Hand quern

A hand quern is a mill powered by human effort. It was commonly used for grinding grain. The term covers different constructions, including saddle querns and rotary querns.

Sliding or rotating

On a saddle quern, a smaller stone moves back and forth over a lower stone. A rotary quern usually has two round stones with the upper stone turned by hand. Museum examples may have a central opening and a smaller handle hole. A detached stone should therefore be recorded by shape, holes, wear and material.

Assessing an older example

Check whether the upper and lower stones actually belong together. Handles and wooden fittings are often missing or later replacements. Diameter, rock type, tooling and grinding surface can aid identification, but an undocumented find place or simple ownership story does not securely date the quern. Do not test a cracked stone.

Browse traditional tools and wooden objects.

Sources

Store norske leksikon: Håndkvern; Gudbrandsdalsmusea on DigitaltMuseum: hand quern stone.