Finnish/Earlier Scandi axes - Kirves

[veeteetee]

One recent acquisition, a Billnäs 30/5 hewing axe head, "tervapiilu".

The head was covered in fine rust and underneath there was a beautiful patina.

The head is sharpened for right-handed user i.e. the left side is straight:

Finna.fi public domain has several pictures of these axes in use. They were used to make so-called "egyptinparru" i.e. Egyptian rafter/beam, which were exported in millions to Middle East, right until 1960s.

Those were real men

Referring to the text and pictures above, I started a search for more info about rafter hewing and this is what I found in a book stored at the Finnish Parliament Library, of all places: Parrunveisto (Rafter hewing) by Työtehoseura (Work Efficiency Association), 1964, 24 pages with illustrations.

Some highlights:
*no written instructions existed prior to this book i.e. for 60 years!
*hewing of Egyptian rafters was started in (the winter of) 1902-03 in Finland
*originally they were used in Egypt to make roofs for clay brick houses, later they were used for scaffolding with rope ties
*hewed rafters last three times longer than sawn
*at first imported Swedish made Hults hewing axes were used, but in 1914 Billnäs began producing similar axes
*strict quality requirements for the end product are listed
*hewing in winter is preferred for better quality, in the summer the actual work is easier
*both pine (better) and spruce can be used
*detailed instructions about the actual work and its site lay-out are given
*two versions of the hewing are detailed: 3,5 kg with 35 cm blade and 4,0 kg with 40 cm blade, both in right and lefte handed versions
*haft is birch and straight, pointing about 4 cm downwards and attached using snake wedge; note that several specimens have curves hafts
*hewing sequence is given: 1st the curved side, 2nd the opposite side (light reemaineng curvature can be fixed in storage), then 3rd & 4th side, which have to be cut straight
*when cutting and using a right handed axe, the left hand is closer to blade
*the cut starts from the thicker end of the wood and the man goes backwards along the beam with his right foot first
*as the rafters are conical, special instructions are given how to stack them for drying

And yes, I scanned the whole booklet

 

[Square_peg]

*when cutting and using a right handed axe, the left hand is closer to blade
*the cut starts from the thicker end of the wood and the man goes backwards along the beam with his right foot first
*as the rafters are conical, special instructions are given how to stack them for drying

I hew with my left hand forward and the log on my left.

I move backwards. This is so that the path of my swing has already been cleared of wood. I prefer to hew from top of tree to bottom of tree so that the grain runs out as I progress. In this way I'm less likely to split the wood beyond the line. After hewing the first side top to bottom if I simply switched to the second side I would be hewing bottom to top. Instead I roll the log over and hew the 2nd side just as the first.

I'm unclear about how/why a hewn rafter would be conical. The hewing axe cuts flat surfaces. Would the hewer then go back and hew off the corners to return to round? The sentence before what I quoted mentions 4 sides. How can a 4-sided object be conical? Do they mean that conical logs are stacked for drying before being hewn into rafters?

 

[Old Axeman]

There are a lot of different ways to broad axe hew. I learned from my grandfather, who learned from his father and from his father in law. Like I have said many times before, look at all of the historic footage on broad axe hewing that are on this site. Try not to watch most of the modern footage on broad axe hewing (or any other modern footage in my opinion), it is almost all bull shit.

One thing I would like to stress is that you should ALWAYS be hewing a green stick, the sooner after felling the tree the better. Winter of course is best, most of the sap is still in the ground and this will prevent the stick from checking later on. That is why the historic hewing footage I got from one of my grandfathers axeman is all in northern Wisconsin in the winter. Square Peg was kind enough to post that footage for me on this site a few years ago.

 

[Ernest DuBois]

Quote/question Square pegs:
I'm unclear about how/why a hewn rafter would be conical. The hewing axe cuts flat surfaces. Would the hewer then go back and hew off the corners to return to round? The sentence before what I quoted mentions 4 sides. How can a 4-sided object be conical? Do they mean that conical logs are stacked for drying before being hewn into rafters?

