Lost for words...

[Eric The Viking]

To change the subject ever-so-slightly:

This week I has been mainly thinking about, er, dovetail angles and stuff. So, over breakfast this morning, I turned to Joyce* to get his take on it. My edition was revised by the late, great Alan Peters, so I'm never sure how much of the wry wit is attributable to whom.

Anyway, near the end of a really good description of basic dovetail cutting in Ch. 14, came this (emphasis mine):

• "As with all woodworking activities the only true guide is positive experience, often bitter but nevertheless inevitable. On no account should dovetails be 'bishoped', i.e. hit with a hammer to spread the fibres and tighten up a slack fit."

Bishoped!

I've no doubt those of senior years and experience will already be familiar with this one, but it was new to me and caused a hoot of laughter. Imagining the origin of the term also caused some amusement: the nearest I can remember was a game played in the Methodist church youth group of my youth called 'Beat the bishop', involving a rolled-up newspaper.

That's probably an ancient score being settled in jest (no love lost between the Methodists and the Anglican hierarchy), but the woodworking term I can only guess at. It may be the pin is reminiscent of a bishop's mitre (hat), but there may well be something far more interesting (and amusing).

Does anyone know?

Cheers,

E.

*"The Technique of Furniture Making", Ernest Joyce, 4th ed. revised by Alan Peters, 1987, p.173.

 

[gus3049]

To change the subject ever-so-slightly:

This week I has been mainly thinking about, er, dovetail angles and stuff. So, over breakfast this morning, I turned to Joyce* to get his take on it. My edition was revised by the late, great Alan Peters, so I'm never sure how much of the wry wit is attributable to whom.

Anyway, near the end of a really good description of basic dovetail cutting in Ch. 14, came this (emphasis mine):

• "As with all woodworking activities the only true guide is positive experience, often bitter but nevertheless inevitable. On no account should dovetails be 'bishoped', i.e. hit with a hammer to spread the fibres and tighten up a slack fit."

Bishoped!

I've no doubt those of senior years and experience will already be familiar with this one, but it was new to me and caused a hoot of laughter. Imagining the origin of the term also caused some amusement: the nearest I can remember was a game played in the Methodist church youth group of my youth called 'Beat the bishop', involving a rolled-up newspaper.

That's probably an ancient score being settled in jest (no love lost between the Methodists and the Anglican hierarchy), but the woodworking term I can only guess at. It may be the pin is reminiscent of a bishop's mitre (hat), but there may well be something far more interesting (and amusing).

Does anyone know?

Cheers,

E.

*"The Technique of Furniture Making", Ernest Joyce, 4th ed. revised by Alan Peters, 1987, p.173.

I too grew up a methodist but the only time we mentioned 'bishops' was when we were indeed er....'bashing ' it!