Thread: Introduction

Hi and welcome Derek,

Welcome to the most informative and addictive forum on the net.
How I would love 300 Acres away from the rate race.

Willy

G'day Derek.

Pole Lathe, Drawknife, Adz, Shave Horse, heritage tools, Strawbale house ....
White Cypress (Callitris glaucophylla), Bull Oak (Allocasuarina lehmanii), Yellow Box, Red Ironbark, Acacias, etc, etc ...
You are heading for the far side or the dark side....

software developer by day.... you are heading for blisters.

Have fun.

Hi Derek, and welcome! The green woodworking forum is generally pretty quiet, so anything you have to post will be appreciated.
There are a couple of books around that are a good introduction, like Dan Mack's on rustic furniture, and Drew Langsner on chairmaking. Both are into shaving horses and drawknives, Mack more your round stick sort of guy, where as Langsner is into splitting or riving logs and working the timber from there. I don't either of them are pole lathe users, but there is a bit of stuff on the 'Net. Using an adze is a big learning curve, hard yakka and potentially shin-destroying!
That bull oak may rive OK with a froe, its similar to what used was used for roofing shakes, but may be difficult to drawknife.
I posted some photos of my latest shaving horse some time back. Its pretty big and heavy, but works well and I have no desire to make anymore, unless its to extend classes beyond 4 participants

Look forward to any posts, and photos of progress.

Cheers,

Hi Derek.
It is so brilliant that there is another greenwood enthusiast out there!
Derek you have neglected to mention the most important and useful of all tools, conventional axes, transverse axes excluded.

Utility axes, broad axes, and most importantly a carpenters axe.

The adze is a good tool, but its use is limited. I've used an adze alot and sometimes they are the perfect tool for the job. The surface finish of well adze hewn timber is brilliant, and an axe can achieve the same finish, in most cases quicker and with less effort. For trimming horizontal surfaces of timbers, insitu, the adze rules.

Derek when you start using your adze, I recommend doing it barefoot, working the timber at your feet. You will be encouraged in your care and precision. If by rare chance you cut yourself, you will not again.
I've learned that to achieve clean and accurate results, and to maintain the action for a full day without tiring, one must maintain a certain frequency. If you include an extra chop or two per minute, above your normal frequency you will make a huge mess, stray cuts etc, and generally remove parts that were intended to stay.

A well made, well tempered and ground adze is available from Lars Enander. They are hand forged over charcoal from fine swedish steel. You will find it most convenient to make all your axe handles yourself, to suit your own body and working style.

There is much information available on broad axes, and most of it rubbish. The only way to learn how to use a broadaxe, how to select a broad axe is to just go at it. The broadaxe for accurate, non fatiguing cuts is not at all heavy and the bit is not at all huge. The most useful broadaxe is one that is double bevelled, an ancient axe to be sure. It will encourage the most precise of work and can be used where a single bevelled axe cannot.
A heavy bitted, short handled, single bevelled broad axe, is essentially a cleaving tool designed to split the baulks of wood from between your notches. It has the barest of utility. You can not build a boat with this style of axe, it is rubbish.

The most useful of all axes is a the carpenters hatchet with a square bit and a handle which can accomodate two hands but also one. The bit will be 3-4 inches wide and the handle 18- 20 inches long. With some practice you can split a pencil line and leave a glossy planned finish on the hardest of dry timbers. I have hewn a complete longbow with a carpenters hatchet, and from purple heart. Ultimately using the axe to scrape tiller the bow in the final stages.

The axe is the most expedient of tools. If you use the axe everday for every task, in a year or two you will have the simplest of tool kits. I can achieve with an axe what one with a table saw, bandsaw, router, and plane can achieve and often in considerably less time.

I hope you have alot of fun working your own timber.
300 acres, it must be magic.

Have you thought of getting a draft pony to move your logs about?
I have a section D, welsh cob gelding, a primitive northern european work pony, not at all the modern welsh cob. He has short feathery limbs, with incredible substance and impulsion. He wears a 23 inch collar, that's as big as a clydesdale wears, yet you can fold your arms on his back.
He weighs 650kgs, very heavy. He is intellegent sensible and noble. He has a will to please and work hard. It is the most beautiful way to move wood. With a few tackles and some parbuckling techniques a pony this size can shift the most enormous logs.

I'm am looking forward to reading more on your projects. Keep us updated.

Take it easy.

Eirik.

Derek I would suggest you talk to some old timers regarding stance, holding, and working technique, one glance of the axe and you could do Yourself serious injury. As with every thing there is a safe or dangerous way to work. Check out working displays at historic villages, field days etc.

Good on you I hope you can master the dying arts.

Eirik I would love to see some pics of your pony at work, as you say they can be very intelligent and pleasing to work with.

Guys,

Thanks for the friendly and positive replies. I hope you don't expect too much from me too soon because I really am just a beginner. I've started building my shave horse and will post some pictures when the time is right.

Eirik, I only visit my property every few months so currently a draft pony is not an option for me but I like the idea of it. Everything in due course.

cheers for now
Derek

I remember the fun my hubby had making a shave horse, did it with hand tools. Yes, it was a little wobbly, but he spent a lot of time playing with it. Life seems to be so busy now, reading these posts on the forum brings back a longing to renew my friendship with hand tools.

Is your block in the Chinchilla area? Do you have Brigalow?

Donna

Thats just one of the reasons I"m keen on hand tools - the sense of slow, quiet, achievement, no rushing around, no doing something a particular way because its faster.

Of course, at the moment , I"m too busy to do things much, but what I do, I do slowly, by hand. Slowly, slowly... One day I might even make something.

In the mean time, I'm building up a good collection of hand tools, and developing my knowledge of traditional methods.

Donna,

It's actually at Yuleba about 120km west of Chinchilla. I have two sisters and a son who live in town and we all have properties outside of town. They have cattle, I have trees. Brigalow is not dominant on my place, the cypress and bull-oak dominate.

cheers

My Great (great?) grandparents are buried in the Yuleba cemetary! I believe the property they owned is almost across the road from there. Interesting area out there. You certainly have a fair sort of a drive to get there.

Donna

Does anyone know of an Australian supplier of Langsters or Abbotts books on Green Woodworking ? The postage costs for individual books from the UK will cost more than the actual book.

Derek

We bought our book by Mike Abbott either from the local bookstore or Mitre 10 (cant remember which). Carbatec might even have it. If you go to your local bookstore, they will be able to look it up for you and order it if it is still in publication. It is I think the best book on the subject that I have seen so far. Another book we have that I really like is Jack Hills Country chairmaking.

This site has it listed for 42.90 and they are in Brisbane too. (Use their search box) http://www.buckhams.com.au

Donna

I'm glad I'm not the only computer geek who is getting into this for the first time. Thanks Derek, for the inspiration.

I am reading through Green Woodwork by Mike Abbott, and am now infected. First project seems to be the pole lathe, so I have yet to start crackin'.

Not only have I no experience, I have some cheap axes, and a chain saw, that is pretty much it. I have high hopes though.

Cheers all.

I can guarantee you will have as much fun and excitement making the tools as you will using them!

Donna