Sieve and riddle making

When Hill & Sons was founded in 1946, they were one of hundreds of firms producing beechwood and wire mesh sieves and riddles for mines, agriculture, fishing and even on the railways, where they sifted ballast between the tracks.

Sieves and riddles range from six to 24 inches in diameter, with meshes from a few microns to a full inch.

Strips of fresh-cut wood are cut to the desired width using a circular saw. The ends are chamfered, and the strips then steamed for three hours in a steaming chest. Once softened, the strips are rolled round cylinders, and once bent, dry out over two or three days.

Oak, elm and beech are traditional timbers used. One Victorian book also refers to the use of Cedar. Steve Overthrow now uses ash, which is in plentiful supply.

Sourcing pre woven mesh in galvanized is now the issue as weavers are reluctant to break down their machines from the more lucrative stainless.

The chamfered ends of the rim are tacked together and holes drilled for the mesh. Wires of galvanised steel are stretched and woven inside the rim to form the mesh.

• Cockle riddles

• Market issues: there is a small market for sieves and riddles but there are challenges in raising awareness of the craft with the general public. A handmade sieve is a premium products and commands a relatively high price point.
• Sourcing raw materials: It is often difficult to source the straight-grained beech required because there is not a great demand for it outside of the craft. The scale of the craft does not incentivise sawyers and timber merchants to go out of their way to stock such material. S

• Steve Overthrow – began making sieves and riddles as a result of discovering sieves and riddles were listed as extinct in the first publication of the Red List in 2017. Steve is not currently taking orders and is focussing on training a new maker with the aim of passing on his skills.
• Colin Davies, Riverside Riddles and Sieves – a cockle fisherman who is now making sieves and riddles commercially, after watching an episode of BBC Countryfile featuring the Red List report on sieve and riddle making.

Mike Turnock, trading as Hill and Sons (NW) Ltd, was previously the last sieve and riddle maker in the UK, steam bending wooden rims and weaving wire mesh riddles and sieves for gardeners, shellfish fishermen, cooks and potters. Mike retired in 2010 rendering the craft extinct until 2018.

• Henley, John, ‘How to make a sieve and riddle’, The Guardian, 28 November 2009
• Steve Overthrow has details of the sieve making process on his website

Our thanks go to our 2025 informants:

• Colin Davies, Riverside Riddles and Sieves

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