hello everyone tonight

well -20C last night-- here we go--winter here we come--

I was thinking back last night to a time just a while ago it seems but in reality a quite a while ago--watching for the horse and sleigh as they plowed through the drifts of snow, now getting packed down as the neighbours also moving about were trying to get supplies that they needed, but probably could do without if a major storm swept through--you know I remember the storms which seemed fierce then, the howling of the wind, these storms were referred to as blizzards--you would actually get tired of listening to the mournful sound, and the shaking of the old house.

I can remember quite well getting up in the pitch blackness and with the parka pulled tightly around start towards the barn. One time in particular after an exceedingly long "blow" the drifts were piled high--I ran right into one in the dark higher than my head--what a time getting through!

Eventually reaching the barn door, you opened it and the heat in there created huge clouds of steam, but what a welcome reliefto close the door--it was like another world--so hot in there, and so cold out side

As your eyes focused all heads were turned in your direction, waiting for food, water, cleaning, and milking if any were still inclined--in those days January and February were months that not much milking was done, just enough for the table and cooking

After a while the snow on your clothes melted and it began to feel uncomfortable, but when you went outside your pantlegs froze almost immediately, and became like metal pipes around your legs

As a youngster then I helped my father as much as I could, but one job was usually left up to me bringing in the daily firewood supply, and filling up the wood box, which was a never ending job --two stoves--one for cooking, and a large box stove that you could drop in large chunks of elm, one on top of the other--pieces that had resisted splitting, and so were left for this stove.

The old car was parked for the winter not to move a wheel for many months--the snow was 3 feet high right outside the doors, with no way to move it then.

Well I have to go

hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane

NH

hello everyone tonight

well this is it the last of 2010 coming up

Thanks everyone for stopping by over the last year, I hope that you enjoyed your visit and maybe learned a little about the common everyday life as it used to be,

To those of you that joined in with personal experiences and added to the threads--a heart felt thanks

May God give me the strength and good health to be here next year

Happy New year to everyone

NH

Happy New Year to you NH.....

Hello everyone tonight

well back to topics that deal with historic work of many types

I am putting the finishing touches on my 2 broadaxe handles that I had to make, and will then start a project really close to my heart

I have for a number of years planned to reproduce the family handsleigh--it is quite a story going back 30+ years--

As a young lad I remember quite well the handsleigh that my Grandfather made, and was used right up until my uncle sold the family farm I believe around 1948

I wanted to purchase it the day of the sale but arrived too late another person had bought it and would not consider selling it to me, so I just waited around--unfortunately I have now only the metal parts to begin this task, but feel fortunate that I have them.

The runners look good yet--good sleigh steel I am sure, because they show only minimal wear for all those years

For all good purposes I am going to name the sleigh the "Casselman Hand Sleigh".

I did some preliminary measuring today and the sleigh steel is 4'2" in length and 1.25 in width, the rounded end that comes up over the front, is a separate piece and is nicely shaped to fit over the main runner itself, and bolted at the joint

One of my next problems will be to try and obtain naturally bowed oak pieces to construct the runners out of--that means a trip to the bushlot-- a fun trip--

Well I will be back--if anyone would like to comment on handsleighs in general or post some pictures for everyone to see
that would be nice

enjoy

NH

My grandfather had a horse drawn 2 person cutter that my great grandfather used to use to take cream back to town on and get all the neighbors mail with. Back in high school I had the oportunity to restore it in 4-H/woodworking class. When I was working on it there was an old carpenter that was leading 4-H and he discribed that same process for finding runners. Sounds like a fun project.

Hi Richard,

Can you please advise whether cruck blades should be positioned banana ends up or down for hewing ?

Should this make any difference to the finished article ?

Regards

Ken Hume

Hello everyone tonight

Hi Gumphri, and Ken

Thanks for coming in with your experiences Gumphri, I think that you are talking about the curved wooden parts of the runners, in the end did you have to replace the wood, and if you did how did you do it?--I know that the cabinet maker at UCV -Luciano Direnzio- would steam bend the pieces, he did many curved wood pieces like chair backs this way--it is time consuming though and you need to really plan ahead--in my department we did some specialty curved handles, one was scythe handles--these were created using green ash saplings of about the right size, boiled them in boiling water and then clamped them in an apparatus that would hold the shape until they dried, broasdaxe handles with the 3" offset can be created using a similar method.

Hi Ken:--I am glad to hear from you, I hope things over there are going well--I am very sorry, but your descriptive terms have me baffled.

I am not familiar with Cruck blades, I suspect it is the lower part of a tree but not real sure, and then without this information I cannot answer the last part----sorrree--please get back to me i am very interested in your question and will do my best to give you an answer

Enjoy

NH

Ken, I would guess, if I understand your question right, that it would be easiest to position the ends of the curved cruck blades up when hewing. This is because that is how it would want to sit naturally. If the middle sags down, then its hundreds of pounds of weight will help to hold the whole thing in place to hew. If you'd place the middle so it arcs up, then you would be added the timbers own weight to its already annoying tendency to want to move while hewing. It seems to me it would be very hard to do it with the ends pointing down.

Hello everyone tonight

Thanks DL for stepping in, I now see what Ken was referring to, and the problem with the configuration during the hewing process.

Ken could you give me an idea just how long these crucks are?, and the sizes of both ends.

It sounds like hewing a number of these for a rconstruction, repair or new project would be quite an undertaking--but be sure there is a way, just have to figure it out.

I suspect that there was a special set up for supporting them which had evolved during the 100's of years they were used, then forgotten about or discarded

I have run into just such problems especially in the historical processes of putting up timberframes, it is extremely hard to backtrack on technology,it is like learning in reverse, you are also working with a group of men who like yourself have their minds modernized

Your problem if I was given it probably would be done in this manner--with the bow down and the heavy end more or less close to the ground (supported) and the lighter end elevated coming to its natural position according to where and how the cruck is turned, I probably would then lay on a line and begin to flattend one surface--using a combination of axe work and adzes and if possible the broadaxe--having completed that side I would roll it over and after lining again would lay the cruck flat, (maybe elevating the ends, to come in line with a good working posture) and proceed with adzes and chopping axes and if possible the finishing touches of the broadaxe,--(this new angle though means that everyone is working in reverse, like right to left, which goes for example the right or left broadaxe, as well as workers who work right or left--some could work both hands)

I suspect that you are looking for a broadaxe finish, but maybe not, sometimes hewing and adzing finishes are hard to determine, especially in historic times.

It could be very possible that an adze finish would have been applied after the rough hewing, a careful examination of the old surfaces would be in order--I belive you know what I mean and what marks to look for--

I do believe that obtaining the proper angle to work on these crucks was the key, only now a little experimentation might be needed,-- a slight repositioning of the cruck during the flattening process might be required to keep this angle correct for the workers

I hope this might help you out, and thanks again for bringing this old problem to our attenion, it makes me think deeply again and reach into my bag of past experiences,

enjoy

NH

NH,

The interesting aspect to me here is how one would get a clean finish on the inside face of the cruck's curve.

And also, I am one of those who works with both a left hand and a right hand broad axe. The terms are somewhat misleading, as a left hand axe does not require one to use his left hand to use it. It just notes where you stand in reference to the timber. In fact, I almost prefer to use a 'left hand' axe.