I see a number of frames around my area that have been counter-hewn in the area of the joinery, I see it done to facilitate the lay out system and not as an ascetics approach. The hewn surface is nice just not as square as the builder wanted. For the most part an axe was used for this.

Tim

Hi DL,
I like this topic you got going here, maybe just cause I'm busy right now with similar work m'self. Take a look if ya like.
http://gallery.me.com/donwagstaff#100149&view=mosaic&sel=0
Greetings,

Don

Like Tim, Counter-Hewing seems to me to mean adjusting the timbers around the joints, but I could be wrong. All our old barns around here (central Indiana) are built that way. It's possible that in the case of a house where aesthetics is more important than in a barn, you would carry out this reduction along the whole length of a timber, or at least along a certain length so that it is not a sudden thing.

This isn't something that I will be dealing with on these timbers, because all of my joinery will be scribed on this project. The only measurements that have to be anywhere close to right on the money would be depth measurements of Posts, Plates, sills, joists and rafters. Their widths can vary by as much as an inch if they want to, or even more (the 1 inch range is my personal preference)

For those of you who are interested, I have been doing some further research into the authentic German Hewing method, and this is what I have found: This is the primary method used across central Europe, wherever people fell under German cultural influence, so outside of German speaking countries that would include places like Hungary and Romania.

In this method you traditionally begin by notching with a man on either side of the notch, chopping out the sides of the notch, bringing it very very close to the line, a special axe called a bandhacke is often used, but as it turns out you can use just about any axe. A small forest axe, such as the Gransfors/Wetterlings/Husgvarna forest axe (they all are the same design if you look closely) will do quite nicely. An American style axe would also work, but you would have to choke up quite a bit on its long handle. This axe is then used to split off the juggles from the top.
I find it quite likely that the bandhacke design, long and narrow with a very slight curve to the bit, is really designed to cut joinery (apparently it is very common in Central Europe to cut all joinery with an axe, and make little use of saws in carpentry) and found additional use for notching timbers. I say this because the design of the axe seems ideal for cutting tenon shoulders and that likes. It should also be noted that German carpentry makes less use of the mortise and tenon than English carpentry.

After the juggles are cut away, you go along with a breitbeil which literally means broadaxe, and clean off the surface. The Goosewing design seems to be the usual style.

The biggest trick then is to keep the second man busy after you have notched out the first face.

I have so much wood to hew it's not even funny! Although I have found out that I can make use of a lot of smaller, 'junk' trees which will make life a whole lot easier!

Hi Everyone;

Thanks for your thoughts on counter-hewing.

Gable, I ocasionally see hewn/sawn timbers here in New England. The job I am helping with right now is a c. 1752 plank house with a gambrel roof with common purlins on Cape Cod. This house was very lightly built with hewn 6x6s pit-sawn in half to make 3x6 rafters. The purlins were hewn 6x6s but quartered to make 2.75 x 2.75s. The wood is pitch pine which powder post beatles love to eat (sapwood only) so there is lots of dust holding this house up!

Jim

I am off topic but here are some photos of the job I am on right now with the hewn/pit-sawn materials.

Powder post beatle damage to a pitch pine rafter:


gambrel rafter repairs in progress:


Old and new rafters:

Here is a link to the translated version of a German website describing the German hewing technique. Come prepared for bad english, if you don't understand German grammar than this will not make sense to you at all!
http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bruderschaft-zur-rose.de%2Fbruderschaft_zur_rose009.htm&sl=de&tl=en





These pictures shows very clearly the traditional tools that the German carpenters would use, namely the bundaxt or notching axe, and the breitbeil or braod axe, specifically a goosewing broad axe with a very short offset handle.

Thought you all might enjoy this very old depiction as well



This is from the Bayeux Tapestry, which was likely made in England in the 1070's (though alternate theories abound) The depiction is of ship carpenters building the Norman invasion fleet. It should be noted that these Normans in this picture are little removed from the Vikings, as the Normans are descended from Scandinavians that settled in Normandy. The types of tools shown in this depiction are known from Scandinavian sources. For example, the broad axe shown is nearly identical to one found in Denmark, of which Gransfors Bruks produces a replica version. The axes used, one might notice, are also remarkably similar in profile to the Scandinavian Forest Axe also produced by Gransfors.

Of interest here is the man seated on a timber that he is hewing, which is only supported on 1 end

Don, in your experience with the pull rip saw, were you able to rip the stock all from one side? Or did you turn it over and rip the opposite, switching back and forth. In other words did the saw wonder off and how did you counter this.

Tim

Hi Tim,
I am sawing from both sides, either flipping the beam if sawing from on top or switching from right to left sides if sawing horizontally.
If you look at those pictures you can see the distance I saw before changing sides. It would be around 70 cm or the length of the saw blade at the angle I can get before the handle contacts the beam.
The saw is a fine tool and with more practice I am hoping to get better using it so I can do more cutting only from one side.
Regards,

Don

I have heard of carpenters counting the pull strokes on each side, keeping the kerf straight.

Tim