I took a few minutes to get some of these precious and practical jewels recorded.
This salad serving set was carved by Grandpa Harry Fellows; Harry was my dad's stepfather. Harry was about 5' tall, a logger who had a handle on using dynamite - except for that one little booboo that cost him one of his eyes. Harry loved to carve. If he was sitting, he was carving. He had a set of tools that were a source of curiosity to all of us kids. The things he could carve! I remember some ball-and-maze puzzle things, and although I'm not sure who has them now, I know they are still in the extended family somewhere. We still use this lovely carved set, although not daily.
Grandpa Harry not only made full size serving utensils, he was fond of carving miniatures. This set, and it's hanger, are on the wall in our dining room. I can't remember a time when they haven't been there.
This gives an idea of the scale of these tiny carvings. I need to try to figure out what type of wood they are made of and get it recorded as a note on the back of the display, for future admirers.
OK, this is another facet of Grandpa Harry's carving. I never saw another like this one. It may or may not have been a self-portrait...
Moving right along...I have used this rolling pin ever since I first learned how to roll out a pie crust. Another thing that I just took for granted, it was always in the drawer. Mom's brother Marion, (better known as Moke) made this on his lathe as a wedding gift for mom. His advice: use it on your husband.
This is a solid, heavy rolling pin, made from oldgrowth fir. I remember how heavy it seemed when I was a neophyte baker. I wonder if handling this rolling pin is why mom always won the rolling pin toss at the annual town picnic when we were kids..
Here's a trifecta. The top tool is a steel that belonged to Grandma Ruby Fellows (Dad's mother, Harry's wife). Mom says Ruby felt it wasn't doing the job anymore and had purchased a new one. This one was headed for the trash when mom asked if she might have it. That was over 50 years ago, we just figured out. It still is useful to straighten blades.
The middle knife was made by Mom's brother Martin (better known as Mutt) from a sawblade. Uncle Mutt had some welding tools; we also grew up with a double-circle steel clothes drying rack that hung above our oil stove which heated the house for many many years.
This is a solid, heavy rolling pin, made from oldgrowth fir. I remember how heavy it seemed when I was a neophyte baker. I wonder if handling this rolling pin is why mom always won the rolling pin toss at the annual town picnic when we were kids..
Here's a trifecta. The top tool is a steel that belonged to Grandma Ruby Fellows (Dad's mother, Harry's wife). Mom says Ruby felt it wasn't doing the job anymore and had purchased a new one. This one was headed for the trash when mom asked if she might have it. That was over 50 years ago, we just figured out. It still is useful to straighten blades.
The middle knife was made by Mom's brother Martin (better known as Mutt) from a sawblade. Uncle Mutt had some welding tools; we also grew up with a double-circle steel clothes drying rack that hung above our oil stove which heated the house for many many years.The lower knife was made by Uncle Warren Walling, who was my dad's brother-in-law for some years. It was a gift to mom.
Notice the difference in the handles. The bottom knife has a handle that fits the hand quite well, with a bumper at the end. The top knife has a shorter handle, and wasn't as easy to grasp, so it got wrapped (more than once) with electrician tape - no duct tape in the "olden days" ;-)
Here's another design element of both these knives: the tang, the metal part that you see in the handle, is a continuation of the blade, which strengthens the whole knife. If you look at many mediocre knives in the kitchen department, you may see that the tang doesn't go through the handle, it may be just stuck INTO the handle. If that makes any sense.
Anyway, both these knives are heavy duty and have seen a lot of use. The upper knife, from Uncle Mutt, is great for cutting through bone like when cutting salmon steaks - mom cuts through the flesh down to the bone, then takes a hammer and beats the blade on through the bone with a couple of swift raps. That tough old steel blade can take that. I sure wouldn't try it with a "modern" blade.
It is such a pleasure to use these knives and the rolling pin, to think of the hands that crafted them. The carved pieces evoke the feeling of pleasure that Harry enjoyed as he carved them.
Notice the difference in the handles. The bottom knife has a handle that fits the hand quite well, with a bumper at the end. The top knife has a shorter handle, and wasn't as easy to grasp, so it got wrapped (more than once) with electrician tape - no duct tape in the "olden days" ;-)
Here's another design element of both these knives: the tang, the metal part that you see in the handle, is a continuation of the blade, which strengthens the whole knife. If you look at many mediocre knives in the kitchen department, you may see that the tang doesn't go through the handle, it may be just stuck INTO the handle. If that makes any sense.
Anyway, both these knives are heavy duty and have seen a lot of use. The upper knife, from Uncle Mutt, is great for cutting through bone like when cutting salmon steaks - mom cuts through the flesh down to the bone, then takes a hammer and beats the blade on through the bone with a couple of swift raps. That tough old steel blade can take that. I sure wouldn't try it with a "modern" blade.
It is such a pleasure to use these knives and the rolling pin, to think of the hands that crafted them. The carved pieces evoke the feeling of pleasure that Harry enjoyed as he carved them.
These hand-made keepsakes and tools will undoubtedly go on through the family long after the current generations are gone. They add warmth to our life, and memories of days past with people who blessed us.
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