Rake making, a lost tradition by Stuart King

This English rake making workshop was first established in1870 and last run by Trevor Austen (spelt wrongly in my video) who asked me to make this video in 2005. Trevor's health was failing and he knew that he would have to retire in due course.
This video captures the essence of traditional craftsmanship reflecting as it does the introduction of some victorian technology and it's influence upon an old rural craft. Sadly Trevor passed away on Christmas Day 2010, rest in peace and thank you Trevor.

[@sinistershenanigans965]

What a pleasure it must of been to go to work ! I would of skipped 🇬🇧👍👍👍❤️

[@ironimp1]

As an apprentice, in a blacksmith's shop in Laindon, I would sell these rakes to customers, I had no idea how they were made until I saw this video. Thank you Stuart.

[@mpccenturion]

I used a rake like that some 45 years ago. My grandfather had someone cut the hay and we kids tried to rake it. The guys who cut it were back and they knew how to rake. No wasted strokes. Thank you!

[@wendygray2162]

Another superb chronicle of craftsmanship from the Master! Thank you so much for such careful recording.

[@jonathanwilliams4348]

People don't realize the value of these skills that old time craftsmen possess. Glad to watch this, an honor.

[@garyevans8116]

To my good old friend Trevor I haven't seen this film for a while but Trevor was 1 of the most amazing men if not the most amazing to think he had motor neurone when he made this he realy struggled but never. Gave in some of us would go & help not that we did much Trev wanted to do it on his own & he did against the odds he knew he couldn't win but the illness never stopped him not till he got to poorly but he proved serious illness was going to have a serious fight Trev died but I think Trev won because he gave the illness hell . Laughing all the way love you Trev

[@stephenrice4554]

Anyone who fights like this gentleman deserves the help that those on the make take from fine people like him . Remember him with respect .

[@joaogoedert7218]

One of the most beautiful presentations I ever saw about old professions and old thechnologies. Congratulations to Stuart King. It' s amasing that settings like this still exist and function.

[@kingsfleet21]

This piece of film is priceless and so much respect to Trevor and the lost generations.

[@BudFieldsPPTS]

Thank you so much for bringing this wonderful tradition to us, and leaving it for us nine years later!

[@Laughinggray]

Great video to watch. Would have liked to see it all through the end though, especially how to split the handle.

[@ecdra1477]

Thank you, Trevor is an example to us all as he worked with what he had and used the strength of every part of the material as it was needed. A seemingly simple tool, yet I am sure after a day raking with one of Trevor's rakes you will have completed more raking and you would be in better shape than those who used a modern rake. It is also a message about using the copi ce and how these parts of the landscape must be managed to give the character to the ecosystem that sustains the wide range of flora and fauna including humankind that depend on them.

[@geedubb2005]

this was an absolute pleasure to watch. It's sad that such a great piece of history has waned, but thank you for making this presentation for those memories to be kept alive in his honor. He was truly a legend!

[@TheAlpine49]

As a landscaper, it would have been an honor to have one of his rakes. FANTASTIC video! Much respect.

[@stephenrice4554]

A craftsman sadly gone . Many thanks for the film .

[@nm5252]

that's better, i kinda wish they could of said the last full time rake maker, and i think allot of greenwood crafts should be re-introduced, its not expensive, its made of renewable materials, also it not only looks better but it connects us with our past, which i think is amazing.

[@rhoula]

All that work and when you tell people the price they complain it's too expensive. All my respect.

[@chrisscutt4197]

Abdu, one never equates perceived cost to the actual cost until one has actually made an item and once made the epiphany occurs. Regrettably in the world of using it today and throw it in the bin tomorrow, many shall never grasp the fecundity of owning "hand-made" tools.

[@blargkliggle1121]

@@chrisscutt4197 I get what you're saying, but a $40 rake is too rich for my blood... It's not like it's my great grandfather's felling axe, I can get a decent rake at a hardware store. Also, unless you meant handmade marital aids, fecundity isn't a particularly relevant factor...

[@cassk9999]

Seller must also have respect for the buyer too , if too many people complain you must find ways of lowering costs and that shouldn't mean sending everything to China

[@davej7458]

@@blargkliggle1121 The real question is will the handmade rake do something more efficiently than an easly avalable mass produced rake. If you want or need to collect quality hay by hand the hand made rake will obviously be better for the job. More can be accomplished with less effort.

