Master-apprentice trajectory

Gerrit van den Dries has built up a great deal of knowledge and skills over the years. His craftsmanship is a form of intangible cultural heritage. In order not to lose this kind of heritage, the Flemish government has supported the passing on of craftsmanship through master-apprentice programs since 2018. 

In 2019, Gerrit was awarded such a grant, with which he, as a master, was able to pass on his extensive knowledge of oven construction and craftsmanship to his apprentices Ante Corthals, Koen Wisse and Mathijs Huyghebaert. The MOT supported this program by acting as a host for the construction projects and taking care of the logistics, especially the building materials. 

During the two-year program, we were able to expertly restore the oven at the Liermolen and design, build and erect a brand new half-timbered winnowing barn during the second timber framing internship. 

We also drew up the construction plans for a new half-timbered workshop at Guldendal, in which old and new half-timbered techniques come together and in which we explore the possibilities of contemporary half-timbered work in circular construction.

Restoration of the bread oven at the Liermolen 

For 30 years, the MOT has used the baking oven in the bakery on the Liermolen intensively during the Atelier Brood, Bak-Does and other activities. It was rebuilt in the 1980s, but not according to the rules of the art. So it was high time to renew the oven. In 2019, the master and his students got to work and in January 2020 the furnace was operational again. 

Lots of improvements 

The old bread oven had several defects. Because the oven floor was too flat, there was poor air circulation. Because the floor was quite rectangular in shape, it was colder in the corners than in the rest of the oven. 

The oven vault had too little curvature and a kink at the oven mouth, which caused the smoke to remain in the oven. The floor had a raised edge at the oven mouth, which made it difficult to rake the ash out of the oven. Finally, the oven was too big, built for 50 loaves of bread. Much too big for our use, which meant that we needed too many bundles of branches to heat the oven. 

And to top it off, the tiles of the oven floor were damaged by the frequent raking. For all these reasons, we decided to completely dismantle the old bread oven and replace it with a smaller, improved one. A new, better placed mantelpiece and chimney were also installed.

Timelapse made during the restoration of the Liermolen bread oven