Hi Guys,
In Arkansas and Missouri Ozarks we don't have many historic timber frame buildings but we have several historic log structures. Most of our early immigrants were of Irish and German descent entering from the Ohio and Tennesee regions bringing with them the crafts of there familiarity.
Typically of our area from the 1820-1870 era log work was white oak hewn two sides with 1/2 dovetail corners. The evidence I have seen in restorations spanning the earliest of the time, had scoring marks similar to the ones pictured with only the best of the logs hewn smooth.
My favorite broadaxes are a hand forged buzzard wing and a wide bladed Pennsylvania model, used in a walk beside method. I use a TrueTemper double bit felling axe for both juggling and scoring, the knotty areas and places near the heartring more scores are needed to ease the removal of stock without gouging.
There are few examples of adzing on most of the buildings, that being limited to second story floor joist, puncheons, and some porch members(post, rails, top beam). When adzing a member myself I straddle the piece and hew between my feet, by adjusting the strike point of the adze forward or back great control over depth of cut can be achieved.
We have recently completed the latest phase in restoration of our States Crown jewels of historic log construction. And the near completion of project REACH.
http://development.blackrivertech.edu/REACH.htm The Official Opening is scheduled for Oct.27-29 2011, I will be there with my crew doing demonstrations of all the mentioned tools.
With the Historic Arkansas Museum in Little Rock, The Wolf House in Norfork, The Rice-Upshaw building and Looney Tavern in Dalton, we have an excellent collection of restored 1820-1840 log buildings.
The Looney Tavern Referenced pg.26
http://www.preservearkansas.org/uploads/File/Historic%20Preservation%20Program%20DRAFT%20FINAL3.pdf The Rice-Upshaw building Dalton Arkansas The Wolf House Norfork Ar
The Looney Tavern Dalton Arkansas
