This is why i love youtube. I, the average stoner, find myself watching the most random type of videos wether it be log cutting, knife making, youtube poops or japanese commercials and still love it.
But, does it inspire you to get some tools out! Although may be not advisable when under the influence. Save those occasions for coming up with seemingly ridiculously ambitious plans and then celebrating when you've achieved them.
Tip for using an adze, Traditionally they are used whilst standing upon the timber or at least at the same height as the log to be hewn thus the curvature of the tool head & handle combined can make for a very clean surface when you are done. I have used them for years making (top row) for traditional dock cribs from logs & have found this method to be most effective even if possibly dangerous to the well being of ones feet. Also trees generally hew best from the top down using a couple 6 inch nails & a chalk line to mark the log as a guide can be useful. You can also score or check the side to be hewn with an axe if a lot of material has to be removed to achieve a straight line in the case of a crook in your log
Thanks for Tips Muskoka Man. I'll have to make a new, longer handle if I'm doing much work at toe level. The one I made is at a length that would do my back in at that height after a while. I'll certain try the tip about hewing down from the top to see what difference it makes. PS lovin the harp stuff.
My grandad and Dad taugh me to stand on the beam and swing the adze under the sole of my boot. You would bend over less and you also have the correct long handle and heavy adze. You have demonstrated how our ancestors built shelters to a very accurate degree, well done!
Ahhh, as the dad of teen boy, it warmed the cockles to see the fun you two had with this. I frequently remind my son that the "only reason" I bothered having a kid was so that I could have my own personal "forest pony, mule, toilet bowl scrubber, slave." LOL That one always earns me a serious case of "stink eye!"
my parents just had a barn built and there are some really sketchy areas where they just used supports of nailed together 2x4's lol. I've offered to make my mom a nice sturdy beam instead and this gave me some great ideas and insight how I might be able to achieve this goal. Thanks for sharing I appreciate it
After watching you make Victorian doors, I bought myself a nice planer and now I'm making moldings for my house, and plan to do doors. But this!!! Wow!!! You really do "do stuff." Amazing!
It's therapy for me every time I can get to the woods. Just nature, a bag of tools and a few ideas. Hopefully my son will stay interested so he'll manage the woodland after I'm gone, after all trees are a generational thing. The accent is a bit of a mix but I suppose mostly Derbyshire, the southerners would call call it a Northern English accent. Here's a connection to Western Canada, Captin Cook would have know the cottage that the beam is going just as well as your coastline.
Wonderful skills! Interesting to think that this is how such work would have been done for centuries, and in the past many people would have had the skills to do this, now such skills are rare. You must have learnt off a skilled person, and it is great to see the young fellow doing it too, keeping the skills alive.
Good to see how they did things like this. Even if you never need to do it yourself, it makes you appreciate some of what it took to build our countries.
I think you are right for the cleaning up it's something I'm going to have to try sometime. Curved and flat drawknifes are on my wish list. Also I've seen a type that has just a curved cutting section in the middle which I can imagine being useful.
Just discovered your channel looking for a review of the Titan planer which I have now bought and found so much more. I am really enjoying your videos on all things associated with woodworking. Keep them coming ,brilliant stuff.Regards Mike.☺
I would have thought a chain saw and an adze make strange bedfellows!! You made a nice job using the adze. I enjoyed the video, except for the chain saw!
Hi glad you liked it. All the larch in that area is earmarked for felling to allow the hardwords to fill out. But I'm only felling when I 've got a use for the timber, that extra one felled has already gone in to shed I'm building up there. Don't worry not a scrap goes to waste, timber first, then fire wood, the rest is left for habitat.
Love seeing the PPE and proper technique. Might I just suggest a higher cut? Cutting low like that, while fine, can be a strain on the lower back when you have to do it all day long.
Good news with the elbow. I've just had a look at your quirkyquercus website, I'm really impressed with what you are doing. I've added a link from the iDoStuff site as sign of my appreciation and encouragment of the work that you do. Thanks for the froe, I'll be writing to Father Christmas mentioning a draw knife.
Nice Adze work. I would not have thought of using a froe to split the sides off we mostly use a broad axe for that. (we use froes for shingles and chairs.) Looks like it worked right well.
i never thought about that. The wedge is a good idea if you dont want it to split. Im usually only cutting for firewood so splitting would only help me. Good work I hope to build a small wood cabin for the little one so ill be taking your work into consideration.
