Lu Ban (507 BC – 444 BC), a native of the State of Lu during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China, is revered by later generations as the ancestral master of Chinese carpenters.
In 507 BC, Lu Ban was born into a family of hereditary artisans. From a young age, he followed his family in participating in numerous civil engineering construction labors, gradually mastering the skills of productive labor. Lu Ban lived during the transition period between the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, which was also a time of great social change.
Lu Ban made outstanding contributions to mechanical invention and creation. When Lu Ban toured the State of Chu, the King of Chu greatly valued this talent and provided him with many conveniences, enabling him to do his utmost. Grateful for this kindness, Lu Ban created siege ladders for attacking cities and hooked grappling ships for naval warfare for the Chu army. Among these, the siege ladder has been passed down for thousands of years.
Lu Ban’s ingenuity is also reflected in his many contributions to civil engineering, the most important of which are the inventions of various woodworking tools that had a significant impact on later generations. In his time, knives and axes were the most commonly used tools by carpenters, but using them to make objects required a lot of time and effort, and the resulting products were not very aesthetically pleasing. Lu Ban wanted to change this situation, but he could not find a suitable method.
Once, when he went deep into the mountains to cut down trees, his hand was cut by the leaves of a wild grass. When he picked a leaf and gently touched it, he found that the two sides of the leaf had sharp teeth. Inspired by this, Lu Ban first made a saw tooth shape out of bamboo, and later changed to using iron sheets to make a saw, thereby making a qualitative leap in the speed of cutting wood.
In addition, Lu Ban also invented the plane, which makes the surface of wood smooth; the drill, which can be used to drill holes and make wood join more firmly; and the carpenter’s square, which can measure right angles and flat angles, and also make wooden objects very straight and beautiful, later generations called it the Lu Ban Ruler.
Lu Ban is one of the representatives of the ancient Chinese handicraft industry, with countless inventions in his lifetime, full of legends. Many of his inventions have had a significant impact on improving China’s handicraft and machine manufacturing levels, and he himself has been remembered throughout history for his great achievements.
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