Because of my interest in Early Music, I have played in various Costumed Bands, prior to being the Pied Piper. As such I have rubbed shoulders with Re-enactors and in so doing, discovered that they need wooden household items to use in their recreations of domestic life in times gone by. The generic name for this is is "Treen". As I am also a Woodturner, it seemed a good idea to make the items that are appropriate to a lathe.
Historically, treen is made from English hardwoods and herein lies the first problem for those wishing to make it! You can go down to your local Builders' Merchant and buy any amount of Softwood in a wide variety of sizes. This is not the case with Hardwood. When you can find a suitable source, you can only buy what they happen to have in stock at the time of your visit. For example, at the moment, I have a quantity of Beech planks from which I can make Platters and Chopping Boards. When that is gone, there will not necessarily be any more available, so I will have to use something else.
Here are some pictures of turned items I have made in the past. Its up to you to decide what style is appropriate for your particular period. Remember, these are only examples; if you want something different and you e-mail me a picture, there's a good chance that I can make it for you.
You'll notice that no prices are mentioned. This is because I don't know what timber will be available in what sizes and at what price, when you order. Tell me what you want and I'll tell you how much it will cost you - now!
However, to give you some idea, while stocks last, you can have an 8 inch "Simple" Platter in Beech for only £11, plus carriage.
Platters: |
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"Simple" |
"Flanged" |
"Mary Rose" |
Chopping Boards: |
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"Flat" |
"Raised Centre" (for bread) |
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The options are boundless! Remember that if they are to be eaten from with a spoon, they should fit comfortably into the hand. The example on the left suits the ladies hand but the other one would be far too big.
Notice the characteristic chamfer on the top of each of these. I suspect that the reason that this was done was to thin the rim to make it more comfortable for when the bowl was used for drinking as opposed to eating.
The Platters and Chopping Boards above are made in Beech.
The Small Bowl is in Spalted Birch, the larger one in Cherry.
Everything is made on a modern electric lathe.
Untreated timber picks up every dirty mark going. I therefore seal all these items with very hot Vegetable Oil. THEY CAN BE LEFT UNTREATED - LET ME KNOW.
From time to time, new examples will be added so keep coming back!
Its up to you now - tell me what you need, to help you enjoy your hobby even more and I'll do my best to make it for you.
Just ring me on: 01353 688275 or e-mail me at: info@tonypearson.co.uk