In the UK there are restrictions aimed at making sure felling is followed by restocking. I'm currently exempt as I fell much less than 5 cubic meters per calendar quarter and the part of the woodland I'm work isn't covered by a tree presevation order. The trees I'm felling are part of plan with a goal of sustainability for the woodland. I know it looked a bit casual when took the "extra" tree down but it was already earmarked for felling.
Thanks Stefan, glad you noticed the adze handle. I should point out "hand job" does have a double meaning leading to different kind of satisfaction ;).
iDoStuff I am starting a project of my own this summer, too. Doing everything by hand, since we are 30 miles from the nearest municipality. No power tools at all. I can't wait. Going to build a log cabin based on finnish log houses. :D This video is useful
Cheers Zack. Although I've not yet had the missfortune to see if they work as shin guards... the Orange boots are chainsaw safety boots, they are pretty tough with wading at the front. But you are right to point out potential safety issue, I heard of others who have made similar shin gashes. Hope it healed OK and didn't put you off!
I enjoy learning traditional crafts and this was a perfect oportunity as I wanted to match the existing beams in the cottage restoration (more about that on the idostuff website). I use the chainsaw with a mill attachment for making boards although at some point I'd love to have a go at pit sawing.
Thanks Mike, I'm still on the lookout for broad axe but like you say they don't come cheap. It'll be good to make the comparison some day to see if it's quicker, easier or a better result. Although at the moment next on list is a decent drawknife.
+Lisa lampasova Thanks for your comment. The froe would be good for short beams but as you can see it runs out and twists over longer lengths. I'll be trying a broad axe on the next one.
Reminds me of fir or pine where I live. On this mountain side nothing grows straight, everything is sort of crooked and twisted. You just can't beat the hand hewn look. It adds rustic character you don't find anymore. I'd leave it rather rough around the edges, clean it up, but I love how the corners follow the knots.. I'd so leave that.
Thanks Dan, Yes I love the character. I only cleaned it up as much as the old beams in the cottage. On these I can still see adze marks hundreds of years old.
It's a whole log with the growth rings central so as long as it seasons evenly (air flow all around it, not in direct sun light) it won't bow or twist to any great degree. Shakes (outer surfaces splitting) will happen and the ends can split if they are not coated with something to stop them drying too fast. It's only when timber is cut in to boards that real problems can occur. There's some pages on idostuff.co.uk "Beginners guide to buying and preparing timber" that covers this.
Naw, it didnt put me off! In my mind nothing compares to the theraputic past itme of timber framing! makes me feel connected with my ancestors! And may I say I applaud you bringing out your son and showing him the age old techniques...I wish my father had done the same for me. I work in Douglas Fir(softwood) as Im from western Canada. But I am heavily influenced by the beautiful British Tudor style. Is your accent Northern English or Scotish? forgive my ignorance.
A draw-knife would have been more efficient for smoothing the level on the beam after the adze had roughed it out. Good job, though on the overall work. It really is satisfying to get where you want to be with hand-tools....................
The wood shrinks as it drys out over time. The trick is to ensure the drying out "seasoning" is even so it shrinks all at the same rate and does not split, called "shakes". With cut boards the ends should be coated with wax or painted to stop end shakes. With thick sections like the beam you have to expect some shakes to develop, careful seasoning over months can reduce these.
you should try using a technique called juggling. it's done using a hewing axe which has a head offset to the handle. cut a series of notches down the face the remove the material in between them. was a popular technique for making beams in timber framed buildings.
I think it was a couple of months in the woods before I transported it and fitted it. It won't have been fully seasoned but it was much lighter and easier to handle.
Also, I find using a Bavarian style draw knife saves me time on fashioning beams. Worth the 50 bucks(30 pounds) in my oppinion. Of course ,sometimes I over use this technique and lose some of the beauty of fully hewn beams. look forward to more videos! cheers!
Thanks for the tip, I do use that technique sometimes but with a small wedge out the top side to reduce splitting. ** As an overhead chainsaw use it is high risk and not recomended** . In this case I needed the length for beam as the other tree was marked for felling I took it down.
