Robert Sutter Metal, but by and Large It Was the Age of Wood
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he Oxford English Dictionary defines treen as “made of tree.” T However, for my purposes treen is any object made of wood that is not furniture. Before the Industrial Revolution, craftsmen working alone or in small groups produced a wide variety of objects for household use from the forests all around them. To be sure, the blacksmith, the silver- Treen smith, and the pewterer all worked in Robert Sutter metal, but by and large it was the age of wood. This era ended in the late 18th and 19th centuries as mechanization took over, when wood was replaced by ceramics and other materials that lent themselves to mass production. Later in the 19th century, small businesses like the Peaseware Peaseware sugar bowl, 8" (200 mm) tall. The lid is a snug fit turned with an integral knob. These five parts fit together to make the Peaseware, from left, five-piece thread holder, sugar bowl Peaseware thread with lid, small cup with lidded boxes. In 1850, David Pease holder, 5" (125 mm) dia. established a water-powered turning factory in northern Ohio, which his descendants continued in business until 1975. The factory produced a wide variety of wooden objects, mostly turned green from the abundant maple that grew nearby. 46 American Woodturner August 2012 Copyright 2012, 2016, American Association of Woodturners. All rights reserved. 46_Treen.indd 46 7/10/12 11:20 AM FEATURE Woodturning Factory in Ohio (1850– When my wife and I began to I don’t suggest that we should never 1975), and John Grass Woodturning collect treen, there weren’t many stray from the simple bowl made of in Philadelphia, founded in 1863, kept other people interested in these old beautifully figured wood. But the the woodturning craft tradition alive. wooden bits and pieces, so prices exotic woods that were available Peaseware was mostly hollowware were reasonable, both in America to our 20th century heroes are not such as sugar bowls, thread holders, and abroad. From our collection of so easily come by today. This fact small boxes, and cups, as shown in seventy or so pieces of treen, I chose encourages many turners to experi- the photos, while the sign on John sixteen to illustrate how form, ment with surfaces, form, and scale, Grass’s building offered “wood poles, scale, texture, complexity, and the but they are always building on our rollers, handles, mallets, mauls.” craftsman’s skill can combine to rich tradition and its recognizably Edward Pinto illustrates seven thou- produce fascination. As a designer, comfortable ideas. sand useful wooden items within the I look to these pieces as a rich trove pages of the standard reference, Treen of ideas. As a maker, I’m astounded and Other Wooden Bygones. While some by the workmanship these crafts- are pedestrian, like John Grass’s mauls, men routinely achieved. others are amazing flights of fancy (see Studying these traditional wood- Bob Sutter, a retired graphic designer and turning forms reminds me to be true page 48) created within the strictures photographer, lives in Hanson, MA, where of wood worked on a water-powered to the lathe, its tools, and the mate- he turns “a variety of stuff, always looking lathe with the craftsman’s steel tools. rial we sometimes take for granted. for breakthroughs.” The bottom of the collapsible cup is a separate piece plugged into the base of the case. This allowed the four rings that telescope together to be turned separately and then assembled with the base. The collapsible cup is shown closed in the middle photo on page 48. London bobby’s whistle, 4" (100 mm) long. The incised rings indicate the piece was turned and end- bored, then cut to make flat surfaces top and bottom and open the airway. woodturner.org 47 Copyright 2012, 2016, American Association of Woodturners. All rights reserved. 46_Treen.indd 47 7/11/12 12:34 PM The five-piece cherry fancy had to be made of well- seasoned wood to avoid distortion. It has no evident purpose beyond displaying the skill and ingenuity of the anonymous turner. The photo at right includes the assembled fancy. Three complex tours-de-force showcase the anonymous artisans’ skill. From left, collapsible birch cup in case, 3" (75 mm) tall when open; stemmed goblet with eight rings, 5" (125 mm) tall; turner’s fancy, 8" (200 mm) tall. Lignum vitae spice grinder from England, 10" (250 mm) tall. Hand-chased threads join the three main parts; the iron grinding mechanism is hand forged. Painted spill holder, 7" (175 mm) tall. Spills, used to light lamps, candles, and pipes, were produced by running a spill plane over the edge of a piece of dry pine. Most likely spills were purchased from local cabinetmakers and carpenters. 48 American Woodturner August 2012 Copyright 2012, 2016, American Association of Woodturners. All rights reserved. 46_Treen.indd 48 7/10/12 11:21 AM FEATURE Boxwood lemon squeezer, 7" (175 mm) long, with hand-chased threads. Cherry standish, a stand for inks, pens, and other writing materials, 7" (175 mm) tall. The Rosewood sewing aid, removable canister with the perforated top 5" (125 mm) tall. This is a sander, used to sprinkle fine sand on a complex gadget clamps document to dry the ink. The center vase held to a table so that the pens. Most treen was left unfinished or polished pincushion top is handy to clear, but this piece has been chemically stained the sewer. The retractable to give the cherry the color of mahogany. tape is marked in “nails,” an old fabric measure of 1⁄16 of a yard. Its complex decorative elements suggest it was turned on a Holtzapffel lathe or some equally versatile machine. Unlike a standard rolling pin, this Pennsylvania Dutch utensil could be used one-handed. The frame of the pin, joined with a mortise and tenon, is an example of the melding of turner and cabinetmaker traditions. woodturner.org 49 Copyright 2012, 2016, American Association of Woodturners. All rights reserved. 46_Treen.indd 49 7/10/12 11:21 AM.