The Museum Collection: Carpentry
Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire
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There were many people working in wood in the town of Bradford on Avon and in the villages too. There was a hierarchy of trades that was based on the fineness and skill of the work. Carpenters took on the big jobs, including houses, for which they would be classed as builders today; at the other end of the scale were the cabinet makers who made high-quality furniture; in between were joiners, usually making coarser furniture and fittings. Many wood workers who made coffins also became funeral directors too.
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This small table was made from oak timbers that were removed from Bradford’s ancient Saxon Church of St Laurence at the time when it was being restored in the 1870s.
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A model chair that was carved from a piece of the old elm tree that grew on Ham Green, Holt until 1884. It is one of several that were made for local children by James Chapman, a carpenter who lived next to the green.
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A moulding plane is one that was used to cut a shape into the edge of a piece of wood. A carpenter would have had several in his workshop because each one cut an individual profile. The blade and the underside of the beechwood holder are shaped to the profile. These planes take skill to use, because they have to be held at the right angle all the way along the work.
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The plough plane was used to cut a groove into a piece of wood, usually to make a long joint into which another piece fits. The depth of the groove can be set by wedging the blade and somestimes blades of different widths can be used. So that the groove is cut at the same distance from the edge all along the workpiece, there is an adjustable fence that is locked with wedges. This and the moulding plane were used by Jack Mortimer at Forster’s workshop in Winsley.
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Morticing machine chisels, from a set that belonged to a machine that was used to cut slots in wood for mortice-and-tenon joints. It was used by another carpenter who worked for Forster’s in Winsley. When Mr Forster retired he sold the business to Manning’s of Combe Down, Bath, a firm that still exists.
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An advertisement for Edmund Long’s carpentry and upholstery workshop in 1887. One of the usual lines of carpenters was that of funeral director, because of having to make coffins. He also ran a removal and storage business.
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