amount of stress. With the clamps putting pressure on the hinge for a few minutes, no problems. I put two screws in each hinge leaf on the lid. I still have to take the lid off when I finally get around to painting it.

partial ooh and aah

The miniature chest is 99.99% done. It is sanded, all defects filled with wood putty, it just needs paint. The latest update from Amazon says it will come 3 Jan. The other two pigments are still scheduled to arrive on the 5th. Ordered all 3 from the same supplier, why the different delivery dates?

accidental woodworker 

 I came close to finishing this up today but it ain't so boys and girls. I got the glass and the glazing bars installed on the last door and then I ran into bit of a hiccup. I will have to address that show stopper before I can ooh and aah. So maybe tomorrow or tuesday for dancing in the streets of Mudville?

happy face on

This glazing bar had a big gap yesterday that I clamped shut with a couple of ghost sticks. The right side looks like there is a gap but there isn't. Happy with the fit and look of door #1.

hmm......

Me thinks I made a me-steak. I should have applied shellac to the muntins before I installed the glass and glazing bars.

the show stopper

Put the finished door in place and it doesn't fit. The top shelf is definitely too wide. The door is a 1/8" proud laid up against it. The bottom is flush but that could be because it toed in. I might have to make one or two new shelves. Sigh.

oh what a relief

The chest is still square. When I took the diagonal clamp off, the chest didn't groan or move. 

flushing the ends

When I nailed the sides on I left them a couple of frog hairs proud of the end. That way today I could plane them flush.

didn't allow for this

When I adjusted the bandsaw I did it so the front/back were flush in the notch. I planed the rough bandsawn surface smooth and got this. But this is to my advantage. Easier to flush this then deal with the front/back being proud.

sigh

I didn't predrill for the nails and paid the price. I didn't think I needed to do for this because I was nailing into sides. Went back to square one and started again with predrilled bearers.

ouch

The bearers are 3/4" thick and the ends are 3/4" thick. I used 1 1/4" finish nails but all three still stuck out to shake hands with me. Glad that I'm using milk paint on this chest.

bearers done

I clipped off about a 1/8" from each nail and none poked out.

flushed

Filed all the poking nails with a file. One of the clipped ones  poked out a few frog hairs that I filed flush too.

hmm.....

I flushed the top of this bearer with the top of the end ones. A tapered portion over hung on the bottom. Flushed what I could with the violin plane 

2" chisel

What I couldn't get with the violin plane, I got with the chisel. I could have used the chisel to do all of the flushing.

dutchman

I meant to put this facing the inside but it became a moot point when I saw I had another chip/blowout on the opposite face. I enlarged it a wee bit and glued in a dutchman. No need to match grain/color because I'm painting this.

*%&*&_)()(*_+^%@)_$+(

I love my new glue bottle but this red cap I am beginning to hate with a passion. I can't seem to keep it close when I take it off the bottle. I am forever losing it or it walks away on me. It took me 15 minutes to find it this time when I searched for it.

jig time

Made a quick jig to hold the glazing bars while I chopped notches for the glazier points.

2nd door done

Two of the long glazing bars were bowed, one on each side. In the end I got all the bars gap free and down to the glass.

sawing the dutchman

I put a thin piece of wood on the chest to guide the saw so I wouldn't dig into the chest. The portion left proud I flushed with a plane.

done

Again it didn't need to be perfect. The few gaps I will fill in with wood putty.

wee bit of twist

It was rocking pretty good. The sticks showed two lines out of whack which is a healthy amount of twist.

you can knock because it ain't rocking

It took a while but it is laying flat on the tablesaw. No rocking when pushed on any of the corners. However, the chest will not lay flat on the workbench. That is why I use the tablesaw as my reference flat surface.

bottom done

The bottom of the chest was slightly  out of square - the top wasn't. To hide the ugly looking gaps I used the last of my quarter round moldings to keep it down on the bearers. Haven't decided on how to secure them yet. Glue and pin nails or just the nails?

hmm.....

Too much overhang on the front. I am overhanging the ends a 1/2" and I want the front to be the same. The trick there is the front will be curved.

no twist

The lid was rocking and I could see that it wasn't laying flat neither. At first I thought it was the top of the chest but it is dead nuts twist free.

too short

This beam compass is almost 3 feet long but it wasn't enough. I want a shallow curve on the lid and it wasn't happening this way.

first time

I had this flexible layout doo dad for several years. This it the time I can remember using it. Making a half pattern for the front of the lid.

ripping it to final width

The front over hung the front of the chest too much IMO. Nailed a straight edge over hanging the curve so I could run it against the fence to get a parallel cut on the back edge.

hump

The lid still wasn't laying flat on the chest. Just realized as I was looking at this pic that I didn't check the board for twist. I planed the hump and it did improve the rocking some but didn't eliminate it.

hinges mortised

I don't like how these no mortise hinges lay without a mortise. Without a shallow mortise the back end is pushed up about a 1/8".  I don't like the tapered look of the lid. 

like this router a lot

It is only a 1/4" but it is cordless. The balance is good and visibility for seeing the router bit is decent. Used it to rout a 45 chamfer on the sides and front of the lid. I am putting a back stop on this chest too.

glued and cooking

I cut the height down twice on the back stop before I glued it on. I did a 1" round over on the ends and left the rest of the stop square.

hmm......

The mortises weren't flat side to side. I chiseled them even and that made the mortise a wee bit too deep. I try to have the hinges flush or a frog hair proud. With them below the top of the mortise, they become hinge bound.

got lucky

This thin sliver of wood is an off cut from ripping the lid to its final width. With this piece of veneer, the hinges were less than a frog hair proud. Once screws go in it should pull the hing down so it ends up flush.

 Had a good day in the shop and I got a lot accomplished. I have two projects that are both an inch from finish line. The bookcase wasn't the last project of 2025 and the miniature chest might not claim that honor neither. There are 3 days left in Dec 2025 and I might get to start the first project of 2026.

accidental woodworker