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Bread board with decorative chip carving design made by 6th Class student Wal Osborne in 1930.
About the object
About the object
This wooden bread board was made and decorated by Wal Osborne at Dee Why Public School in 1930. He was probably in 6th Class.
The decorative pattern has been created using sharp chip carving tools. The main element of chip carving is the 'triangular pocket' carved out of the timber using vertical and sloping cuts.
Chip carving was taught to boys as part of their weekly two hour manual craft lessons. Boys were taught manual crafts and the girls were taught needlework. Both had a focus on creating functional objects.
Students worked from detailed woodwork patterns and drawings drawn by themselves or the teacher. Boys were taught skills in the safe use of sharp carving tools, saws and chisels.
Significance
Significance
This is one of a few examples of chip carving in our collection.
It provides an example of products made by boys in woodwork lessons and the level of skill they executed.
Object details
Object details
Date – 1930
Creator – Wal Osborne, 6th Class student
Place – Dee Why Public School
Materials – pine timber
Dimensions – length 28cm x width 20cm x thickness 2cm
Look closer
Look closer
Illustration showing chip-carving technique from the book Decorative Woodwork, No. 2, Chip-carving as a Recreation by W. Jackson-Smith, London
Chip-carved trivett by Wal Osborne, Dee Why Public School, 1930. 11cm x 11cm x 2.3cm thick
Close-up of the chip-carving by Wal Osborne, Dee Why Public School, 1930
Think and wonder
Think and wonder
See
See
What do you notice first?
What do you notice that you didn’t expect?
What do you notice that you can’t explain?
Think
Think
How would Wal have kept the lines straight and spacing even?
What tool was used to create this?
Why would a bread board be made and decorated at school?
What other practical items might be made by boys at primary school?
Wonder
Wonder
What do you wonder about this object?
What questions does it raise?
Do
Do
'In Third and higher classes drawings should be made of the items to be constructed in paper, cardboard, wood and metal.' - Manual Training, Course of Instruction for Primary Schools, 1925, page 174
Use a ruler and pencil on graph paper or grid lines.
Copy the close-up of the geometric design of Wal's chip-carved breadboard or the design on the trivet.
Explore and connect
Explore and connect
Pokerwork plate made by a primary aged student at Hurstville Public School, 1934
Pokerwork plate, 1934
Pokerwork plate, 1934
This decorative wooden plate was made by a boy at Hurstville Public School in 1934. Boys did manual craft lessons each week whilst the girls did needlework lessons.
The outlines of the leaves and flowers on this plate are etched into the wood using a hot poker. It burns the top layer of the wood.
The flowers and leaves have been hand-coloured. The background has been painted brown. It appears that a coat of varnish has been applied as final layer to seal the plate.
How would the design have been applied to the plate?
Diagram and description of a marking gauge tool by V. Whitehouse in his Homework Book – Woodwork, Eastwood Public School, 1933Collection number 2019-19
Woodwork homework, 1933
Woodwork homework, 1933
These pages are an example of woodwork homework, probably for a 5th or 6th Class boy. It was completed by V. Whitehouse on 20th September 1933 at Eastwood Public School.
His teacher has marked his work '7 1/2' in red ink at the bottom of the page.
The student has drawn a diagram of a tool called a marking gauge. He has written a description of its use and construction. The transcription is below.
The Marking Gauge
The Marking Gauge
Definition
The Marking Gauge is a tool used for marking lines parallel to any edge or side of timber.
Construction
It is made of four parts, the stem, the stock, the spur and the thumb screw. Gauges are generally made of beech wood, though many are made of iron or wood and iron.
The stock is morticed to receive the stem, and is kept in place by means of the thumb screw. The spur is made of steel and is sharpened to a conical point.
Other gauges
The cutting gauge, mortise gauge, thumb gauge, and pencil gauge.
By V. Whitehouse, Eastwood Public School, 20-9-33
Instructions on how to make a magazine cover for storing issues of The School Magazine. From Handicrafts for Primary Schools, Instruction Leaflet No. 3, Fifth Class, Strawboard Modelling and Book Crafts, pages 38 and 39.
Book crafts – how to make a magazine cover, 1953
Book crafts – how to make a magazine cover, 1953
These instructions explain how to make a thick cardboard cover for a year's issues of The School Magazine. The instruction sheet is for the teacher's reference to teach the techniques to 5th Class boys in their weekly manual crafts lessons.
The instructions include book-binding techniques that are also used in a variety of other projects.
In our collection we have a few hand-made covers that bind together issues of The School Magazine.
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands of people using this site. Is, always was, always will be – Aboriginal land.
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