No need for froe,, waste time, we hand hew beams everyday ,, straight line,sharp ax for notching and razor sharp broad ax for squaring up ,, cut 6x6x8 in 4 hours complete ))
@@Cougnut5150 Mark a line you want to square to on the log. Cut notches down to it at intervals to stop the next cuts running off. Use the broadaxe to remove the waste between the notches , squaring the log to that line. Can use a similar method with the adze or froe to avoid that inital twist they had in the video.
+C.P. Smith It did most of it's seasoning after I installed it and shakes did open up on the side in to passage way. Not bad though and it's in keeping with some of the old beams. you can see it place here www.idostuff.co.uk/sections/DIY/Retrofit_Beam/Retrofitting_structural_beam.html
It certainly is one of yours and very good it is too. If your elbow is up to making any more I'll give the recomendation - The hand forged froe I used is from "fishchipandpeas", same name, on ebay - If you want navigate through to the idostuff blog related to the video, you can comment and tell us bit more your froe making, Iinks and all if you want. Cheers.
Sounds like another call for me get a broad axe! It would be interesting to compare the techniques and time one side the way I've shown here and another with the perpendicular cuts. I have feeling the cross cuts would be more useful on larger logs. The proof will be in the pudding. Thanks for passing on your "Grandy's" experience, interesting the hand hewn ones got a better price
Hi Ben, It's our own small woodland, we are slowly working on it to manage it properly for sustainable timber production balanced with maintain and improving the ecology. You might want to have a look at "smallwoods" website, there could be a member near you that could help out.
Let’s dissect your comment to find the value in it. I agree totally, these can be dangerous tools and have to treated with respect. I’m not sure if you are implying that I didn’t know what I was doing. I can assure you, I was fully conscious at the time. Let us know if there is anything specifically that should be done differently. I show how I do stuff, it worked and I learn’t a lot from doing it and I don’t mind sharing.
Great video. I was wondering if an engineer or a building inspector has a look at the wood before you install it. In Ontario Canada ( where I’m from) the building inspector would lose his/her mind if I used ungraded lumber.
It's used to find high spots. So either end is a good place to start. If you put a stick under the line at each end to raise it up you can see where any big high spots are.
It's nylon rope with sliding loop to go around the log. The other end has a slight curved piece of wood that I think would be called a "Yoke" , this has rope at either end atteched to the main rope this I'd call a "Bridle". I don't know if it has a proper name (maybe "one man pulling yoke", suggestions please) but I would shout for someone to "fetch me the Yoke."
Partly right, they where left for around 4 months to dry out a bit. This made them much lighter and easy to transport. But they won't have been fully seasoned before I fitted them, So they where still "green".
steinderbush Skill and difficulty are all relative, old hand tools would have been the easiest and most efficient tools to use at the time. It doesn't take long to build up the skill levels although I'm always learning. I used this beam when still a bit green, if dimensional stability is critical is would be best left to fully season and acclimatise to its final environment.
Nice hewing. Try using adz at close to right angle to log instead of parallel to grain as shown in your video. This is the way a broad ax and veneer cutter works. Alter angle slightly around knots and at corners to avoid tearing wood. Much greater productivity this way. Check out "Ghosts of Cape Horn" in film library at the "National Sailing Hall of Fame" web site from Annapolis, Maryland. They show an entire ship being built by hand in the age of "wooden ships and iron men".
07:20 I used this video to figure out what an adze was, and I have to ask: can/do people accidentally hit their shins with that tool? Is that what the boots are for? To me, I would think that would give tremendous hurt.
UnrealVoicebox . Yes it would make a mess of a shin or foot if it got deflected. Hence why I've got my chainsaw boots on. You can stand on wood in which case it would mainly be your feet in the firing line.
I've just done a quick search, it looks like tamarack is the closest north american native tree. (Larix laricina). What I have is probably a cross between Japanese and European Larch, although I'm not 100% certain. I'll have to do some more research.
This is why i love youtube. I, the average stoner, find myself watching the most random type of videos wether it be log cutting, knife making, youtube poops or japanese commercials and still love it.