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Conical from top to bottom or shall we say but to tip.

It's probably the case as I know it that the tip doesn't get hewn at all very often. In fact the squared section differs depending on the dimensions of the stick in the woods, which vary . The rafters are worked in the woods where they are cut, and then transported and then stacked for transport. Typically, (don't know for sure about the Egyptian case but likely so), the rafters are in place in the construction within a year of cutting, two at most so the process is pretty efficient.

I think the dates from vt's book are very modest for some reason since I know of barns with Northern cut rafters from before 1700 and these are the older existing ones so the trade and practice could easily go to the late Middle Ages and more.

 

[Square_peg]

Square Peg was kind enough to post that footage for me on this site a few years ago.

Here it is. I believe you sent me that historic original film.

 

[Ernest DuBois]

*haft is birch and straight, pointing about 4 cm downwards and attached using snake wedge; note that several specimens have curves hafts

I don't understand about the, " pointing about 4 cm downward", but most Swedish sparrbila, ok the rafter hewing axes concerned, are mounted in an open posture while in the Finnish way the mounting is opposite with a closed posture. But almost always the curve is in the line of the cutting edge not sweeping away.

But this work we are going on and on about bears little resemblance to the other hewing, squaring up timbers for log walls, framing elements and so on and so on. The axes concerned in both having significant differences is probably the most obvious distinction next to the wood dimensions involved. The two make for a poor comparison.

 

[Ernest DuBois]

P. Borghaerts is stating in his book that a trade in roofing materials -rafters - between Southern Norway and Europe existed from at least 1589. Determination based on dendrochronological study. Other Scandinavian countries and the Baltics joined in till ca 1900 with the bulk of the quantities coming out of Gdansk and Riga but also N. & S. Sweden, Estonia, Latvia and so on and so on but not a mention of Finland. Maybe fin land didn't exist so early on, was a part of Russia or something.

Further I do understand that Harlingen was one destination and that from that harbor bordering on the North Sea rafters were off loaded into floats and from that point hauled inland on canals by skûtsje, which are now only used for racing and tourism.

 

[Old Axeman]

Square_Peg-- Tom, Yes, I did send you the original historic film footage to the above narrated copy. I want someone I trust to carry forward what I often have referred to as "Primary Source Documentation" that it did actually happen. In this modern world of make believe we now live in this has become a necessity to protect our history.
Bernie

 

[veeteetee]

I'm unclear about how/why a hewn rafter would be conical. The hewing axe cuts flat surfaces. Would the hewer then go back and hew off the corners to return to round? The sentence before what I quoted mentions 4 sides. How can a 4-sided object be conical? Do they mean that conical logs are stacked for drying before being hewn into rafters?

Conical as seen above, or maybe you might call it tapered as it is no longer round in cross section, but square/squarish.

 

[veeteetee]

P. Borghaerts is stating in his book that a trade in roofing materials -rafters - between Southern Norway and Europe existed from at least 1589. Determination based on dendrochronological study. Other Scandinavian countries and the Baltics joined in till ca 1900 with the bulk of the quantities coming out of Gdansk and Riga but also N. & S. Sweden, Estonia, Latvia and so on and so on but not a mention of Finland. Maybe fin land didn't exist so early on, was a part of Russia or something.

Further I do understand that Harlingen was one destination and that from that harbor bordering on the North Sea rafters were off loaded into floats and from that point hauled inland on canals by skûtsje, which are now only used for racing and tourism.

As I stated "hewing of Egyptian rafters was started in (the winter of) 1902-03 in Finland" and indeed the booklet states that this business was started by a Swedish man Collin. In the heyday of the business in the 1920s over 5 million rafters were exported annually. A good axe man would hew 20...25 rafters per day.

As for Finland´s existence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finland and indeed Finland was (an occupied) part of Russian Empire at the time.

