Sometimes oak shows the signs of insect attack in a light area in
the middle of a plank. This light part of the wood is called a Mondring ,^6
and it consists of sapwood that has not transformed itself into hardwood.
This phenomenon is due to an incomplete enzymatic reaction in the wood
tissue, usually caused by strong frost (Fig. 3).Splitting the timber was the usual method for obtaining radial planks of
good quality, and this procedure was used by Dutch and German artisans
until the sixteenth century, when the sawmill became standard for cutting
large planks (Tångeberg 1986). The saw, which was known in classical
times but forgotten until rediscovery in the fourteenth century, was mainly
used from the fifteenth century onward. Later the wood was further
treated with axes and scraping irons. The wood plane was also known to
the Romans, but planing of panels did not become common until the four-
teenth century (Fig. 4).
In some cases a wedge-shaped plank would be used directly; in
other cases, it would be planed down. The planing would often be per-Tools
152 Wadum
Figure 2
Medullary rays on a radially split and cut
plank. Royal Danish Collection, Rosenborg
Palace, Copenhagen.
Figure 3
The Mondring, an area of sapwood in the
middle ofa plank. Royal Danish Collection,
Rosenborg Palace, Copenhagen.