CONSTRUCTION DETAILS

This page shows some details which might be useful to model builders and also may help in understanding how a guillotine works. Some definitions and words associated with the machine are derived from French. Click here for a quick lesson in French "guillotine language". Click here to purchase complete drawings of an 1872 guillotine.

A trio of partially completed guillotine models in 1/6th scale. Approximately 29"-32" tall. The hardwood members are connected via mortise and tenon joints. The model on the left also shows the completed steel braces.

These views are from the back of the guillotine and show details of the copper liner on the lunette. The blade on the left is tempered steel made by a professional knifesmith in Switzerland. It is razor sharp and cuts right over the surface of the lining. The heavy duty steel supports (Center and left picture) are bolted into metal bushings embedded into the uprights for easy disassembly. The model in the center photo features a rounded zinc tub and a rivetted copper liner on the lunette. The photo on the right shows the steel C-brace that holds the posts together right above the zinc tub. On the real Berger guillotine the lunette lining was brass rather than copper.

Three additional lunette liner designs, the one on the left featuring a copper liner attached with miniature steel screws while the one in the center uses an older steel liner with a dual lower plates, steel screws and external spring buffers. In this design the blade cuts between the two liner plates. The model on the right feature a liner that is wrapped over the top of the wood as it was on the last guillotine in use in France.

The pictures above show the result of a long search for the proper pulley for a Berger guillotine. I started using sliding glass door wheels on my first models, then moved to using brass pulleys taken from a 1950's erector set. Finally, I decided to make a true scale copy of the real pulley. The picture on the left shows the four stages of making a guillotine pulley: In the upper left a silhouette-blank rough cut by laser from 10mm aluminum. Upper right the aluminum prototype after machining on the lathe. Lower left, a raw bronze casting, made by lost wax method, based on the aluminum prototype. Lower right, the bronze casting after polishing. The center and right photos show the pulley mounted in the steel support frame made from a single piece of forged steel, very similar to the pulley frame on the real guillotine.

Details of the Berger blade and mouton assembly made of steel. The rollers ride in the aluminum tracks that are embedded in the oak posts. The heavy duty spring stops prevent damage to the machine as the 1.5 Lbs assembly hammers home and cause the assembly to bounce 4-6 times as happened on the real machine. Click here for a short Video Clip showing the blade bounce. The photograph on the left shows a slightly different shock absorber assembly, copied from the one used on the back-up guillotine in 1973. The center picture shows a bracket and track before the spring is installed. The picture on the right shows the 3-sided support assembly, removed from the post, with the spring guide pin clearly visible.

The very complex mechanism in this top grade Berger model is handmade from steel stock and some lasercut parts. It is fully functional and connects the grab with the lever in the left post. A pair of coil springs keep the grab closed around the hollow steel arrow attached to the top of the mouton. The mechanism is concealed behind the hinged steel door in the chapiteau. The door is held closed by a removable pin on a chain (Right photo). The visible part and operation of this mechanism is near identical to the real one, but the internals are slightly modified to give the machine a smoother operation and to make them easier to fabricate in the small scale.

Three pretty accurate versions of the mouton-claw connection are shown above. The middle picture shows the internal mechanism where I have used coil springs to replace the leaf springs used on the original. The design approaches the design of the real mechanism in operation although I have not focused on making it look exactly as the original. This level of mechanical accuracy and detail is very time consuming as every part is cut and shaped by hand. The hollow spike, especially the one on the right, is a realistic copy of the spike on the real guillotine.

My best reproductions of the Berger guillotine mechanism. The one on the left is 1/4 scale and the others are 1/6 scale. They are made of steel and most ot the parts are hand made. Note the overlapping section of the two claws surrounding the center pivot. This detail was very difficult to create and is the reason my simplified version of the mechanism uses dual pivots. Two of the mechanisms also use leaf springs salvaged from old alarm clocks, the third has hand wound bronze leaf springs coiled around square steel posts like the real mechanism.

These photos show the detail of how the braces are connected to the wood structure in my top grade Berger models. At each connection point a steel plate is embedded in the wood and secured with two small brass or steel screws. The center of the plate has bigger tapped hole into which the custom-made "cheese-box head" screw is inserted. The box-head screw is tightened by inserting a steel pin through the hole in the head. This connection is used to secure the six angle braces, the cross brace and the bascule base. A similar detail is used to secure the chapiteau to the posts. This is nearly identical to the way the real machine was assembled. On less expensive models of the Berger machine I replace this time consuming detail with brass bushings and readily available bolts.

The photo on the left shows a base frame corner joint, mortised through the beam and secured with a vertical steel spike, similar to the construction used on the Swedish guillotine. The photo in the middle and on the right shows the same corner joint on two different models, this time secured with a tension rod going through the width of the frame. The connection is still mortised but the tenon only goes half way through the side beam. This was the type of connection used on the older Berger guillotines, including the 1868, the 1907 and the Hanoi machines.

