Woodworking Waste

This lovely object might look like a cog or some piece of machinery, but it is in fact woodworking waste. It is the unwanted piece from a technique used to create a large hole in a board. A series of adjoining holes were augured or drilled into the wood so that the central circular piece could be removed. It was discovered in midden deposits from the backlands of Perth’s medieval High Street. 

When the object came to us, it was generally stable but the spindle, which had previously been re-attached, was coming loose. Our conservators removed the old adhesive and then reattached the spindle more securely. The brown residue that is visible on one side of the object - perhaps a substance used in the woodworker’s workshop - was left in place in case it might be suitable for analysis in the future.

Our conservators reattached the central spindle

The brown residue to the right of the spindle has been left in place

The rear of the object