Hi Carlos, and Jim,

Carlos I will try and answer your queries,

first off we always lift the bents up as high as we could with all hands on board. This usually is only sawhorse and a small timber off the ground. At this height when the main lift starts the short 8' pike poles can follow right away with varying lengths of pikes following in behind to cath the bent should something fail, like a broken sling, or whatever. We end up with 16 foot pikes that are secured well into the timber, and at the full height of the lift the handles of these pikes are driven into the ground to hold things until the all clear sounds and ropes are secured.
The ropes that you see going back to the saw horses will follow the lift up and will hold the bent securely at the top of the lift, also they are for security should the bent go too far. Ropes also follow from the opposite direction to also hold tightly in opposing directions.

The gin pole itself is set into a special shallow hole about 16" deep, this is sufficient to keepthe bottom of the gin from moving. once the weight of the lift starts no way will the gin move in any direction,

Lifting the gin pole up is a manouver in its self. This gin isn't real heavy but it is surprising the amount of effort it requires to get it in the air. What we did not being able to use modern machinery was to block up the gin as high as we could, and then with ropes and man power on lines and lifters and pikes at the top end we physically hoisted the top end upwards, once the pikes could be used with efficiency it was no contest, but up to that point it was difficult. You had to be careful though that it didn't hesitate and come back down once it raised above the lifters level. Everyone had to work together and be briefed on what to expect, and what is expected of them.

One of the dangers was that someone with a pike would stumble on the lift,and let the metal spiked end of the pike fall remembering that someone below not looking upwards could receive a serious blow to their head. We did have some close calls but no injuries. We also were required to work without any type of safety equipment.

I was continuously trying to visualize what dangers could happen and then do a safety lecture previous to the day's events. It sure wasn't easy, and if someone was seriously injured I really had no idea what might take place, other than first aid was usually very close at hand and instant communications with security and other personnel on tap.

Jim:

I like your gin pole I's sure that it would work well, My father used a gin of a different type when he was building the fort at UCV it was stationed in the centre and moved around to all four sides to hoist the timbers as the walls rose up

Well thanksfor jumping in I must go now

NH

Hiagain:

Before I leave if anyone else has additional questions or wants to post pictures of their gin poles I'm sure that everyone would enjoy it immensely

NH

I posted more pictures of mine in the thread about parbuckling:
http://www.tfguild.org/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=13562&page=0&fpart=1

my gin pole set up uses a strap type comealong. it's handy for working by yourself, but i wouldn't want to stand under the load- i've had teeth shear off.

i use two ash poles secured at the top and three lines.

hewing season is almost over here- it's getting too warm! i'm planning on getting some video up on youtube and will post it soon.

one thing i found is that you can use your leg to advantage when hewing standing on the log. if you're right handed, the left hand holds in about the upper third of the handle, and the left knee pushes forward at the forearm. most of the swing then comes from the leg. push the axe forward with the knee, guide it in its fall with the hands.

i love the look of a hewn timber. it's sculptural. also makes it possible to leave parts of the log round if you know where its going in the building and where the joints will be.

Hi Toivo

There is nothing wrong with using the 2 pole system, I believe that it is a more permanent setup though and might be a little harder to move around.

A 2 pole system was widely used for stacking hay in the days gone by, it was ideal for that purpose.

I understand that you stand on the log for hewing, do you stand completely on the log? how do you keep your balance, and do you hew down beside your feet, or ahead of your feet?

I am also curious where you learned this technique,

Thanks again for coming on board, with the question and the information about your style of hewing.

NH

before I leave this area here is a good picture of the completed driveshed and the small horse barn. Notice how the two roof lines really comlement one another, the small barn is being used presently as a coopering shop, but it has the horse stalls all built in along with the mangers,

NH

this next photo is a church frame that I happened across one day.

It seemed to stand out so bare against the skyline, and I had a good chance to examine it before it came down. I referred to it on a p;revious post, and said that I was sure that you would appreciate seeing it.

All the ceiling timbers are still in place and you could really get to see the structure and style of framing and hewing on the timbers

One thing that struck me was the absence of sway braces, or very few

Hope you enjoy

NH

yes, i stand up entirely on the log which is pinned either to the notched stump and a notched sleeper in the bush or two notched sleepers in the log yard. balance is something to get a hang of, especially for the smaller joists and braces. i leave the bark on for traction on the first face, then stand on the one square face and work from there.

the axe handle (32inches) is offset slightly so that when you hold the handle knob at your waist the flat side of the blade balances right against your baby toe. i hew right beside my feet. it goes without saying that one must be very aware, but this seems to come about naturally. i feel safer doing this than with the swedish style (which is nice for finishing) with the log at waist level, where a glancing or too-hard blow can put the axe into your thigh. in what i've been told (by my grandfather) is the finnish style, it's just a matter of keeping your toes tucked in on the log and keep you eye on the chalked line. the weight of axe to plumb keeps the face of the timber square. you hold the axe on a relaxed right arm and let it pendulum with the weight doing the work.

from what i've been told this was the way that railroad ties were hewn in the bush. i have an old cnr axe that my grandfather gave me. the octagonal handle on it is elegant and i've used it as my pattern for others (none quite as nice as the original yet).

interesting to see that little finish broadaxe:

http://www.kfhume.freeserve.co.uk/pages/publicationspages/finland2001pages/finland2001frame.htm

that looks more like a surfacing tool than something you'd chop a tree square with. ????

thanks for the background on the 2 pole gin-pole! i think many of these techniques are often patterned more by habit, happenstance and imitation than by enlightened practice.

Hi everone:

Here is a good shot of the foot of the rafter associated with the church frame (previous post).

This maybe old hat to some of you, but to some the mystery of what type of notch or cog was used to secure the bottoms of the rafters to the upper plates lives on.

In this case the cog was fit snuggly down into a corresponding motise in the top plate, and then they used 6" wrought iron spikes to secure it there. I was surprised that no wood pins were used as a securing medium.

Also there was no overhang tail fashioned on the end of the rafter, They no doubt used another technique to apply the overhang.

I have seen angled blocks used, and on another church they mortised holes all along the plate and then inserted square support pegs to build the overhang out of.

Remember that the overhangs usually carried right around the building corners and identical returns were applied.

For those of you that never applied historically an eve return it is tricky to replicate, especially if there are multiple rounds of trim that needs also to be returned as well as carrying these multiple rounds up the gable ends.

One such project that I worked on had 5 rounds of different trim of varying sizes and shapes, one round being fashioned out of 4 by 4" pine.

Hope you enjoy

NH

Hi again

I have a question for someone out there

"why do you think that the cog is offset to one side of the base of the foot of the rafter rather than putting it right in the centre"

NH