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| Wood Work on Gor |
| The Ships of Port Kar are made not only from wood shipped in from the north, but from the trees of Port Kar's Northern Forest Preserves. Both Woodsmen and Builders are employed by the Warden of the Forest and it is their job to plant, bend, shape, tend, protect the trees from poachers and wagoneers. Eventually they will cut down the trees and ship them to The Arsenal where the wood will be stripped, sanded, cut, carved and drilled. But how do these men perform deeds such as cutting and shaping the timber so that it could be used? I'm glad you asked. Obviously, there isn't anything like a Home Depot where a Builder or Woodsman can go and pick up a cart full of power tools to use for the tasks at hand. Instead, they have to use non electric, hand held tools, usually made out of simple metals and wood. Below, you will find a the name of a few common tools used by these men,.as well as a brief description of what the tool was used for and a picture of what it looked like. Hopefully, as more detailed information can be found, along with pictures to include with it, more items and tools will be added to this site. |
| What are these tools and what are they used for? Firstly, to cut the timber an axe is required. Two types, one for the felling of trees and the other for cutting off the branches. The smaller of the two developed into a tool known as a bill hook. This was also used as a weapon when mounted on a long pole. |
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| The tool for stripping the trees and branches of their bark was most commonly a draw knife. This was a two handed blade that was pulled along the wood giving a reasonably even line to the timber, a little like our own smooth plane |
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| Once the timber is roughly hewn it can be shaped with the use of an adze. This tool was a development of the horn or rib bone axe and is used to shape the timber. It is ideal for "carving" out depressions as in large bowls or indeed, dug out canoes and is commonly found in use by many shipwrights throughout Gor. Torvaldslanders even have a saying, "By Axe, Adze and Auger" as they are the only tools they will use to make their serpents. |
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| Although we now have discussed the tools for cutting treating and shaping the timber it would be very difficult to assemble anything without the odd hole or two. This required the use of a drill of sorts. A simple and easy to make drill is a spoon bit drill and most commonly comprised metal (shaped) spoon like bit attached to a long pole which was turned back and forth by pulling on a rope twisted around the pole. It is a surprisingly efficient drill and the Auger drill and bits are a direct descendant of these early drills. |
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