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Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: TIMBEAL] #19851 05/22/09 01:35 AM
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northern hewer Offline OP
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Hi everyone tonight:Hi Timbeal,well I have did alot of wittling in my day and I always wittled away from myself if possible, but then as I have said many times before people do work in many different ways.Working on a shaving horse is one instance that it is necessary to work pulling the drawknife towards your body.  I always wore a leater apron to protect myself incase of a slip.

Talking about adzing, well I have did  a pile in my day, and here again you are working between your feet aned ankles.  If you have the proper rhythm and are not tired then you have a fairly good control of the adze.  The problem with the adze is that it can glance sideways if you loose control.I have did alotof trough adzing and it is quite dangerous if you do not pay strict attention to what you are doing because at times you literally are working beside,infront of , and below your feet, and as the work progresses it gets increasingly dangerous.anyway good remarks and do it as you will NH

Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: northern hewer] #19855 05/22/09 09:29 AM
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TIMBEAL Offline
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Anyone else whittle toward themselves?

Tim

Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: TIMBEAL] #19873 05/23/09 01:03 AM
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northern hewer Offline OP
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Hi everyone tonight:

WE have certainly given this subject a good going over I hope that those that are stopping by will benefit from our discussions especially if they are trying to grasp or maybe getting up the courage to try and hew a timber for the first time.

I prefer a 28 inch--3" offset handle for my broadaxe, and it does correspond to handles that we have in our tool collection at UCV.

Whether this is the correct length for everyone is not for me to say but maybe you mightlike to throw in a few remarks on the subject

NH

Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: northern hewer] #19905 05/25/09 09:07 PM
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Hi Everybody,

Richard O Byrne sent me a link to a short on line video that shows the manufacture of Tremont nails. This video is important because it demonstrates a cut nail making machine in action.

http://video.bobvila.com/m/21320111/manufacturing-antique-cut-nails.htm

Watch, listen & learn.

Regards

Ken Hume


Looking back to see the way ahead !
Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: Ken Hume] #19931 05/27/09 08:01 PM
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Hi,

The hewing method employed by Mourad Manesse in France to hew mainly European larch can be seen on his website photo gallery at :-

http://www.charpenteur.fr/phocagallery/galerie.html

Standing on top of the log and taking a good swing just like log building proponent Charles McCraven seems to be the l'ordre du jour. There is some sitting down astride the log to put a good quality finish on the surface.

Those are some mean looking axes !

Regards

Ken Hume


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Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: Ken Hume] #19933 05/28/09 12:31 AM
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Nice pictures. That's the long-handled axe you need. Looks like he's taking quite the swing.

"Off with his head..."

p.s. enjoyed the nail video


Don Perkins
Member, TFG


to know the trees...


Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: Ken Hume] #19934 05/28/09 12:55 AM
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northern hewer Offline OP
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Hello everyone tonight:

Thanks Ken for the wonderful group of historic restoration photos employed in France by what appears to be a very skilled group of artisans.

they sure employ some mean techniques of hewing and certainly broadens my knowledge on that subject somewhat.

Standing on top of the log hewing seems to be a method employed by tradesmen in a broad spectrum of the area from Frsnce eastward to Sweden and that whole general area.

It would be interesting to know if there is any indication that hewing was accomplished standing beside the log like here in North America --at least by a good share of the early pioneers.

What puzzles me somewhat is the UEL"s that came here in Ontario about 1784 generally were from Germany, Scotland, Ireland, and England used the beside the log technique seemingly contadictory to what was done in the olde country of origin.

Any comments?


NH


Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: northern hewer] #20000 05/30/09 01:58 AM
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northern hewer Offline OP
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Hi everyone tonight:

Well as I reflect on "Historic Hewing" in general, and maybe how these past conversations have added at least to my knowledge on the subject, it is reasonable that to lead someone as an instructor some of the historic background should be presented so that the student or students could select a style by which they might want to be instructed in. If the instructor can not provide the training in that style then he or she should at that time entertain a moton that they try and find another source for the traning that they require.

Otherwise the course then should go ahead using the training method that the trainer is well versed in and feels comfortable with.

any comments?

NH

Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: northern hewer] #20002 05/30/09 07:51 AM
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Ken Hume Offline
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Hi Richard,

I would not punish yourself over this issue. I won't be swinging an axe like Mourad any time soon. What I do think needs to be taken into account is a persons physical condition. Apart from teen and twenty year olds we are all most likely in differing stages of "decomposition" and so the method employed will of necessity need to take into account those physical limitions.

Safety must be the key consideration as an axe can do an awfull lot of damage.

Rest easy !

Ken Hume


Looking back to see the way ahead !
Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: Ken Hume] #20033 06/01/09 12:42 AM
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northern hewer Offline OP
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HI everyone tonight:

Well spoken words Ken

I realize that not many person(s) in general will hew at any great rate but What I am interested in is to preserve the technique as best I can for future generations of interpreters, and those that wish to master the use of this great historic tool.

I did hew daily up into my fifties mainly because I was hardened to it, and one day led to another and so on. Another factor was at least in my case, we interpreted historic reconstruction of period buildings, and this was done from may to October, right through the hottest months. Some days when the temp reached into the 90's you knew that this surely was not a job that would have been historically done at that time.


One thing that I am almost certain of and as you reflect on it, is that the hewing or broadaxing even by the veterans of years gone by was a seasonal chore being done in the cooler weather like fall, winter or spring, not during the cropping season, or real hot days, I believe they were too smart for that.

The hot weather also played foul with the freshly hewn surfaces and special care had to be exercised to shield them from the hot sun's rays.

There is quite an interest in learning the technique of hewing across the land, and as I look back on the students that I had over the years middle aged men were the main grist of the pack.
No young men as I recall it.

Now when it came to hewing and really meaning business like meetng a deadline I had to recruit and train younger men that could sweat and din't mind getting a few callouses on their paws. Once you passed a certain point with them there was no turning back, and I got to say that at the end of a busy season they began to look like a seasoned pro, which as far as I was concerned they were. These boys were hewing under harsher conditons that I am sure their fore fathers did.

Now before I leave for tonight I do know for certain that in the logging camps especially on the west coast hewing did carry on year around, hewing railway ties especially was year around, so here again in my area hewing no doubt was seasonal whereas in other areas is was strictly a job with a dollr figure attached.

NH

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