Spanbaum

A spanbaum ("wood shaving tree"), variously referred to in English as a hand-shaved tree, wood chip tree or span tree, is a handmade ornamental tree which is usually part of a pyramid ornament. They are mainly manufactured in woodturning workshops in the Ore Mountains of Saxony in eastern Germany. Their method of production is known locally as Spanbaumstechen.

A spanbaum as the central column of a Christmas pyramid

Material

The choice of material is especially important. Only lime wood with a straight grain is suitable.

Manufacture

To make the spanbaum, first of all a conical blank of the tree is turned and a small disc is made for the base. The conical blank is clamped in a vice and the branches carved symmetrically using a chisel, shaving by shaving, on all sides.

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  A spanbaum
• 
  A Kräuselbaum, a type of spanbaum

External links

• "Der Spanbaum" (in German). Retrieved 2012-12-09.
• "Infos zur Herstellung" (in German). Retrieved 2012-12-11.