2017/31/2/1-2

, Martin Damen (Maker)

Cleft log, into two pieces, the second stage in a set of pieces that illustrate the stages of producing a hand-carved wooden spoon. The set was produced by Martin Damen, Maker of Hand-Carved Wooden Spoons and Bowls in 2016.

2 sides of a log of wood: hazel wood with bark on

Pre-MERL list / description [Delivery Note] – 'Martin Damen Maker of Hand-Carved Wooden Spoons & Bowls // ... // DELIVERY NOTE // Delivery Address: ... // Delivery Date: 5th May 2016// Invoice Number: MDTGW/07/15 // Invoice Date: 24th July 2015 // Order Number: 3179911 // Order Date: 10th July 2015. // ITEM DESCRIPTION PHOTOGRAPH ... 2 Cleft log. Item 2a shows the raw fibres on the cleft face. Item 2b has been axed flat.', Pre-MERL list / description – 'The Carving of a Spoon // by Martin Damen Maker of Hand-Carved Wooden Spoons & Bowls // THE CARVING OF A SPOON // INTRODUCTION // These notes are to accompany a set of pieces commissioned by the Museum of English Rural Life (MERL), that illustrate the stages of producing a hand-carved wooden spoon using traditional tools and techniques. The set was produced by Martin Damen, Maker of Hand-carved Wooden Spoons & Bowls in 2016. // SPOON DESIGN // The spoon was specially designed for this project. The spoon is intended to be an eating spoon and the bowl shape is based on a spoon held in the MERL collection. The handle has been kept simple yet big enough to allow for some decoration in one of the finished spoons (Item 24 [2017/31/24]). // WOOD // Due to the need for consistency between each piece it has been necessary to use straight timber. Consequently, the spoon is comparatively flat as it is essential that in areas of potential weakness the fibres of the wood are kept as long as possible. In contrast, if a ladle were to be made which requires a steep crank to the handle then it is usual for a crook (branch section) to be used. // The wood used in this set is hazel (Corylus avellana). It was obtained ... about 10 miles from the workshop. // TOOLS // The tools used in producing this set are the same as Martin Damen normally uses in his work. They consist of: // Carving axe. Hand-forged by Gransfors-Bruks, Sweden. // Straight carving knife. Mass produced laminate steel wood carving knife by Mora, Sweden. // Hook knife. Hand-forged by Hans Karlsson, Sweden. // METHOD OF WORK // The traditional method of working emphasizes the removal of as much waste as possible as quickly and efficiently as possible. Consequently, work starts with the axe where its mass combined with its sharp edge can be used to good effect. While sometimes further waste could be removed with the axe, the time is disproportionate and the work is left to the knife. No effort is made throughout the process to carry out unnecessary tidying up of marks. The process naturally refines the shape until at the end the knife is used to remove the smallest amount of wood from the aris (sharp corner where two faces meet). It should be noted that this is just one method of hand-carving a wooden spoon and is suitable for making small spoons from straight timber. I use other processes when making ladles from crooks or producing spoons from large section timber. The spoon blank has been marked with guidelines in the making of this set. This would not necessarily be done normally. However, it is considered that they aid explanation and so have been employed for this reason. // CARVING A SPOON // ... The blanks are sawn to about 210mm lengths. This includes a bit of waste that will be retained as long as possible during the axe work to protect the wood from bruising. // ... Having been cut to length the log (Photo 1) is then cleft in two along its length using an axe (Photo 2). The process of cleaving has several advantages. Firstly, it is much quicker to cleave than saw along the logs length. Secondly, by cleaving, the fibres of the wood are parted and their length retained. Longer fibres mean more strength in the spoon. // Before cleaving the log should be examined for any potential knots or other features in order to determine where the axe should be placed for cleaving (see also supplementary notes). The cleft face of Item 2a [2017/31/2/1] shows the fibres of the wood. There are a couple of flaws that show where small branches exist. These present no problems as the spoon can be set within the blank so that the flaws fall away as waste. // Most wood will exhibit a twist along its length. Consequently, in order to produce a flat face from which to work from, the twist has to be removed using the axe. At the same time, in order to reduce the risk of the finished spoons splitting, any trace of the pith core of the tree has to be removed (Item 2b [2017/31/2/2], Photo 3). ...'

Swerford, Banbury

2016-01-01 - 2016-05-05

Block, wood, Spoon