Wooden Bowls & Plates: “Kraft durch Freude in Norwegen”

The beautifully crafted plate pictured below features the inscription “Gruss Aus Dem Lander Mitter Nachtsonne im Kreigjahr 1941,” which translates to “Greetings from the land of the midnight sun in the war year 1941.” The phrase “Mitter Nachtsonne” refers to the “midnight sun,” a natural phenomenon experienced in regions near the Arctic Circle, such as Norway, where the sun remains visible at midnight during the summer months.

These pieces were made by soldiers stationed in Norway. They were created on behalf of the Wehrmacht Headquarters Norway in collaboration with the NSO (National Socialist Organization) under the initiative “Kraft durch Freude in Norwegen” (Strength through Joy in Norway). The inscription also notes the involvement of Adjutantur Norwegen Wbt. Sonderführer (Lt. M.A.) P. Walter.

• Wie entsteht die Rundform? [How does the round form come about?]

1. Main Text (translated):Start with a dry piece of wood (such as lime or birch) suitable for carving. Draw a circle on the wood using a compass (a) to mark the edge of the plate. Use a strip of cardboard to help make the circle, fixing it in the middle with a drawing pin (b).
2. Use a gouge (c) and a wooden hammer—instead of a wooden mallet use a piece of hardwood (d) — to “strike” and roughly hollow out the piece of wood. Refine the gouge marks in subsequent work. Before the final cut, mark the center of the circle with an awl and secure it to the workbench with a screw clamp (r).
3. When carving, if the large unevenness has been removed, it is important to smooth the inner surface with sandpaper (e). The use of a swan-neck scraper (f) makes the work easier. We always cut and sand with the wood grain and not against the grain.
4. The vessel should be carved flat at the bottom with a wide chisel (g). To ensure the rim is evenly rounded, we test the centre and use a gouge (h) to make sure the bottom is equally distanced from the edge.
5. After the inside shape has been finished, we cut the thicker wooden disc using a coping saw. Then, smooth the edges using the saw (l), cutting the round block away from the rest.
6. To make the edges the correct thickness, use a fine saw (m) below the edge to remove a ring of wood. The remaining edge can be smoothed using a specially prepared strip (n).
7. Keeping an even angle, cut an angled section on the back of the form until you have cut a pyramid shape. The size of the angle depends on the desired base [not in source].
8. The rounding of the edges corresponds to the steel cut [o] which gives the shape. During this process, make sure the edges are equally broad by using a compass.

Source [3]

9. The smoothing of the side wall with a file (p) and sandpaper always follows the grain of the wood. 10. When hollowing out the circular block, we always use a waste piece of wood (k) as a guide. Place a strip of sandpaper in the hollowing tool and use it to sand the outside of the plate using a rotating motion on the workbench. If our first attempts are successful, we can also try more difficult forms. However, such work needs experience so we should not start with too difficult pieces. We can decorate simply rounded shapes with a knife and paint, as shown in workshop figures 8 and 9.

• The text describes the process of making wooden plates and bowls without a lathe, using simple tools [1].
• The instructions are for creating round forms from wood [2].
• The process involves hollowing out, smoothing, and shaping the wood using various tools [2, 3].
• The instructions include decorating the finished pieces with a knife and paint [3].
• The pictured works were made by soldiers in Norway [3].
• Some of the techniques require working with the grain of the wood [2, 3]
• Tools used include a compass, gouge, hammer, sandpaper, swan-neck scraper, chisel, coping saw, file and paint [2, 3].