But, does it inspire you to get some tools out! Although may be not advisable when under the influence. Save those occasions for coming up with seemingly ridiculously ambitious plans and then celebrating when you've achieved them.
ghehe ;))
Tip for using an adze, Traditionally they are used whilst standing upon the timber or at least at the same height as the log to be hewn thus the curvature of the tool head & handle combined can make for a very clean surface when you are done. I have used them for years making (top row) for traditional dock cribs from logs & have found this method to be most effective even if possibly dangerous to the well being of ones feet. Also trees generally hew best from the top down using a couple 6 inch nails & a chalk line to mark the log as a guide can be useful. You can also score or check the side to be hewn with an axe if a lot of material has to be removed to achieve a straight line in the case of a crook in your log
Thanks for Tips Muskoka Man. I'll have to make a new, longer handle if I'm doing much work at toe level. The one I made is at a length that would do my back in at that height after a while. I'll certain try the tip about hewing down from the top to see what difference it makes. PS lovin the harp stuff.
My grandad and Dad taugh me to stand on the beam and swing the adze under the sole of my boot. You would bend over less and you also have the correct long handle and heavy adze. You have demonstrated how our ancestors built shelters to a very accurate degree, well done!
I've got an Ash tree to fell shortly. I'm looking forward to making some tool handles with it . A longer adze handle is on the list
Ahhh, as the dad of teen boy, it warmed the cockles to see the fun you two had with this. I frequently remind my son that the "only reason" I bothered having a kid was so that I could have my own personal "forest pony, mule, toilet bowl scrubber, slave." LOL That one always earns me a serious case of "stink eye!"
my parents just had a barn built and there are some really sketchy areas where they just used supports of nailed together 2x4's lol. I've offered to make my mom a nice sturdy beam instead and this gave me some great ideas and insight how I might be able to achieve this goal. Thanks for sharing I appreciate it
Makes me appreciate modern machines. Nice work.
After watching you make Victorian doors, I bought myself a nice planer and now I'm making moldings for my house, and plan to do doors. But this!!! Wow!!! You really do "do stuff." Amazing!
Not too bad. Very nice to see more people using the traditional methods
Not to mention the pride and even spiritual fulfillment that comes with creating something with your own mind and power.
It's therapy for me every time I can get to the woods. Just nature, a bag of tools and a few ideas. Hopefully my son will stay interested so he'll manage the woodland after I'm gone, after all trees are a generational thing. The accent is a bit of a mix but I suppose mostly Derbyshire, the southerners would call call it a Northern English accent. Here's a connection to Western Canada, Captin Cook would have know the cottage that the beam is going just as well as your coastline.
Wonderful skills! Interesting to think that this is how such work would have been done for centuries, and in the past many people would have had the skills to do this, now such skills are rare. You must have learnt off a skilled person, and it is great to see the young fellow doing it too, keeping the skills alive.
Good to see how they did things like this. Even if you never need to do it yourself, it makes you appreciate some of what it took to build our countries.
I think you are right for the cleaning up it's something I'm going to have to try sometime. Curved and flat drawknifes are on my wish list. Also I've seen a type that has just a curved cutting section in the middle which I can imagine being useful.
Also, that chainsaw sounds adorable when you speed up the footage.
Thanks Bigpetey, I do find it really interesting to research, learn and then try out these old skills. Cheers
Thanks Bigpetey, I do find it interesting researching, learning and trying out old skills.
Cheers
Very nice, I Njarobbag from Iraq and admire your work from any country you
Just discovered your channel looking for a review of the Titan planer which I have now bought and found so much more. I am really enjoying your videos on all things associated with woodworking. Keep them coming ,brilliant stuff.Regards Mike.☺
Thanks Micheal
I would have thought a chain saw and an adze make strange bedfellows!!
You made a nice job using the adze.
I enjoyed the video, except for the chain saw!
I used to use and adze, (properly and correctly) many years ago to shape beams for listed building renovations.
Hi glad you liked it. All the larch in that area is earmarked for felling to allow the hardwords to fill out. But I'm only felling when I 've got a use for the timber, that extra one felled has already gone in to shed I'm building up there. Don't worry not a scrap goes to waste, timber first, then fire wood, the rest is left for habitat.
Love seeing the PPE and proper technique. Might I just suggest a higher cut? Cutting low like that, while fine, can be a strain on the lower back when you have to do it all day long.
