Boxwood petanque ball Good to know

Published 09 / 05 / 2022

Boxwood, a very hard wood, was once used to make studded pétanque balls. From the XNUMXth century, Aiguines, a small town located in the north of the Var, was recognized for the quality of its woodturning and the manufacture of studded balls.

In the region, the vegetation being less dense than in the forest and therefore the sunshine more pronounced, the boxwood which grew in the form of a bush was very widespread. For the manufacture of these petanque balls, it is then the roots of the boxwood which have been acclaimed for their very great hardness.

Shaped on a wood lathe by the men at first, they were then covered with nails by women called “the ferrous ones”. Several types of nailing have developed over time.

  • Photographer: Museum of Aiguines Woodturners