There's a technology for splitting logs into thin boards, 2-4 meters long. I read about it recently. They took straight-grained spruce or fir logs without knots and used a special tool called a 'hook' to split them into thin boards. The tool looks like a froe axe, but it has a 2-meter long handle that's angled.
Thank you for letting me know. I appreciate it. I tried quite hard back then to find a video that described the proces but found surprisingly few. With this one there is one more chance for people to learn.
Wow, that is a lot of work. I am very impressed with the result, and with your aim. I have framed quite a few houses with hammer and nail, before nail guns became the norm. But my aim with an axe is not so reliable. Good on ya
Thank you, this sort of stuff is always interesting to follow. I have appreciated many of your videos the last few years, seems I had missed that you where still updating new ones. I have sign up to follow you now, not to miss in the future.
What beautiful work with the axe. I am sure the planks had some splinters and roughness to them still, but they look functional and some amount of unevenness gives them character, in my opinion. I find axes to be such wonderfully versatile tools, especially with a hammer-poll. Properly thin and sharpened it can be used like a knife. Once, years ago, with a first axehead I forged, when I was in the woods with my friends and they set out somewhere for the day, I stayed behind, and prepared the camp. I only had a sharp axehead, but with that I cut down a branch to use as a haft, then cut down a tree with the axe, chopped it into two parts - one for sitting beside a fire - the other chopped into firewood with some wedges I also made, the fresh green wood laid around a fire from birch bark and dry sticks, and continually fed into the flames as it dried out, and I cut up vegetables and meat and made skewers to feed my friends when they returned. All with just an axehead!
Actually I was surprised how few splinters I got, even though the axe is solely sharpened on a local stone hence not verry sharp. But the technique of cutting along the fibres instead of splitting did that. Cool, that sounds more or less precisely like what I have allways been interested in, much like this UA-cam channel too.
I just stayed in a cabin that the walls and floor were made this way, how much time would you say for an 8 ft board 1 inch thick ? and what type of wood is best?.
Yes, that sounds absolutely amazing, like always standing on a surface that is just slightly uneven, like nature, must be good for the human body. I´d say that fir is the best because of softness of the wood and possible width of boards... at least around here the fir grows thick... and easy to find. Birch would be too hard and difficult to work with. The local oak would make broad boards but oak does not go well with body sweat from standing on the floor bare footed (or old clothes on the floor) or iron nails, it becomes black. Fruit tree is to expensive and not straight or thick enough, as is maple and most cabinet makers material I know of. I wonder what beech wood would be like? probably better than fir. What do I know? I´m just a blacksmith, eager to find a purpose for my axes. In the video here I use an axe that I forged with a stone hammer and sharpened on a local stone (in earlier videos), But I would have used a sharper axe if I made a n indoor floor since splinters are also common in fir... but not as much in fresh wood like this as in dry wood. And a cut surface hat the potential to be a lot smother than sawed. I used pine here. I would say half a day or so, depending on skills level, tools and materials. But those are made in pairs so... I recon one day from log into to two boards, experts are most likely quicker... or make more boards from the same material. But now you get me all inspired, I was planning to make a forge next year, perhaps there should be an upper floor with a surface like that... Just be careful not to make it too amazing, such projects easily begins but never really ends.
Very very impressive. All done with two axes or one axe? What kind of axes and where did you get them? I wish I could get dimensions. They’re long and not very wide, hard dimensions to find.
Well, I used to sell a similar design that I forged myself. But these verry axes were forged under rather primitive conditions in this verry forest, sharpened on a local stone and hafted by wood cut by the axe itself. I had this idea that I wanted to make a wooden chest from scratch, including the tools to build it with. I recorded the process on 360 video and published here on this channel, the video quality was not verry good but the axes proved useful.
Yes, it is common with axes that are flat on one side, it is a slightly different technique to use them, in Sweden it is called a "saxslipad yxa" I guess that traslates into seax beveled axe . Fun fact: the handle needs to be angled out as well so you don't hurt the knuckles but since the axe also needs to be flat past the eye the whole eye-area of the axe is quite different to normal axes.
Ah, yes, it is all about the increasingly deeper cuts with axe on the sides. Just puttning the wedge in the growing crack makes it split along the grain, but cutting ever deeper along the straight line from all four sides with a thin axe and eventually a chisel cut off the tendency to split according to the grain.
We call them log dogs. I forged the ones you see using stones and sticks for tools. All hand tools used in the forest forge has been forged in the forest forge. Check out the video: ua-cam.com/video/5kFpvY_J1qc/v-deo.htmlsi=taJbUuqTvWIfUDx_
There's a technology for splitting logs into thin boards, 2-4 meters long. I read about it recently. They took straight-grained spruce or fir logs without knots and used a special tool called a 'hook' to split them into thin boards. The tool looks like a froe axe, but it has a 2-meter long handle that's angled.
I learned so much from watching this
Thank you for letting me know. I appreciate it. I tried quite hard back then to find a video that described the proces but found surprisingly few. With this one there is one more chance for people to learn.
Still one of my favourite videos on YT
Always wanted to see the process in its entirety. Thank you.