Good news with the elbow. I've just had a look at your quirkyquercus website, I'm really impressed with what you are doing. I've added a link from the iDoStuff site as sign of my appreciation and encouragment of the work that you do. Thanks for the froe, I'll be writing to Father Christmas mentioning a draw knife.
You're tougher than me! I still miss doing stuff like this, though. Thanks for sharing it.
Nice Adze work. I would not have thought of using a froe to split the sides off we mostly use a broad axe for that. (we use froes for shingles and chairs.) Looks like it worked right well.
It was hard work with froe and only any good for short length. It did however give me a square end of the right dimension to start with.
Cheers John, That planner of yours looks great, Good luck with it all.
i never thought about that. The wedge is a good idea if you dont want it to split. Im usually only cutting for firewood so splitting would only help me. Good work I hope to build a small wood cabin for the little one so ill be taking your work into consideration.
Boy, O'boy - That's Real Work !
Certainly is
This is really excellent. I want to make some fence posts. Good to see your techniques because I wasnt quite sure how to go about it.
Very nice finished product! Amazing what you can do with a few simple tools and some time.
Let me adze you a question: hew long did it take to make this by chopping to and froe?
Just wanted to axe that.
Okay, I'm done. ;P
.
4 years
I wish I lived near a forest so I could try my hand at woodwork... Great video man, and damn relaxing.
In the UK there are restrictions aimed at making sure felling is followed by restocking. I'm currently exempt as I fell much less than 5 cubic meters per calendar quarter and the part of the woodland I'm work isn't covered by a tree presevation order. The trees I'm felling are part of plan with a goal of sustainability for the woodland. I know it looked a bit casual when took the "extra" tree down but it was already earmarked for felling.
Thanks Stefan, glad you noticed the adze handle. I should point out "hand job" does have a double meaning leading to different kind of satisfaction ;).
Impressive as ever! Feeling almost inspired to get on with our project!
Project! what project. Do tell
iDoStuff I am starting a project of my own this summer, too. Doing everything by hand, since we are 30 miles from the nearest municipality. No power tools at all. I can't wait. Going to build a log cabin based on finnish log houses. :D This video is useful
Brilliant! The was just fantastic. I admire a man who just goes for it.
Cheers Zack. Although I've not yet had the missfortune to see if they work as shin guards... the Orange boots are chainsaw safety boots, they are pretty tough with wading at the front. But you are right to point out potential safety issue, I heard of others who have made similar shin gashes. Hope it healed OK and didn't put you off!
I enjoy learning traditional crafts and this was a perfect oportunity as I wanted to match the existing beams in the cottage restoration (more about that on the idostuff website). I use the chainsaw with a mill attachment for making boards although at some point I'd love to have a go at pit sawing.
Now if they could figure out how to grow square trees, that would save a lot of trouble.
*Minecraft has entered the chat*
I think they do in Japan
ua-cam.com/video/UPXl4M4-GU8/v-deo.html
Isn't that 50 year old technology?
Thanks Mike, I'm still on the lookout for broad axe but like you say they don't come cheap. It'll be good to make the comparison some day to see if it's quicker, easier or a better result. Although at the moment next on list is a decent drawknife.
+Lisa lampasova Thanks for your comment. The froe would be good for short beams but as you can see it runs out and twists over longer lengths. I'll be trying a broad axe on the next one.
Reminds me of fir or pine where I live. On this mountain side nothing grows straight, everything is sort of crooked and twisted. You just can't beat the hand hewn look. It adds rustic character you don't find anymore. I'd leave it rather rough around the edges, clean it up, but I love how the corners follow the knots.. I'd so leave that.
Thanks Dan, Yes I love the character. I only cleaned it up as much as the old beams in the cottage. On these I can still see adze marks hundreds of years old.
It's a whole log with the growth rings central so as long as it seasons evenly (air flow all around it, not in direct sun light) it won't bow or twist to any great degree. Shakes (outer surfaces splitting) will happen and the ends can split if they are not coated with something to stop them drying too fast. It's only when timber is cut in to boards that real problems can occur. There's some pages on idostuff.co.uk "Beginners guide to buying and preparing timber" that covers this.