[@blargkliggle1121]

@@davej7458 quality hay is the result of quality seed and proper care, the rake used has no discernable effect.

[@Olbiber]

I've watched this twice. Great video. A real lesson, thank you.

[@banq0o]

this has no price .. shame if this art don't pass on future generations .. respect! 8-)

[@heidbumbee1689]

Thanks for this amazing demonstration of an old craft. In 1870 this would have been cutting edge processing. At peak production "back in the day" I can imagine one worker at each tool station. I can't imagine the tedium of producing these parts day in day out in volume as folks were paid for what they made. The dust, the noise, I'm not sure if the noise would have been greater or less before the invention of the diesel engine which I assume replaced water power. It's easy to romanticise old crafts, it's less easy to see the toll it took on the workers and what they would endure to earn a coin to feed their families

[@stephenrice4554]

I would think it would be work for the village when they weren't on the farm.

[@BradleyBrandFurnitur]

What a wonderful man... it was men like him who built civilization, we all owe these old-timers our respect and admiration. Fare well Trevor, you saw it through till the end - and with CLASS! And thanks to Stuart, for preserving this piece of living history for the rest of us. Great editing and music selection.

[@philthefarrier9469]

How could he have died of a serious disease and not have been killed by his work shop? A true craftsman and by the looks of it a true gentleman

[@stephenrice4554]

A man is as safe in his workshop as long as he knows what he's doing . No good having a phone and waiting for the bleep or standing taking pictures . Both hands and both eyes on the job and you'll be fine . Plenty of time for old bollocks in your break .

[@SuperBalaur]

Any tool is as safe or dangerous as the person using it! Always like that!

[@SuperOlds88]

I like the natural shape of the handles that weren't first milled square, surely faster but more natural looking being rounded by the older turning device/cutter. Very beautiful when they dont have that heavily manufactured look.

[@stephenrice4554]

Aye , but a bugger to hold with a sweaty hand

[@daisy3690]

Excellent and bravo! enjoyed very much and thank you for sharing

[@JimiHendrix998]

A joy to watch. Thank you.

[@billastell3753]

I very nice record of an old craft. I wish the process of splitting and joining the handle to the comb part was show n though. Make me want to go out and make myself a rake! Thumbs up!

[@janmuylllaert4266]

There was a great factory in Navan,County Meath Ireland along the river blackwater. It was called Elliots mill and they also had everything driven by over head belts from a central power source.Initially this was by a water wheel, then a steam engine in the basement using the shavings and sawdust for fuel,the last one electricity. When the family closed it down in the 90 ties it was set alight by vandals.they used to employ over thirty people and they also had a foundry making spades,forks and shovels.The old man Allan designed all the machines himself, including the broom handles and pegs for the rakes.I remember lorries leaving the factory for the UK loaded with hundreds of them stacked high .Sadly all gone like the 30 or so furniture factories that used to be in this town when I arrived here 45 years ago.Like the saddlers, farriers,blacksmiths ,tailors etc.All these items and products imported now and skilled tradespeople gone for ever.sad! Jan www.irishharps.net and www.boynemarine.com

[@georgeturning]

A really enjoyable video.Thank you for sharing

[@toolsntat]

Was only reading about this subject in a book on country crafts the other day and wondering if it was still practised..... Thank you very much for this visual insight .

[@peterthurwood2267]

a lost craft. we do not have this talent in this country anymore such a shame rip trev

[@hillbilly918]

Amazing!! I would love to own that shop

[@rogermarsh9806]

Only a rude rustic would think of putting string round the tine block to keep it all together while splitting and his various rounding devices are pure genius.

[@stephenrice4554]

The rude rustic would often make a fool of the town folk , there was always reason

[@williamgronbach4538]

I was very nicely done and it is a great tribute thank you for showing that

[@yugrusretep]

Love it! Love the workshop and its many "dangers'! Love the workmanship.

[@stephenrice4554]

Love the ' dangers' , if you don't know what you're doing , leave well alone . 👍

[@AntwonDaBusiness]

thats alot of work for a damn rake...amazing craftsmanship

[@stephenrice4554]

Those rakes were worth their weight in bread and ale . They helped with the harvests , the haymaking , in the gardens , veg producers , hop fields , anywhere something needed collecting into piles or winrows, there was a village made rake . I only became aware of them when I was 12 or so when I helped with the haying , and hedging . Later for helping to tidy the farmyard down the road from mother's . And right up to the 90s when landscaping , clearing a site of debris and off cuts . Still got one today , very useful and repairable , a consideration given the state of play .

