Having recently taken up the oboe again after a (very) long absence I thought it was about time to get a proper easel to trim the cane ends before binding. My previous easel had been the classic converted wooden clothes-peg marked with a pencil (as suggested in Evelyn Rothwell's book). However, this item is the real thing, made of smooth dark hardwood, nicely turned with a centre line and buffers at either end to stop the cane sliding off. Very simple and handy to use and quite a nice object in its own right.