Hi,

I wonder if anyone can help with the identification of the drill type employed to bore out starter holes on a pre 1360 cruck blade mortice as per the linked image.

Drill bit signature

Regards

Ken Hume

Ken,
I was reading a while back on the development of drilling or boring technology and how it related to draw boarding. The author described that the process was to drill through the first side of the mortice at an angle and then out the other side perpendicular to the sides being drilled through. I was puzzled as to how it was possible to drill one hole at two different angles but if the tool used had a short bit, something like I imagine a spoon bit could have, then it sounds more plausible. This may also have bearing on your question of alignment, but to add to that it would be helpful to begin with a sort of indentation hollowed out with a gouge or chisel. They won't register-ate me on the CF forum so I add my 2 bits here.

Greetings,

Don Wagstaff

If it is indeed a drilled hole, I suspect a spoon type of bit, but that is just a guess. Are there any signs it may have been cut with an in-cannel gouge?

Hi Dave,

There are signatures for 4 x 13/16" drilled holes in the mortice which have then been opened up presumably by use of a mortice axe / chisels / twybill to crreate the 2" wide mortice. Signs of "rotation" are clear.

Regards

Ken Hume

What does the bottom of the hole look like, round or flat? It also appears the bit wandered in the hole or is it just the angle of the photo?

Did the CF forum come up with any answers?

Tim

Ken – I'm having a bit of trouble seeing detail also. Is that missing section there at the surface? If so does it have to do with a gouge used as a starter hole, or is the tapering off I see just about a bark inclusion? Are the two bores we see the end of the mortise or are there more? The bottom looks to be flat, is that a little concentric ring there in the middle? This is something different than you see as the signature of the central cutter in a typ Pod Auger ?

Questions, not answers I know. So, a couple more.

I'm a little curious about an earlier thread. Did you get any reply or answers from the poster asking after advice on the windmill repair? Did they have to do with the recent relocation of the Flowerdew Post Mill ?

Hi Tim & Will,

I will send you both a high res version of the photo of the whole mortice so that you can take a closer look.

The windmill that I was working on was Morgan Lewis tower mill in Barbados - its now turning again.

Regards

Ken Hume

I'll look for it.

I was alluding to this thread and wondering if this had to do with the Flowerdew

http://www.tfguild.org/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=3802&Number=24127#Post24127

Hi All,

I wonder if anyone has ever heard of the term "wymble" used to describe one of these old spoon bit augurs ?

Regards

Ken Hume