Yes so did I, figured that I would have to do it myself since no one else did. Thank you.
very impressive. keep up the passion and hard work brother.
Wow, that is a lot of work. I am very impressed with the result, and with your aim. I have framed quite a few houses with hammer and nail, before nail guns became the norm. But my aim with an axe is not so reliable. Good on ya
@@michaelmitchell1496 thank you for the kind words.
Nice video. I am about to do something similar.
Thank you, this sort of stuff is always interesting to follow. I have appreciated many of your videos the last few years, seems I had missed that you where still updating new ones. I have sign up to follow you now, not to miss in the future.
How did it go, Erik?
What beautiful work with the axe. I am sure the planks had some splinters and roughness to them still, but they look functional and some amount of unevenness gives them character, in my opinion. I find axes to be such wonderfully versatile tools, especially with a hammer-poll. Properly thin and sharpened it can be used like a knife. Once, years ago, with a first axehead I forged, when I was in the woods with my friends and they set out somewhere for the day, I stayed behind, and prepared the camp. I only had a sharp axehead, but with that I cut down a branch to use as a haft, then cut down a tree with the axe, chopped it into two parts - one for sitting beside a fire - the other chopped into firewood with some wedges I also made, the fresh green wood laid around a fire from birch bark and dry sticks, and continually fed into the flames as it dried out, and I cut up vegetables and meat and made skewers to feed my friends when they returned. All with just an axehead!
Actually I was surprised how few splinters I got, even though the axe is solely sharpened on a local stone hence not verry sharp. But the technique of cutting along the fibres instead of splitting did that.
Cool, that sounds more or less precisely like what I have allways been interested in, much like this UA-cam channel too.
Very well done.
Nice video, greetings from norway! :)
Greetings 🙂
Impressive! Nice colors!
Thank you, I wanted to capture the feeling of forest and what it if feels like being there...
I just stayed in a cabin that the walls and floor were made this way, how much time would you say for an 8 ft board 1 inch thick ?
and what type of wood is best?.
Yes, that sounds absolutely amazing, like always standing on a surface that is just slightly uneven, like nature, must be good for the human body. I´d say that fir is the best because of softness of the wood and possible width of boards... at least around here the fir grows thick... and easy to find. Birch would be too hard and difficult to work with. The local oak would make broad boards but oak does not go well with body sweat from standing on the floor bare footed (or old clothes on the floor) or iron nails, it becomes black. Fruit tree is to expensive and not straight or thick enough, as is maple and most cabinet makers material I know of. I wonder what beech wood would be like? probably better than fir. What do I know? I´m just a blacksmith, eager to find a purpose for my axes.
In the video here I use an axe that I forged with a stone hammer and sharpened on a local stone (in earlier videos), But I would have used a sharper axe if I made a n indoor floor since splinters are also common in fir... but not as much in fresh wood like this as in dry wood. And a cut surface hat the potential to be a lot smother than sawed. I used pine here.
I would say half a day or so, depending on skills level, tools and materials. But those are made in pairs so... I recon one day from log into to two boards, experts are most likely quicker... or make more boards from the same material.
But now you get me all inspired, I was planning to make a forge next year, perhaps there should be an upper floor with a surface like that... Just be careful not to make it too amazing, such projects easily begins but never really ends.
Very very impressive. All done with two axes or one axe? What kind of axes and where did you get them? I wish I could get dimensions. They’re long and not very wide, hard dimensions to find.
Well, I used to sell a similar design that I forged myself. But these verry axes were forged under rather primitive conditions in this verry forest, sharpened on a local stone and hafted by wood cut by the axe itself. I had this idea that I wanted to make a wooden chest from scratch, including the tools to build it with. I recorded the process on 360 video and published here on this channel, the video quality was not verry good but the axes proved useful.
Do they make hatchets/axes with a flat side to avoid the axe digging in the the plank when flattening it?
Yes, it is common with axes that are flat on one side, it is a slightly different technique to use them, in Sweden it is called a "saxslipad yxa" I guess that traslates into seax beveled axe . Fun fact: the handle needs to be angled out as well so you don't hurt the knuckles but since the axe also needs to be flat past the eye the whole eye-area of the axe is quite different to normal axes.
Nice
He and the AXE 🪓 is one...like it is another limb on his body..
How on earth do you get such a nice split with the wedges? When I do, it splits along the grain of the wood which isnt always straight.
Ah, yes, it is all about the increasingly deeper cuts with axe on the sides. Just puttning the wedge in the growing crack makes it split along the grain, but cutting ever deeper along the straight line from all four sides with a thin axe and eventually a chisel cut off the tendency to split according to the grain.
how long did it take in real time?
Price of lumber back without saws📈
He he, well I guess some things are priceless.
What are those big u shaped tools you used to hild the logs securely? Id like to know the name so i can either buy some, or preferably make some.
We call them log dogs. I forged the ones you see using stones and sticks for tools. All hand tools used in the forest forge has been forged in the forest forge. Check out the video: ua-cam.com/video/5kFpvY_J1qc/v-deo.htmlsi=taJbUuqTvWIfUDx_