''Reifendrehen'' is a unique type of toy manufacture using
wood turning techniques that was developed in the
Ore Mountains in the vicinity of the town of
Seiffen and continues there to the present day. The process produces small animals and other figures or even little wooden houses in outline, that are used as toys or to decorate
Christmas pyramids
Christmas pyramids (german: Weihnachtspyramide) are Christmas decorations that have their roots in the folklore and customs of the Ore Mountain region of Germany, but which have become popular internationally. They comprise a decorated pyramidal ...
or
Nativity scenes. The animals and figures (''Reifentiere'' and ''Reifenfiguren'') so produced are an inherent part of
Ore Mountain folk art.
Production
In the process known as ''Reifendrehen'' (literally "tyre turning" or “hoop turning”) a suitable piece of wood, as far as possible free of splits, is worked on a special
wood lathe
A lathe () is a machine tool that rotates a workpiece about an axis of rotation to perform various operations such as cutting, sanding, knurling, drilling, deformation, facing, and turning, with tools that are applied to the workpiece to cre ...
to produce a wooden ring with a diameter of about 30 to 50 centimetres, the cross-section of which forms the outline of the desired figure. Small slices are then sawn or split off the ring with a sharp knife. These are used as the raw material from which the finished figures are made by
carving and painting.
The technique of ''Reifendrehen'', which demands great experience and skill, emerged around 1800. It enabled, during the 19th century, the efficient mass production of wooden figures, because it was faster and cheaper than pure woodcarving by hand. Today part of the exhibition at the
Ore Mountain Toy Museum in Seiffen is dedicated to the craft of the turners - the ''Reifendreher'' - who make these toys. In addition, there are several visitor workshops in the region around Seiffen.
File:Freilichtmuseum_Seiffen_002.JPG, The production of ''Reifendrehen'' animals in the Ore Mountain Open Air Museum, July 2009
File:Reiffendrehen 01.jpg, ''Reifendrehen'' workshop
File:Reiffendrehen 02.jpg, A turned wooden ring in the shape of a deer
File:Reiffendrehen 03.jpg, Finishing touches
File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-P068876, Seiffen, Staatliche Spielwaren-Fachschule.jpg, Production of turned animals (Seiffen, 1929)
See also
*
Wooden toymaking in the Ore Mountains
Sources
* Hellmut Bilz: ''Seiffener Reifentiere. Herstellung, Gestaltung und Bedeutung.'' Series by the Ore Mountain Toy Museum, Seiffen 1987
* Hellmut Bilz: ''Das Reifendreherhandwerk im Spielwarengebiet Seiffen.'' Series by the Ore Mountain Toy Museum, Seiffen 1989
External links
Das Phänomen des ReifentieresInformation about ''Reifendrehen''
Reifendrehwerk Christian WernerInformation about the ''Reifendrehen'' factory in the Ore Mountains at Seiffen
{{Woodworking
Woodworking
Culture of the Ore Mountains
Wooden toys
Toy animals