Naw, it didnt put me off! In my mind nothing compares to the theraputic past itme of timber framing! makes me feel connected with my ancestors! And may I say I applaud you bringing out your son and showing him the age old techniques...I wish my father had done the same for me. I work in Douglas Fir(softwood) as Im from western Canada. But I am heavily influenced by the beautiful British Tudor style. Is your accent Northern English or Scotish? forgive my ignorance.
A draw-knife would have been more efficient for smoothing the level on the beam after the adze had roughed it out.
Good job, though on the overall work. It really is satisfying to get where you want to be with hand-tools....................
Great job! Especially for starting out. I'm going to be trying this myself next summer so wish me luck.
Wow, sure looked like it from video view, but you were there and would know best. Nice work on the log, by the way.
The wood shrinks as it drys out over time. The trick is to ensure the drying out "seasoning" is even so it shrinks all at the same rate and does not split, called "shakes". With cut boards the ends should be coated with wax or painted to stop end shakes. With thick sections like the beam you have to expect some shakes to develop, careful seasoning over months can reduce these.
It's great to know you've found the information useful. Thanks
I've got back ache just watching this! Good effort!
you should try using a technique called juggling. it's done using a hewing axe which has a head offset to the handle. cut a series of notches down the face the remove the material in between them. was a popular technique for making beams in timber framed buildings.
I'll try that at some point, it would be good to compare various techniques.
Can you show us a professional doing this? You are right in that I don't get paid for producing beams although there may be small niche market.
It's everywhere where I live, in Pennsylvania! Makes for a pleasant springtime ;).
A drawknife would really help you with some of this. Especially the cleaning up with the adze would probably be easier on your back with a drawknife.
large draw knife makes quick work of final squaring and finishing
Good luck with it, hope you have as much fun as I do.
Thanks for this, I'm learning :0
Like this a lot, a draw knife would help a lot with both the bark removal part and the finishing!
I think it was a couple of months in the woods before I transported it and fitted it. It won't have been fully seasoned but it was much lighter and easier to handle.
Also, I find using a Bavarian style draw knife saves me time on fashioning beams. Worth the 50 bucks(30 pounds) in my oppinion. Of course ,sometimes I over use this technique and lose some of the beauty of fully hewn beams. look forward to more videos! cheers!
Good Luck Trisha, and let us know how you get on.
Thanks for the tip, I do use that technique sometimes but with a small wedge out the top side to reduce splitting. ** As an overhead chainsaw use it is high risk and not recomended** . In this case I needed the length for beam as the other tree was marked for felling I took it down.
This is impressive not sure if I could ever make that even of a edge lol you think there would be a easier way to do this it must of taken hours.
Seasoned timber is harder to split and doesn't cut with the axe so easily. So although it would be possible, it would take more time and effort.
No need for froe,, waste time, we hand hew beams everyday ,, straight line,sharp ax for notching and razor sharp broad ax for squaring up ,, cut 6x6x8 in 4 hours complete ))
Hmmmmmmm yes!
Lisa lampasova please explain axe notching and broad axe for squaring? Thanks
@@Cougnut5150 Mark a line you want to square to on the log. Cut notches down to it at intervals to stop the next cuts running off. Use the broadaxe to remove the waste between the notches , squaring the log to that line. Can use a similar method with the adze or froe to avoid that inital twist they had in the video.
+C.P. Smith It did most of it's seasoning after I installed it and shakes did open up on the side in to passage way. Not bad though and it's in keeping with some of the old beams. you can see it place here www.idostuff.co.uk/sections/DIY/Retrofit_Beam/Retrofitting_structural_beam.html
Thanks for this video. I don't own a broadaxe and need some alternatives.
It certainly is one of yours and very good it is too. If your elbow is up to making any more I'll give the recomendation - The hand forged froe I used is from "fishchipandpeas", same name, on ebay - If you want navigate through to the idostuff blog related to the video, you can comment and tell us bit more your froe making, Iinks and all if you want. Cheers.
Sounds like another call for me get a broad axe! It would be interesting to compare the techniques and time one side the way I've shown here and another with the perpendicular cuts. I have feeling the cross cuts would be more useful on larger logs. The proof will be in the pudding.
Thanks for passing on your "Grandy's" experience, interesting the hand hewn ones got a better price
It certainly is a simple tool but very effective. The froe I'm using was hand forged as well.