[@gazelam]

I'm very impressed that old Stu has kept this up into the current century. Not many men would have. Given that most of this machinery was made prior to Health and Safety running our lives, I'm also impressed that Stu has all his appendages.

[@stephenrice4554]

I think that he knew what he was doing and not in a tearing hurry . The old masters are few and far between now .

[@MrLeonard55]

At least the old ways are being stored on film. I hope someone keeps the old shop going.

[@baconsoda]

Superb video... tinged with sadness, more living history and skill lost. Best Wishes, Brendan.

[@dickhead1833]

thats what you call a workshop brilliant

[@Eldorado1253]

What a great video of a time gone by, what a craftsman he was making the rakes as they did over 100+yrs ago I know this video was done sometime back and Trevor has since passed away but I would like to think his years of hard work were now still being carried on because this is history and an education of a time gone by.Trevor gone but not forgotten,

[@bencollyer2296]

God bless Trevor. My grandad 77 says he’s a Bucksboy

[@lenhowl]

A true craftsman, well done.

[@alexanderclarke3011]

It is a rake after all; it is not going to be used to pry up elephants, not a lot of strength is required. And the saw was used to take the bark off, not to actually shape the handle, so there was not much strength lost. As for him not being the last rake maker (as per your earlier post) there is only one full time rake maker left in Britain, in wales, there are other rake makers, but none of them are full time. Mr. Austen was the last rake maker to use wood grown on site.

[@laurensouthgate2458]

Amazing I was so glad to see this I like to see how things were originally done .

[@drivesthecar3247]

Great video! I would have liked to have seen the handle attached to the rake though.

[@harryrogers]

Stuart - great video - thanks for sharing. Great to see the old rounding plane / stail engine in use. Do you know what has happened to this workshop - is anyone carrying on? Harry

[@bob4jjjj]

That's how it is done! Nice to see :-) Well done.

[@Seanoooog]

Wonderful video. Please make some more.

[@makennas699]

I might have to make one of these with my dad

[@lenhowl]

I remember old fellas using rakes like these here in Newfoundland for raking hay years ago.

[@bigears4426]

Len Howl we still use them on the corners where the rake can't go

[@vza423]

Great video, thank you.

[@Chadbordeleau]

Sorry, computer error- another beautiful video, as are all your videos. Thanks for making and posting these, they are appreciated. Well done.

[@geoh7777]

He has a special license issued by the govt, so nothing to worry about. Your comment reflects the pedestrian attitude that if you have heard of one or two incidents involving an individual and a piece of equipment, weapon, or so forth, then anyone dealing with same is in some sort of mortal danger, "should be attempted only by experts, and so forth. The problem with that is most individuals using these things have been using them for years and the greatest problem turns out to be toxicity.

[@icespeckledhens]

a great video but sad video. Trevor left a record behind of how it should be done and maybe one day someone will do it again. lie Neilson is making planes again based on Leonard Bailey work, Stanley can't make them now

[@Emma-tz8gd]

Trevor Austen was my great uncle he sadly died on Christmas day a few years ago and his work shop is now knocked down my granddad carried it on for a few years but he couldn't carry it on

[@deemdoubleu]

That's a real shame, sorry to hear it.

[@necromaniconjigg1285]

I love videos like this.

[@maxdecphoenix]

All the effort that goes into this and we only see half of it, he harvested his own materials from the coppice as well.

[@anthonymcnamara4002]

Pure art.

[@pervezakhter6944]

HELL OF A CRAFTSMAN. BRAVO.

[@kayaking999]

Living history awesome

[@johnknoefler]

I would have liked if the author had detailed the attachment of the rake to the handle.

[@Chadbordeleau]

Mr. King- another beautifulm

[@davidk6271]

Good work here from Trevor

[@marekmitonski]

Bardzo bardzo ciekawe rozwiązania :)

[@randyscott9034]

That unprotected saw blade makes me nervous things can go south in a second using tools like that

[@dougsweldingfabrication953]

good lord... that looks very safe

[@Rudimentary007]

Damn, can't beat old school.)