On this very detailed model the posts are hinged to allow them to swing up and down while connected to the base frame. The hinge pins were knocked out so the posts could be transported separately. On the real guillotine there were also hinges on the front and rear steel braces lining up exactly with the axis of the main hinges on the posts so all three could be moved together. The only logical explanation for this strange layout is that the post and braces must have been assembled flat on the ground, then swung into position together. This would have reduced the risk of the 200 lbs posts falling over during assembly. Apparently this arrangement was abandonned on later guillotines as the Berger machines from Sweden and New Caledonia do not have hinges on the braces, but only on the main posts.

The base of these two "super-model" includes most of the detailed features of the real machine. A forged steel C-bracket surrounds the uprights, hinged braces connect the posts to the base, 3-sided brackets holds the spring buffers, and the angle braces are connected to the posts and base via miniature bolts and embedded plates as was used on the real machine. The model on the right also features machined steel T-shaped braces, as did the real machine. Such upgrades can double and even triple the number of hours expended on one of these miniature guillotines.

The lunette slides in a secondary track located near the front of the posts. The track is fitted with a brass channel, notched near the top to allow removal of both the upper and lower lunette boards when the machine is disassembled. The back side of the lunette is lined with metal as it was on the real machine (I typically use copper but it was brass on the real machine). The push lever in the left upright releases the upper lunette board to let it drop in place and then locks it. The photos to the right are of the spring support brackets and mouton in the dropped position. The bolted crash bar rests on top of the springs as it stops the fall of the blade. This model is made of exotic wood and shows some of the design detail which make these high-grade models very close copies of the real machine.

Both the execution lever and the lunette release lever can be seen on these shots of the left post and of the disassembled mechanism. The execution lever was located approximately 6 feet above ground so the executioner would lift his arm above his head to pull it. The lunette release was at eye level and was pushed in to release the top board. By some accounts experienced executioners hit the lunette release with their elbow while pulling down on the lever with the same arm. Guillotine executions were extremely fast, sometimes lasting only 10 seconds from the moment the condemned person was led out of the prison gate. The pictures show slightly different style levers and declics on four different models under construction.

These three models show accurate representations of the bascules on 1907 Berger (Right and Left) and 1792 (Center) guillotines. There were several variations between the machines in this area. On the Berger model the bascule plank was hinged to a wheeled under-carriage which allowed it to roll forward to push the "customer's" head into the lunette. On the 1792 model the bascule was hinged to a plank that simply slid in slots in the sides of the support. The lateral rollers on the board are a mid-1800s add-on to the original Revolutionary design. The semi-circular cutout at the top of the Berger plank was not a "chin-rest" as some have suggested but a "spillway" to the zinc tub below. The two Berger models have a third roller attached to the back of the bascule as was used on most post-1868 machines.

These shots are of the mouton (weight) and blade. They come from four or five different models. This design is the one I have used on all my recent models, with the blade inset in a frame in the front of the mouton. The mouton has a top cover plate, a steel crash bar and a very realistic spike. The most accurate design is the top center picture which has machined rollers of the proper shape. In all the designs, the entire assembly is made of steel to prevent damage and maximize the weight for effect. I have standardized on using machined brass rollers , a big improvement over the steel washers I used on my early models. On the real machine the mouton had an oak core sandwiched between steel plates. The four side rollers, seen on the pictures, are functional and guide the assembly down metal tracks in the oak posts. The bar at the bottom of the mouton extends into the side rails and hits the spring bumper stops at the end of the track. The arrow at the top of the assembly locks into the steel claw under the crossbar. The hook is used to raise the mouton into position.

The zinc-lined cane basket was designed to hold up to four bodies and was outfitted with cane or rope handles around the whole perimeter to allow for four people to carry it. The construction of the real basket was a composite of oak frames, steel reinforcing rods and wicker or cane woven panels with a zinc liner. For the model the original has been copied as much as possible, using oak frame members and steel rods for the structure and hemp rope in lieu of the wicker/cane for the weaving. The liner is zinc plated steel with tin soldered joints. The hemp rope is stained and varnished to look like cane and make the illusion complete. The basket measures a mere 4.5" x 5" x 12" but incorporates more than 500 feet of hemp rope and 50 steel rods totalling over 20 feet in length. The photo on the right shows the bascule side board resting on the basket edge which allowed the decapitated body to be pushed right in. There was usually a layer of sawdust in the bottom of the basket to absorb the blood.

The zinc tub that was placed under the head and extended through the uprights to the area under the front of the bascule to catch most of the blood from the execution. Both square and rounded tubs were used on the real guillotines, but the rounded tub was the more common design. The tubs in these photos are 1/6 scale, made for recent top grade models. I use copper rod to make the swivel handles and solder the zinc plated steel with tin.

Three different red oak models awaiting staining and finishing. The models are completed, adjusted and tested before the finishing phase starts. A model may be assembled and disassembled a dozen times over the course of construction to insure a perfect fit and smooth operation. It takes nearly two hours to strip all the metal parts from these before the wood can be finished. I use red or brown stain and teak oil on most models but have also been experimenting with paints and varnishes on later models.