Kumiko is a Japanese woodworking technique. It is applied to lamps, partition panels, doors and wall decorations. It is a kind of mosaic with wooden strips. In Japan, there are factories where equipment is made especially for this technique. Outside Japan, it is more seen as a craft. During the workshop, we will give a small introduction and then get to work making some simple patterns ourselves. We do this with a special Japanese saw and other specific tools.
Kumiko is a quiet and thoughtful technique that requires a lot of patience and precision. The ancient Japanese woodworking technique involves making patterns of small pieces of interlocking wood. In Japan, it is used for (shoji) lamps, panels or wall decoration.
Work with an accuracy of 0.1mm, otherwise, your piece will fall apart. We will work with a Japanese (draw) saw and have to be careful with a very sharp chisel. You will be introduced to the Izustu-tsunagi pattern. Depending on your skill and perseverance, you will make your first kumiko panel (20 x 20 cm).
Rob Alferink is a builder of wooden lamps. And for many years experienced in using the kumiko technique. It is a challenge every time to learn new kumiko patterns and incorporate them in a lamp. His lamps find their way to Norway, Luxembourg, Canada, the US and several other countries.
With the help of a pocket knife, we’ll transform a raw branch into a splendid walking stick. If you have a knack for using a knife, you might even add intricate carvings and designs to your creation.
Once you’re content with your masterpiece, we’ll drill a hole and attach a vibrant, colourful rope to your walking stick for that finishing touch.
Hausgemacht is a dynamic mobile haven for handicrafts, crafts, and creative exploration in Belgium. Our mission is to guide people from all walks of life to shift from overthinking to hands-on crafting. In a world where reconnection with ourselves, natural elements, and one another is vital, we’re here to inspire you.
We prioritize utilizing residual materials as much as possible, respecting the Earth’s capacity. We believe that crafting unique and sustainable items with our hands can foster a happier world and a healthier planet.
For adults, our workshops offer a diverse array of craft techniques, including woodcarving, glasswork, textiles, and printing. Meanwhile, children have access to a plethora of basic play materials crafted from natural and recycled sources. This encourages imaginative play, where creativity knows no bounds. Our creative workshops introduce kids to upcycling and the use of natural materials while they play, all rooted in the principles of crafts and handicraft techniques.
Join us for an immersive woodcarving experience. You’ll receive a raw, basic shape of a spoon, spatula, or butter knife, and it’s time to let your creativity flow. Discover various wood types, master the use of essential carving tools, learn corresponding techniques, and achieve a beautiful finish for your carved creations.
By the end of the workshop, you’ll proudly take home your very own hand-carved spoon, spatula, or butter knife.
Hausgemacht is a dynamic mobile haven for handicrafts, crafts, and creative exploration in Belgium. “Our mission is to guide people from all walks of life to shift from overthinking to hands-on crafting. In a world where reconnection with ourselves, natural elements, and one another is vital, we’re here to inspire you.
We prioritize utilizing residual materials as much as possible, respecting the Earth’s capacity. We believe that crafting unique and sustainable items with our hands can foster a happier world and a healthier planet.”
For adults, our workshops offer a diverse array of craft techniques, including woodcarving, glasswork, textiles, and printing. Meanwhile, children have access to a plethora of basic play materials crafted from natural and recycled sources. This encourages imaginative play, where creativity knows no bounds. Our creative workshops introduce kids to upcycling and the use of natural materials while they play, all rooted in the principles of crafts and handicraft techniques.
In this workshop, a cutting way of woodturning is explained and is demonstrated that this method of turning places less strain on the machine and workpiece. Compared to a scraping way of turning, a cutting way of turning has a number of advantages: The pressure on the workpiece is much lower, so it will not break as quickly, less sanding is required and there are fewer vibrations when turning. Chisel control is also much easier, resulting in fewer turning errors. This is the oldest form of woodturning.
This cutting way of turning requires higher technical skills. In the workshop the student gains insight into the intersection of the different chisels. The technique is taught and practiced during the workshop. The student (beginner or advanced) goes home with a spinning top, and with more knowledge!
An ongoing woodturning demonstration is provided between the planned workshops. Visitors can then also receive an explanation (by André) about woodturning and the works on display.
Robert Piccart has been woodturning since 2007. From the start he has focused on learning and using the cutting way of turning. Robert first took an introductory course in woodturning, organized by the Guild of Woodturners. He then also followed a woodturner training level 1a (traditional woodturning and complex turning) at Syntra West Campus Bruges (2008-2009). He supplemented these training courses with visits to woodturners in Austria, Germany, France, Switzerland and Denmark. He is a member of the Flemish Guild of Woodturners. He regularly writes articles for the trade magazine “De Vlaamse Houtdraaier”. As his own work, he makes decorative, artistic and utensil objects from turning: cups, bowls, flowers… In addition to making these products, he is also active in restoration. He teaches and fully focuses on the old techniques with the classic turning chisels.
This program is made possible by Erfgoedcel Denderland.
Are you fascinated by how a wire puppet works or playing with traditional rod puppets? In this workshop you will gain insight into the construction of a wooden theater puppet. As a participant you will learn the basic techniques of cutting with sharp cutting knives in lime wood. During the joint project, the participants work for 2 hours on a part of a theater puppet. The torso, arms, hands, legs, feet and the character head grow into a figure at the end of the day.
In addition to the woodcarving experience, if time permits, you can carve a hand in lime wood as a workpiece to take home.
Marc Beuten is a figure maker and puppeteer at the non-profit puppet theater Pierewiet. He has attended workshops and courses with international theater puppet makers from Belgium, the UK, the Czech Republic and Iceland. His specialty is making limewood hand -, rod -, wire – and table puppets. In addition to designing figures for his own performances, he creates theater puppets for puppet theaters and storytellers.