[@thetessellater9163]

Didn't see the splitting of the handle into two at the bottom? It did seem as if he was more interested in messing about with the machines.

[@atomatom6442]

Cheers Mate!

[@smacurface]

I felt so sad watching this video. A skilled rake maker and his product not relevant any longer. Slow decay into oblivion. Lost. At least we have a record . It's just so sad.

[@Whrswuldo]

He must really be raking it in

[@daveycrockett64]

I hope HSE don't seen this. They will be there with a hardhat, reflective vest and a clipboard.

[@DarthMeheelos]

respect

[@kennedy67951]

This man is to old and unstable to work. Good video. Thank you for your time showing the world how it used to be done.

[@deemdoubleu]

I really think it was for him to be a judge of that

[@danhillman4523]

Emerald ash borers have killed off all of our Ash trees here in the US midwest.

[@mirekkowalski5414]

Good job .....

[@NewportDispatch]

Can anyone tell me the name of the tool he used to make the tines, or teeth? It looked like a dowel plate, but about 100 times better. I would love to get one, although it looked easy enough to make.

[@NewportDispatch]

***** No, the tool after the fro was used to split the blanks. I found out it is called a tine former, and is basically just a piece of pipe, but I'm not sure if the top is sharpened.

[@owendavies4613]

Very interesting but health and safety today would never allow a factory to make tools like this.

[@wjf0ne]

@TheJR1948 You're right about the self employed, but I doubt he would invite his insurance company rep around to watch him work.

[@CitroTeam]

Adorei ver este artesão. Estas tradiçôes estão a acabar, infelizmente.

[@pmcload]

True, any knucklehead can remove guards and such, but that does not mean that very dangerous, fast spinning and sharp tools can't at least be made safer (by sane people) to avoid accidental dis-memberment. Otherwise why bother having banisters and handrails on stairs?

[@theklrdudeoo9173]

poor guy , he had trouble walking and you can see he was in pain .

[@howmuchbsisthis]

such a pity that no one could continue running the workshop maybe English Heratige should be involved at least to preserve it as an important part of English history maybe they would even have it working as they have done with other types of workshops it would be such a pity to have it lost for ever

[@muchopomposo.6394]

But we didn't see it being assembled..! 🤔

[@paulcookies]

Genius

[@alexanderclarke3011]

Not LUCK, but SKILL.

[@danvanhoose6783]

One slip and that exposed saw blade would nail him.

[@Fiberglasser03]

Where are all the safety freaks? I rarely comment on safety but this guy is gonna cut his hand off one day.

[@thisoldminer]

I made one of these. :)

[@HeatherNicole413]

This should titled Deadliest Rakes.

[@pmcload]

Can't believe how primitive (and dangerous) the machinery is, though interesting to see how it works. Thanks.

[@stephenrice4554]

Does it seem to everyone that there's a universal concept that practical means harmful ?

[@kirkjohnson9353]

I guess he made a lot of money doing this. Kinda just raked in the dough...

[@wjf0ne]

No disrespect to the gentleman, but you will notice he was wearing a bread delivery man's coat. Well you started it by mentioning dough.

[@imlivingyourlife7354]

I got a good laugh on that joke. Well played

[@tasskumara]

😍♥♥♥😍

[@davidparry8514]

hay rake...the best leaf rake comes from china, sold as green sweeper for about $ 10 bucks.

[@sammyspaniel6054]

Another trade that will one day be lost. Mankind is advancing technology and losing knowledge and skills all at the same time.

[@WillandTony]

Not at all, we just have a different and better way to make rakes. His proccesses are slow and ineffecient when compared to modern manufacturing.

[@nm5252]

why can that guy split the wood,clefed wood its much better and stronger due to the fact you dont cut the fibers of the wood?

[@dreadpirateroberts4052]

9mins 25secs..................ouch!

[@alanopolis1]

what is the price point on his rake? looks pretty labor intensive.

[@gussferretti9665]

try making a rake out of wood. you'll see the point.

[@pmcload]

Okay, I'll give you that fact. You're right, it's all safe. Disregard my "dangerous" comment.

[@5x535]

I'm glad that you finally figured that out, friend.

[@jimmclean9312]

That place is a death trap

[@stuarto9]

with a rake