Axe Work

Construction of middle ages house elements using local European Oak (Quercus Robur), time specific tools and techniques, and French scribing for layout. We keep for the most part the less than straight form of the trees in the final beams.

A nice meeting of carpenters in preparation for a big project scheduled to begin in January.
 
Ernest DuBois said:
Construction of middle ages house elements using local European Oak (Quercus Robur), time specific tools and techniques, and French scribing for layout. We keep for the most part the less than straight form of the trees in the final beams.
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Bet that makes for some interesting trim.

Parker
 
In fact, I can tell you of what might be considered trim or it's precursor, compatible to this kind of construction. We call it, "stuck" moldings, integral to the construction elements. For example a sill beam might have a profile carved in the length, (could be a combination carving and planed), mitered at the corners forming a parimeter.

In this instance, no such exorbitance, all curves in line with the plane of the walls. At the sills, gaps filled in with stone-work etc....
 
I'm getting word back from some of our group who have been chosen to participate in the Paris Norte Dame (NDP) reconstruction beginning this winter. They feel fortunate to be participating and should be congratulated. Well done.
 
Hewing for Notre Dame would be the ultimate honor. A lot of work went into finding the oak trees needed for the job. I honestly didn't think they'd find the material and would have to import B.C. timber.
I bet some chosen will be hacks with little experience and chosen as a favor to somebody. The few pros will have a lot of clean up work to do. I just hope the hacks don't ruin any of that oak.
 
My understanding, and it's nothing surprising or insightful, is that adherence to basic principles of restauration are being pretty strictly upheld . For example use of side-axes is ruled out and only double bevelds will be employed for hewing the principal elements, realistically, the trusses of the roof. So I can imagine no instance where imported wood would have been a consideration. If you look at the roof's components, even though there is a lot of oak used, (it was referred to as "the forest" up there - either because that was an impression given in that space or because it took a whole forest to provide the wood, who knows, it's ambiguous), the dimensions of these pieces are not all that big, so that should simplify hewing work to a degree.

You know, you could be right in a way to suggest that everyone who's doing work there is not strictly chosen on the basis of the merit of his or her - there were plenty of women involved in our week's work there in Brittany which was a kind of pre-selection exercise among other things - quality of work. That said I'm sure there will be measures to account for quality. And not necessarily by the pros who have little competence, for the most part, in use of hand tools since they rely almost totally on mechanization which of course is precluded at Norte Dame. This is the main role of the group, Charpentiers sans Frontier, to provide some oversight of the huge contracting companies with their strictly commercial competencies.

Whatever, it seems that the carpentry aspect is pretty extensive but the numbers, not so clear to me. I do know that tool manufacturing will involve six or eight tool makers - kind of specialized blacksmiths - who'll be working to make the tools for the carpentry including 100 axes.
 
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It pleases me to hear this. I was afraid it would be rebuilt with imported and engineered wood. Kudos to France for stepping up.
 
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