Time to get the rope outs. lol. Nice video. Went on to watch the Japanese do their hewing in bare feet. Nerve wrecking toe losing feeling.
Yes there's a lot of that involved but it can be difficult to express. So thanks for putting it in to words for me. Cheers
if I understand it right you are not going to dry the wood you are going to use it raw?
Hi Ben, It's our own small woodland, we are slowly working on it to manage it properly for sustainable timber production balanced with maintain and improving the ecology. You might want to have a look at "smallwoods" website, there could be a member near you that could help out.
Cracking stuff. Great perseverance with great results
Let’s dissect your comment to find the value in it. I agree totally, these can be dangerous tools and have to treated with respect. I’m not sure if you are implying that I didn’t know what I was doing. I can assure you, I was fully conscious at the time. Let us know if there is anything specifically that should be done differently. I show how I do stuff, it worked and I learn’t a lot from doing it and I don’t mind sharing.
why didn't you cut juggles into beam and split them out?
It takes longer for a start but can make accuracy easier for larger section beams. There's always more ways to skin a cat!
How long did the whole process take?
Thanks for comments. I'ts often a Time verses Money equation. Simple tools can save a fortune if the time is available to master using them.
This is what you tube is for ! sharing knowledge that whould other wise be lost!
Great video. I was wondering if an engineer or a building inspector has a look at the wood before you install it. In Ontario Canada ( where I’m from) the building inspector would lose his/her mind if I used ungraded lumber.
There are some exemptions in the UK for Historical buildings. Loading, over sizing, lack knots, straight grain etc. all taken into account.
Thanks, Poisended ivy is still pretty rare in the UK. Those burns do look nasty, I'll not grumble so much about the bramble scratches from know on
Great vid !! How do you decide where to attach the string line
It's used to find high spots. So either end is a good place to start. If you put a stick under the line at each end to raise it up you can see where any big high spots are.
I forged out my own froe from a bit of old wagon that was made in 1800's and it has an 8' handle for just such purposes as this.
It's nylon rope with sliding loop to go around the log. The other end has a slight curved piece of wood that I think would be called a "Yoke" , this has rope at either end atteched to the main rope this I'd call a "Bridle". I don't know if it has a proper name (maybe "one man pulling yoke", suggestions please) but I would shout for someone to "fetch me the Yoke."
Partly right, they where left for around 4 months to dry out a bit. This made them much lighter and easy to transport. But they won't have been fully seasoned before I fitted them, So they where still "green".
That hewing looks very difficult to me, you need alot of skil y guess!! Is the beam used after it is totaly dry??
steinderbush Skill and difficulty are all relative, old hand tools would have been the easiest and most efficient tools to use at the time. It doesn't take long to build up the skill levels although I'm always learning. I used this beam when still a bit green, if dimensional stability is critical is would be best left to fully season and acclimatise to its final environment.
You have to admit, gotta admire the determination....
How long did it dry for?
Nice hewing. Try using adz at close to right angle to log instead of parallel to grain as shown in your video. This is the way a broad ax and veneer cutter works. Alter angle slightly around knots and at corners to avoid tearing wood. Much greater productivity this way. Check out "Ghosts of Cape Horn" in film library at the "National Sailing Hall of Fame" web site from Annapolis, Maryland. They show an entire ship being built by hand in the age of "wooden ships and iron men".
Love at first sight. What an adze!
Yes it would. Although for this project I wanted to see the hand tooled finish.
07:20 I used this video to figure out what an adze was, and I have to ask: can/do people accidentally hit their shins with that tool? Is that what the boots are for? To me, I would think that would give tremendous hurt.
UnrealVoicebox . Yes it would make a mess of a shin or foot if it got deflected. Hence why I've got my chainsaw boots on. You can stand on wood in which case it would mainly be your feet in the firing line.
what was the bean used for?
I've just done a quick search, it looks like tamarack is the closest north american native tree. (Larix laricina). What I have is probably a cross between Japanese and European Larch, although I'm not 100% certain. I'll have to do some more research.
you sir are very talented
A drawn knife is next on my tool list, I'll look up the Bavarian style.
What kind of wood is this?
Cheers for the comments Vulture, and yes it does look great.
whats that Towing cable called where you say woodland pony