February 19, 2009

The beauty of hand tools


grain cradle

Hand tools are an art form embodied with a sense of worth and satisfaction.
The salt and oils on the hardwood handles, the nicks and weathered edges.
The memories of a season's lushness, or its drought.
The place where it hangs on the wall, or rests in a nook.



potato planter


seed fiddle, hummelor, spile cleaver, breast plow, dibber, flail,
gore snud. ?



A reverence, a satisfaction with the scent of oil, wood, sweat and metal,
to know the labour saved and life given is potent in a well designed and cared for tool.



beet shovel


Fabulous collection of old agricultural and fenland tools

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

And how useful, such as that beet shovel! My (ex)in-laws lived on a centuries-old farm in the Rawdon area and had a barn full of such tools at one time. Most went the way of an auction when the home was sold. Such things are like an old book -- sometimes, just nice to hold.

Anonymous said...

Oh, man, I'd take one of those beet shovels just as a beautiful design object!

anne said...

I can't seem to find out what a "gore snud" was/is used for...any one know?

ChristyACB said...

I'd love one of those beet shovels, myself.

Truly beautiful works of art.

Just look at a scythe..form, grace and functionality still not surpassed today.