2017/31/1

, Martin Damen (Maker)

Wooden log, the first 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.

1 log: hazel wood with bark on, sealed with PVA

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 1 Log. ..., 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. // Item 1 [2017/31/1] has been sealed with PVA to reduce the risk of the log splitting over time. This and the three finished spoons (Items 22 [2017/31/22], 23 [2017/31/23] & 24 [2017/31/24]) are the only ones that have been sealed in the set. // Having been cut to length the log (Photo 1) is then cleft in two along its length using an axe (Photo 2). ...', Object history research, December 2022 - 'How can this object be described? 24 pieces of wood. Some pieces are rough with bark on, or roughly carved wood, and some pieces are smooth. The pieces are all about the same size. There are pencil lines on the spoons. // What was this object used for? The set illustrates the stages of producing a hand-carved wooden spoon using traditional tools and techniques. // How old is it? The set was made by Martin Damen in 2016. He is a skilled maker of hand carved wooden spoons and bowls. // How were they made? They spoons are made of hazel. Martin used a carving axe, a straight carving knife and a hook knife. He used straight timber to produce this style of spoon. The wood is firstly cut with the axe to remove waste material. The knives are used to shape the wood, so the spoon emerges. Once the carving is finished the spoon is allowed to dry thoroughly for about 14 days. At this point the spoon can be decorated or sanded. The spoon is then sealed using a food-grade linseed oil. // Which other objects in the collection relate to the wooden spoon? The MERL has wooden bowls in the collection. This bowl [MERL 2003/31] was made by traditional methods on a pole lathe. It was made by George Lailey, a bowl turner, from Bucklebury.'

Swerford, Banbury

2016-01-01 - 2016-05-05

Block, wood, Spoon