Cutting-Frame

The Cutting-Frame is mentioned in connection with preparing leaf pages at the Concent of Saunt Edhar. Irregular leaves that cannot make a rectangle when placed in the cutting-frame are rejected; good leaves are stacked in cutting-frames and trimmed into blanks for later use.

First Appearance and Context

It is referenced during a practical account of harvesting and processing page-tree leaves. Younger Fid climbers select suitable leaves and skim them down; older Avout stack and dry them on lines, then press them under stones to age for roughly a century. When ready, the good leaves are stacked in cutting-frames and made into blank pages for the concent or for binding into books.

Roles/Actions and Affiliations

• Function: holds selected leaves so they can be cut to rectangular page size; leaves that won’t make a rectangle in the frame are discarded.
• Use within the concent: forms part of the local page-making workflow that turns harvested leaves into usable blanks for books and general distribution.
• Related specialists: the Arbortects are credited with shaping the page trees to ease harvest, indirectly supporting the supply of leaves that reach the frames.

Descriptions/Characteristics

• Described by function rather than construction: the frame is used as a sizing/cutting guide. No materials or dimensions are given.
• Works on dried, aged leaves; leaves with holes, thick veins, or irregular outlines often fail the framing step and are composted or set aside.

Current Status/Location

In use within the concent’s page-making process as described; specific workshops, makers, or variations are not detailed.