Hewing a timber

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Fun trick--gather up all those chips in a brown paper bag. Burns like you wouldn't believe.

They're still green now but I suppose they would burn. Another fun trick we used to do when I used to build homes. After the oak floor installers finished up and left I'd start a bonfire out back with lumber scraps and oak sandings. Once it was going good I'd take a shovel and toss a scoopful of oak sandings up in the air. They would flash in a great fireball! Same principle as a grain elevator explosion except not contained so no boom. Cool to watch, though.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

They're still green now but I suppose they would burn. Another fun trick we used to do when I used to build homes. After the oak floor installers finished up and left I'd start a bonfire out back with lumber scraps and oak sandings. Once it was going good I'd take a shovel and toss a scoopful of oak sandings up in the air. The would flash in a great fireball! Same principle as a grain elevator explosion except not contained so no boom. Cool to watch, though.

Nice!

But yeah--dry the chips out first, but it doesn't take long thanks to how thin they are. My dad showed me that trick using all the little scraps from splitting firewood. All those chips start to gather around the chopping block, so he'd fill a paper grocery bag with them and put 'em in the wood stove. Yankee thrift at its best, and the air gaps between the chips made it go up like a torch!

 

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I found some time this afternoon to hew the 3rd side of my timber. It's starting to look like a beam now.

I also received my full sized broad axe today. It's need some work and a new handle. I'll probably start a new thread about it and its restoration.

 

[M3mphis]

Nice job, Pegs. What are you going to do with the beam now?

Looking forward to the broad axe thread.

 

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I'm not certain yet what I'll do with it. Best bet at this point is that it will end up part of an addition to my little woodshed which may get used as a smithy for my backyard blacksmithing shop. Right now the forge and anvil sit under BBQ covers and only get used on dry days.

I'm the most novice blacksmith - really just learning. But it's a natural fit with my love of tools so I think I'll stick with it. Who knows, one day I might be an intermediate blacksmith.

 

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I finally got around to finishing that beam today. Work got in the way of play. Darn work.

I think it's plenty good to build with while still showing that it's hand hewn.

 

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And I re-hung that broad axe on it's old handle and used it to chunk off the slabs - the bulk of the wood between my saw kerfs. Then I finished it up with my broad hatchet. I don't have enough skill and control to do finish work with the big broad axe yet.