Name/Title
Flax-brakeEntry/Object ID
100423Scope and Content
Brown family Inventory #66 from General John McBrides (?) McBrid's (?)
(AI) wooden flax brake (or flax breaker).
Construction & Mechanism:
Frame: A low-profile horizontal bench framework with thick end-posts.
Interlocking Blades: Features parallel wooden blades or "knives"—a set of stationary lower blades and a hinged upper arm with interlocking blades that fit down into the gaps of the lower set.
Function & Era: Typically 18th to 19th century, used in early stages of linen processing to crush and break the hard, woody outer core (boon) of dried flax stems without damaging the inner spinnable fibers
