Thread: Froe/frow/paling knife ??

Not sure about the different bevels, but there is plenty of froe info here:
http://www.woodcraftguild.org.au/wp-...sing-froes.pdf

Most of my carving wood is western red cedar. I have 60cm "shake blocks"which vary in thickness and width, some are 30cm wide and 18 cm thick. 18-19kg each for $5.00.
I make the wood I want with a single-bevel froe and a 1.5kg log mallet. The bevel faces the piece that I want to split off the block, +/-2mm is the level of accuracy. The very first blow must be the hardest to set the froe in the wood, otherwise it bounces and I have to reposition the froe and start again. Mine has a straight tang, not the lever loop that conventional shake-splitting froes have (eg Lee Valley).

The hardest part for me is figuring out, in a 60cm clear & straight-grained block, which end was "up" in the tree.
To keep the split running with parallel sides = even thickness in a tangential cut, the safest is to split from the bottom up. I can cut down the run-out with an adze. Splits in the radial plane are almost too much fun = I split more wood that I really need!

I did not know that some froes are made with double bevels but as you point out, they can be used for other things.

Here are a couple of pix to illustrate what I do.
The two fresh blocks are -20C, they have just come into the house.
You can find the froe, mallet, box tool, goose neck bar in amongst the slabs.

Originally Posted by Robson Valley

Here are a couple of pix to illustrate what I do.
The two fresh blocks are -20C, they have just come into the house.
You can find the froe, mallet, box tool, goose neck bar in amongst the slabs.

Thanks for the information, RV. Western red cedar is a pleasure to work with. I'll keep in mind your advice about splitting from the bottom end.

Originally Posted by billwig

I have two froes, one with the edge bevelled on both sides, the other with a flat back and bevel on the side facing the user. I've been told the latter one is for riving palings and the former one is for shingles. Can anyone tell me if there are different uses recommended for these two tools? Thanks.

From my at observations at Timbertown over the years the better made froes were flat on one side and had a rounded bevel on the other, tapering to a thick back of least 3/8" (car springs make poor froes as they are too thin!) The idea being, that this allow room for you to push/roll the froe away from you thus splitting off the shingle. The old Bushmen that set up the shingle splitters camp in 1970s had a splitting "bench" of two rails with a flat rail between them about half a shingle length or more lower where the block sat, this enable them to lever either way (to and fro !!) to split the shingle off. BTW they were using forest oak billets back then. The edge of the froe doesn't have to be all that sharp or hard (I have seen soft wrought iron ones and some that were steeled) The "cutting" edge is not in contact once it is driven in a short way, it needs to be thought of as rockable wedge with lever attached! I think that the paling froe was exactly the same only longer in blade length so they could chase the split down the long billet. In saying that the froe is a splitting not a cutting tool I will add that it was "swung" (moved vigorously) by the shingle cutters to trim the edges and any rough bits on the faces.
Graeme

I've never bothered to explain the design of my froe. It's much as anglesmith describes. The edge is table-knife blunt. The action is for the wood to split ahead of the edge. The froe is not a sharp-edged cutting tool. My 3.5lb splitting axe is the same.
Although the edge is hardened, the spine is not. Consequently , I use the log mallet to avoid peening the metal.
Mine is just 1/4". The blacksmith claimed that he was out of 3/8" in that day and time. I guess he just hammered out the hot metal to make the edged part wider than the part that he left as a tang (with a couple of nice holes punched in it.) I wanted it straight as I am splitting western red cedar into wood carving billets, not shakes or shingles. For some reason, I like the sound of splitting wood fiber. They will never take me away, I'm completely normal.

I get the froe stuck in the log and must follow it with some sorts of wedge shapes. No big deal as the log pieces are never more that the standard shake length of 24"/60cm. If I ever needed another one, I'd demand 3/8", 14" edge length and a somewhat blunter bevel but the overall 3/8" thickness would do much of the work.
1/4" thickness is OK as I want to get the froe set into the block along my pencil line with the first bash.