A wooden rake
is not too difficult to make, provided you have the right
tools and a little knowledge. The woods to use are ash, willow,
elm and sycamore.
Think of the rake as having three parts the tines, head (the
block that holds all the tines) and the stail (handle).
Making the tines
Saw a six inch diameter log of ash or willow to the length
of the tines required. Tie a piece of twine tightly around
the log. Then rive the log in equal parallel cuts with a
froe and mallet. Cut one way and then at 90 degrees to that.
You will end up with lots of square cut potential tines.
A heavier piece may require the use of a bittle and a
steel wedge, rather than a froe and mallet.
Then use a tine former to shape the tines. The tine former
should be attached to a driving stool with a bucket under
it to catch the falling tines. Simply place the square tine
over the tine former and hit it with the mallet.
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The second tine
pushes the first into the waiting bucket.
The head can have as many as 30 tines in
it and it is best to make this using sycamore or elm. A upright
brake or clamp is used to hold the head while it is shaped
and the holes for the tines are drilled. Wet the tines then
hammer them into the head.
Use ash for the stail. A straight pole is
needed. Use a stail engine, twisting down the pole to finish
it off. |