Novice and experienced puppeteers and makers are welcome in the studio in Bruges to become acquainted with the wide range of theater puppets or to share experiences.
As a member of the West Flemish Union Puppet Theaters, Marc, together with Alain Verhelst of Draadpoppentheater Roeselare/Das de Puppe, puts the puppet theater as intangible heritage in the spotlight. The ‘Das de Puppe’ project was nominated as an inspiring example at Intangible Heritage Flanders.
This workshop starts with a brief explanation of how a violin/cello is built. We will go over the different materials and methods from start to finish.
Then you can start cutting out a sound hole in a piece of Italian spruce. We will first clean the wood surface with scraping steel. Then we will draw the sound hole on the wood. We then cut the sound hole nicely with a scroll saw, taking into account the annual rings of the wood. Then we finish with a knife/file. To protect the wood, we finally apply a layer of primer.
A violin maker is someone who builds, repairs and restores violins, violas and cellos. This is a craft that is still practiced by a small number of professionals today. A violin consists of different parts, all with very close-fitting properties, such as the bridge over which the strings lie, the sound bar and the sound post in the sound box. The type of wood is very important for the sound of the violin. The most commonly used types of wood are spruce, maple and ebony. The top is made of spruce wood and the back is cut from harder maple wood. The fingerboard, tuning pins and tailpiece are usually made of ebony. The sound holes are drawn and cut out in the top. The sound holes are necessary for good sound distribution.
Vik Vandamme (°02/09/1997 – Roeselare) completed his training in Violin Making and Restoration at the International Lutherie School in Antwerp (ILSA) in 2019. He did an internship in Oslo with the Norwegian renowned violin maker Jacob von der Lippe. This resulted in a close collaboration in which Vik builds violins and cellos on behalf of and according to a design by Jacob von der Lippe. In 2021, Vik opened his studio in Roeselare where he specializes in building new musical instruments. Since 2024, Vik has mainly made instruments based on his own models. He now has more than 20 violins/cellos that are played daily by satisfied musicians in Belgium, Norway and Germany.
This workshop is made possible by Erfgoedcel Midwest.
Each hurdy-gurdy has an edge inlay in a block motif of dark and light wood. This is not only for aesthetic purposes, but also necessary to protect the sound surface.
Such an edge inlay looks very impressive at first glance… “Are those all separate pieces of wood?” people often ask. Yes indeed, but it’s easier to make than you think, if you know how…
We will make a few strips of edge inlay and then turn them into a nice brooch or tie pin. A pair of earrings or a pendant are also options.
Because we have to take time into account, we do not hesitate to “smuggle” a bit, but after this workshop you will view an edge inlay differently than before.
About the workshop provider:
Marc Reymen (Belgium) has been building hurdy-gurdies for more than 35 years and likes to pass on his knowledge.
Marc Reymen: “As a hurdy-gurdy builder, I spend a lot of time shaping thin pieces of wood with extreme precision. Bending is an essential part of this. In the workshop I will let you experience how wood becomes pliable when it is held against a hot folding mandrel.”
You learn to feel when the wood can be folded and you form the parts for an incense burner yourself with a folding mandrel. The parts are assembled into a finished incense burner.
About the workshop provider:
Marc Reymen (Belgium) has been building hurdy-gurdies for more than 35 years and likes to pass on his knowledge.
During the workshop you will discover how to make a tub. You will learn how to put the wooden staves together, attach the galvanized iron rings, insert the bottom and finally how to completely finish a tub. During the process you use a hammer and a float to tap the rings onto the tub. After inspection by workshop teacher Marleen Bonami, you finish the tub with sandpaper.
Good job? Is your tub not falling apart? Then you can proudly go home with your own finished tub!
A cooperage is a workshop where wooden vats and barrels are made. Barrels are used to store and transport liquids, such as wine and beer. Barrels were also indispensable in historical shipbuilding. We also call the craft that is carried out in the workshop cooperage.
The cooper’s profession is a niche specialization that is carried out in Flanders and Belgium by few woodworkers, carpenters and the former ‘coopers’. The profession of a traditional cooper has virtually disappeared, because nowadays the vats or barrels are increasingly made by machine. Nevertheless, the craft is still very relevant for repairing barrels (from 200 to no less than 27,000 liters!) in breweries. Nowadays, workshop giver Marleen Bonami still makes tubs for laurel and boxwood nurseries. Marleen is currently also working on flower tubs for the Rubens House in Antwerp. Their citrus trees are planted in the tubs following the reopening of the museum.
The workshop was made possible by the Leie Schelde Cultural Region.
Cut your own wooden mortise pin on the cutting horse at the MOT stand. Such a wooden mortise pin is used in craftsmanship to pull together wooden joints.
Vakwerk is a historical predecessor of the current timber frame construction. A vakwerk building is constructed from a wooden construction of vertical posts, horizontal beams and diagonal braces. The walls of this ‘skeleton’ consist of a wickerwork of flexible twigs or split slats covered with a mixture of loam and straw.
For centuries, vakwerk was the most important construction method in Flanders and was technically a good alternative to brick and natural stone. But because it requires more maintenance than a stone structure, vakwerk was hardly used from the beginning of the twentieth century.
Knowledge and skills necessary for the construction of craftsmanship were once widespread. Training took place on site and there are very few manuals for timber framing. When vakwerk construction began to decline, technical knowledge slowly but surely disappeared.
To do something about this, the MOT created the Vakwerk in Beeld project. In this project we constructed vakwerk buildings in a traditional manner, using only natural materials and the use of muscle power. The entire technical process was captured on film and published on www.mot.be and YouTube. The knowledge about vakwerk construction is also passed on through workshops and internships. In this way we want to encourage people to rediscover vakwerkconstruction based on tradition.
