51/111

A gouge has a concave blade and is used with a lathe to make grooves and holes when turning wood. This gouge, called a ‘firmer gouge’, belonged to a family of Chilterns chair bodgers from Turville Heath, Buckinghamshire, and was used for roughing out chair legs. The blade has the maker’s mark, a monogram of ‘J’ and ‘H’.

1 lathe tool or firmer gouge: wood and metal [steel]; good condition

MERL list / description [Massingham Collection, October 1989] – 'ACC. NO.: 51/111 // NAME: LATHE TOOL // NEG NO.: 35/1879 // STORAGE: ', Object history research, December 2022 - 'How can this object be described? This gouge has a metal tool u-shaped (concave) tip. The metal is socketed into a smooth wooden handle. // What was this object used for? This gouge is called a ‘firmer gouge’. It was used when turning wood on a lathe for making the rough shape of chair legs. // How old is it? It was made and used between 1800 and 1899. It belonged to a family of Chilterns chair bodgers from Turville Heath, Buckinghamshire. It was given to the museum from Harold Massingham, who acquired it from bodger Samuel Rockwell. // What is a bodger? A bodger is the name for a traditional wood worker who turns chair legs and other cylindrical parts out of green wood. They usually make the chair legs near where the tree was felled. // Which other objects in the collection relate to the gouge? This side axe is a chairmaker's axe [MERL 62/6], used for preparing wood for lathe work. It was made by W. Bricknall, a blacksmith at Stokenchurch sometime before 1856, the year in which he left the area. It was made for the donor's grandfather, who was a chair bodger.'

1800-01-01 - 1899-12-31

Nineteenth century

Lathe tool, Gouge

Wood, Metal, steel

Rockall, Samuel (Agent)