ancient lidded boxes

[Max Taylor]

Just watched a video with Jimmy Clewes. He went to an excavation that was a` thousand year old bldg. They set up a` museum of wood turned artifacts. It showed a small lidded box that was basically just as we make them today. How they cut those sharp inside corners for the lip with the tools they had back then, I will never know. Very interesting. Max

 

[n7bsn]

Probably with a point scrapper, but no one appears certain.

No one I know, actually knows what type of tools Roman era turners used, if any tools survived, there as been no papers (in English) that have identified them as turning tools.

Most of the guesses are that it was scrapers and hook chisels.

And yes I've talked to real experts on this issue, not posers on the Net (helps knowing people with PHDs in Roman studies and people that are experts at early wood working technics)

---EDIT---
Looks like there was a good book published this year Roman Woodworking by Roger B. Ulrich
On page 30 there is a photo of 5 gouges, that are either heavy carving gouges or lathe gouges
There is also a period depiction of a Roman Bow lathe on page 40
There is a discussion of the boxwood boxes on page 245

Looks like I have a new book to buy

 

[Claude]

I think they had pretty good tools. Sure they were not in HSS but Carbon Steal is very ancient too

 

[Charlie Knighton]

ancient tools

i went to a demostration by Gary Gardner and one tidbit of knowledge i acquired was that all you need to cut wood is less than 90 degree edge tool, that is 89 degrees or less

some angles cut and shere better than others