Tuesday 2 January 2024

A pre-medieval tool post: Dutch wooden runcina

Both Bram and I are members of the Dutch Tools and Crafts Society (Vereniging Ambacht en Gereedschap) which also publishes a well-illustrated high quality yearly magazine (the Gildebrief) with articles (in the Dutch language) on historic tools and crafts. We have written several papers for the magazine on medieval tools, such as the 14th century Dordrecht brace or the tools heraldically associated with Jean sans Peur.  The Gildebrief uses a moving wall for online access to the older years of the magazine (see website - publications for downloads).  

Both sides of plane DMN1-259 from Utrecht-De Meern, the Netherlands. Drawing by Raf Timmermans.

Plane DMN1-159 from Utrecht-De Meern, the Netherlands. Drawing by Raf Timmermans.

In 1922 we had written an article on the wooden  Roman planes (runcina) found in the Netherlands - there are six surviving wooden examples, some older than the Romen planes excavated in Herculaneum (There also exists a hybrid metal-wood Roman plane from Zwammerdam, the Netherlands). Unfortunately, a lot of mistakes were entered during typesetting of the paper, and the corrections have not been published in the Gildebrief of 1923.

Plane DMN1-160 from Utrecht-De Meern, the Netherlands. Drawing by Raf Timmermans.

Plane DMN1-225, the bottom version has been restored, Utrecht-De Meern, the Netherlands. Drawing by Raf Timmermans.

I therefore made a corrected version of the article (including the correct measurement table for plane DMN1-159, and the complete reference list), which is now made available through this post. It is still in Dutch language though. The planes of Utrecht-De Meern are on display - with the other spectacular woodworking tools from the Roman toolchest - at Museum Hoge Woerd (Utrecht, the Netherlands).

The Velsen 1 plane from the Roman fort at Velsen, the Netherlands. Photo S. Lange, Biax Consult. Drawing by Raf Timmermans.

The Velsen 2 plane from the Roman fort at Velsen, the Netherlands. Photo S. Lange, Biax Consult. Drawing by Raf Timmermans.

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