Lots of pictures of Finnish hewing at https://www.finna.fi/Search/Results...Applied=1&lookfor=hirrenveisto&type=AllFields

 

[Ernest DuBois]

As I stated "hewing of Egyptian rafters was started in (the winter of) 1902-03 in Finland" and indeed the booklet states that this business was started by a Swedish man Collin. In the heyday of the business in the 1920s over 5 million rafters were exported annually. A good axe man would hew 20...25 rafters per day.

Thanks for this answer but it is a curious thing that in all the surrounding countries - except Russia, a curiosity itself - the industrial scale production of rafters for export goes back to the Middle Ages and then here is this statement that only in 1902-03 is Finland joining in and on top of this, their market is in Africa! It makes Finland a bit of a deviation or exceptional in any case, don't you agree?

 

[veeteetee]

Fully

 

[Ernest DuBois]

You are, like the very history of the Egyptian rafter itself, short and sweet. Who could ask for more.

 

[Square_peg]

Conical as seen above, or maybe you might call it tapered as it is no longer round in cross section, but square/squarish.

Thanks. Yes, tapered is what I expected. Perhaps the meaning was lost in the translation.

 

[veeteetee]

Just bought this one (for 40 euros), a Billnäs 30/7 "tervapiilu" ("tjärbila" in Swedish, "tar hew" would be the direct translation in English). The cutting edge is 405 mm and the head weighs 4,3 kgs.

The eye and the blade itself have been welded to together and the seam has been ground rather crudely, typical of the methods available at the time. The Billnäs stamp is there and the seam carries the original black paint i.e. the weld is not a later modification:

The right-handed head is almost like new, with just a few nicks and some surface rust, the poll has not been smashed and the cutting edge is actually sharp, I shaved some skin from my thumb. The haft is in rather rough state, it has cracked and has been repaired with nails, which is hopeless considering the weight of the axe and the forces involved when hewing.

 

[veeteetee]

More pictures:

The cutting edge is offset to the flat left side, the right side is sharpened/beveled for right-handed hewing:

 

[Ernest DuBois]

Yes, I'm sure an adiquate tool for the job. I can't help wondering, looking at this last photo series how much different a tool it'd be if'n it'd had a canting there at the joint of the blade and collar! Wouldn't that'd been fancy.

4,3 makes it a heavy head. By comparison my breitbeil, also around 40 cm edge is near to 3 kg. Swedish sparrbila of mine close to the 4,3 as well. Just goes to show...

tjärbila I never heard before and cannot picture an axe like this for that use since tar making in the North as I know it begins with collecting certain parts of the sap rich roots of Spruce and cutting these up into chips.

 

[Ernest DuBois]

One recent acquisition, a Billnäs 30/5 hewing axe head, "tervapiilu".

The head was covered in fine rust and underneath there was a beautiful patina.

The head is sharpened for right-handed user i.e. the left side is straight:

Finna.fi public domain has several pictures of these axes in use. They were used to make so-called "egyptinparru" i.e. Egyptian rafter/beam, which were exported in millions to Middle East, right until 1960s.

Those were real men

Yes, and three tiny real women sitting up there looking down too.
This first tervepiilu is the nicest version, even just considering the continuous plane fm edge to poll on he right side.

 

[veeteetee]

While searching for the Swedish "sparrbila" I found these:

Sparrbila

Jag jobbar just nu med projektet Konst/Hemslöjd. Ett projekt för att skapa offentlig utsmyckning i vårdmiljö. Landstinget i Stockholm driver projektet där hem

www.hemslojd.se

Why Billnäs chose to call this type of hewing axe tervapiilu/tjärbila remains a mystery

Here you can see Finnish made Egyptian rafters in use, picture from https://www.anttola.fi/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Egyptinparrut-Anttolan-sivuille.pdf

 

[Ernest DuBois]

I've no idea about the wood in this roof construction, the picture just lifted from internet sources, it looks more oakish but still, these are a kind of sparr in use or, rafter as the closest translation.