Category Archives: wooden rakes

Rake making at Beamish

I’m back in the modern world after a weekend spent at Beamish museum making wooden rakes as part of their 1913 Show of Agriculture. My rakes are traditionally made using cleft timber and hand tools as working implements so I … Continue reading

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Old tools

This weekend I’ll be demonstrating making wooden rakes at Beamish museum’s Show of Agriculture which recreates an agricultural show from 1913.  I’ve been measured for a period costume and working through my tools, sorting out which will be suitable for … Continue reading

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Keeping busy through the summer

June went by in a flash and I realised I hadn’t written anything here all month. It’s mowing season so a lot of my time at the moment is taken up with scythes – find out about it on Scytherspace, … Continue reading

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Leela's rake

Last October I met Miss Kathloon Peart from Bishop Auckland who told me how she’d received her first hayrake when only 3 years old and had been making hay on her farm for the 50-something years since then. So I … Continue reading

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Romanian Rakemaker

I’ve been in the Transylvania region of Romania taking part in an International Haymaking Festival. During the week we called in to visit Viktor-bacsi (an honorific for older people translated for us as “Uncle Viktor”) who, despite ill health makes … Continue reading

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Double bow rake

My first completed rake, post-fire, a double bow model based on one at MERL. The head is 695mm wide with 12 tines, the bows are made from cleft ash, shaved almost to size and then drawn through a dowel plate. … Continue reading

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New old tools

It’s 7am on a sunday and I’m walking around a farmer’s field in the rain – there must be a car boot sale. Following the recent workshop fire I’m planning to try and repair as many of the tools as … Continue reading

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Straightening rake stails

A straight stail is essential for a good rake so it can slide through your hands while you work and and for balance. You can test a rake’s balance by holding it horizontally in your hands. As you relax your … Continue reading

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Rakemaking Workshop

Despite the recent setbacks with tools, over the bank holiday I ran a one-to-one workshop for Mike Carswell on making wooden rakes. This was hosted by Edward & Romola in the wonderfully inspiring Sprint Mill workshop. Mike has just completed … Continue reading

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