Monday, September 05, 2011

The Craftsman Who Made My Chess Set

In Fes, Morocco, a toe guides a chisel on a hand-powered bow lathe.

The wood here is cedar, lemon and thuya.

The process is 4,000 year old.  This craftsman has been at it for 50 years.

He built this spinning wheel too - an small echo of Ghandi.
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3 comments:

M said...

Few things are more beautiful in this world than hand created woodworking. I have an Uncle who has dedicated his life to this kind of work and the stuff he produces is amazing.

I passed on the pictures to him to view. I'm sure he'll find the spinning wheel fascinating.

Sue said...

I love the things they make with burlwood--I see some in your photos. I've still got a dinner tray and a jewelry box of polished burl that I got in Fes many moons ago.

Seahorse said...

Let's see your chess set!

Seahorse