Description

This device is made to have a motion like a lever actuated paper cutter, except it has wedged shaped wooden blades that fit inside of one another.  There are two blades on the bottom frame and a single blade on the handle.  The handle is about 36 inches long and is designed to help remove the tough outer covering of fully rheted [either winter rheted or water rheted to break down the adherence of the lignin “glue” so the outer covering is crushed and made ready for hackeling] of flax and hemp stems. The stems are broken by the hand forceful rhythmic up and and down chopping motion of the blade interleaving and crushing the stems between the three blades to expose the long fibers inside the bast fiber plants.