Research

Proverbs and sayings Technology is found in every aspect of life. Therefore it's no surprise that different techniques have left traces in our daily language. Technical principles and comparisons are used in our language and tend to develop a broader or figurative meaning. Nowadays, many of those of techniques are part of our past and are no longer common knowledge. Because of this there are plenty of proverbs and sayings we no longer fully comprehend, even though we still use them. The general idea of this webpage is to collect and explain different sayings that have their roots in the history of technology. They're roughly divided up into the following categories: Household - Agriculture - Animals - Crafts - Transport. Similar proverbs are found in all languages, but each language has it's own typical sayings, therefore you will find the chosen dutch proverbs and their explanation only on the Dutch version of this site. Click here to see the page in Dutch. We hope in time to gather...

In this section we‘ve tried to provide a step-by-step plan to restore a two-part bakehouse, a type which is very common in Belgium. With a few small alterations you can also use this plan to restore a free-standing or an indoor oven. Once you are familiar with the different components of a bread oven, you can examine your own oven to determine exactly what needs restoring. First look at the condition of the oven vault and floor. After all, these are essential components for baking and they are the most difficult to restore. Their condition may determine whether or not you want to proceed with the restoration. If you do decide to restore it and you know exactly what has to be done, you can proceed.

ID-DOC: search by craft

ID-DOC: search by shape

Proverbs and sayings: Crafts This text can only be consulted in Dutch.

ID-DOC: glossaryThis text can only be consulted in Dutch.

The start In 2007 the MOT received a donation from what could be the last pumpmaker in Flanders, Oscar De Wagter from Hansbeke near Nevele. This man not only donated his tools, he also explained how to drill a wooden pump. His story was the start of our pump drilling project.

Making the pump fixtures After drilling the trunk, the pump borer has to finish the pump mechanism. This involves both turning and forging the pump fixtures. The proof of the pudding is the mounting of the pump crank.

Pump making experiment On this page you will find all kinds of information about wooden water pumps, the craftsmanship in making such a pump and piercing wooden trunks lengthwise. In the spring of 2019, the MOT conducted a unique experiment, of which you can view a lot of images here. Faro published  an article about it in their magazine. Together with woodworkers Luc Verachtert and Mathijs Huyghebaert, we manufactured a wooden water pump from an oak tree trunk using original hand tools. Film footage of the entire process are released here and on the MOT's YouTube channel.

ID-DOC: general search