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This is another heritage project where by re-purposing, a new item inherits the provenance of the components.
This bradawl was made from an oak roof truss from Ashridge Court Farm in Devon that dates back to the 1600s. The owners of the estate had carried out extensive renovations and I was lucky enough to acquire a couple of their old roofing timbers.
The spike of the bradawl comes from a rusty old gate bolt that I found on a walk near home.
The spike was the result of hours of filing. The last few inches of the spike were heat-treated for hardness.
The handle was worked by hand (I don't have a lathe), and I used a scrap of 15mm copper pipe to make the ferrule. The completed bradawl, 150mm long, was finished with boiled linseed oil.
The awl fits perfectly in my hand and is a pleasure to use.
April 2020
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