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Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: northern hewer] #27954 01/18/12 02:46 AM
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Gumphri Offline
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Here's a picture of the bottom part of the cutter. I didn't have to replace the runners. But, I did take everything apart, cleaned it up, and put it back together.




Last edited by Gumphri; 01/18/12 02:48 AM.

Leslie Ball
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Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: Gumphri] #27963 01/19/12 01:39 AM
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northern hewer Offline OP
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Hello everyone tonight

Hi Gumphri --thanks for coming in with your photo of the cutter

I take it that it is a cutter--like the ones that are large enough to be pulled by a single horse--Am I correct?

It sounds like a fun project for sure

Was it a family cutter, or one that you acquired

Well today I had a visit from a reporter who had stumbled across my thread accidently, and was impressed with the various topics which she found very interesting. Needless to say I was very surprised

We had a great visit, mostly talking about the days gone by, timberframing, hewing timbers, the seaway construction, and most of all the interest that the thread seemed to generate

Well I have suspended shop work to cut the firewood for next year, conditions are just about right for bush work, a nice coating of snow, and cold enough to freeze up a good road into the difficult areas.

Will try and still come on in the evenings

Please feel free to keep the talk on handsleighs going, it would be nice to hear about and see examples of other sleigh's

enjoy

NH

Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: northern hewer] #27964 01/19/12 05:43 AM
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Gumphri Offline
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Yep, it was a two person cutter, my great grandfather used to take the cream to town on it and come back with the mail.


Leslie Ball
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Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: Gumphri] #27966 01/19/12 05:12 PM
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northern hewer Offline OP
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Hello everyone

Well too cold for the bush today so here I am

Gumphri--I just visited your site and really liked what I saw especially the picture of all of you standing in the finished frame

The frame is interesting especially the way the upper plate is attached, and the location of the cross girts.

I always had to follow the framing techniques of the early settlers and I guess in some ways it has limited my experiences to other types of frames

It was quite interesting though because we had to use hewn material with rough surfaces, and that meant using lines and seatings, taking into account the uneven thicknessess and the twists in the timber, quite a challenge, it made the old brain work

I had good carpenters walk away because they said that they just wern't up to the mental challenges that came with working on the hewn surfaces

Anyway here is a shot of the just raised 3 bay driveshed at the Bellamy's Grist mill site at UCV, It was the culmination of 2 seasons, usually 1 year hewing the timber and 1 year framing and raising. Prior to that I spent part of a year working on securing and documenting a surviving historical, in this case a driveshed, to measure and produce a set of construction plans

In the very beginning of the project it was necessary to try and obtain a photo of the original drivehed, which in this case we were able to obtain a painting that one of the family members still had, and from studying that we were able to ascertain what the building we would be looking for wood be in appearance

This driveshed had unusually heavy timbers in it, and had a second floor for storage of barrels and other articles that was needed to run and maintain the mill.

Anyway really enjoyed your site and recommend a visit by everyone looking in

It looks like you are really dedicated to the timberframing trade keep up the good work

Where in Ontario did you work?

enjoy

NH


http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o198/Hewer/TimberFramingandStaff063.jpg[/IMG]

Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: northern hewer] #27967 01/19/12 05:18 PM
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northern hewer Offline OP
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HELLO EVERYONE

Well I guess i brought in the wrong picture but it is a good view of the timbers being dovetailled and assembled around where the base of the water turbine would be setting in the pressure box at the Asselstine Woolen Mill at UCV

These are all Oak timbers

Here hopefully is the right picture but no promises


Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: northern hewer] #27971 01/19/12 09:37 PM
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Gumphri Offline
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Yep, its cold here too.

I worked an hour and a bit north of Toronto in a town called Minesing.

On that house I was helping the carpenter that exposed me to timber framing. It is his house. He likes to keep changing the top plate corner post connection. I'm sure he lies awake at night dreaming up the connections. His last frame, a garage sized shop featured the cog joint where the top plate meets. I'm not sure about the house but in garages it has always been an issue keeping tie beam and the top plate high enough for a door but low enough to not make the building height higher than the city allows.

I've often wondered how you attach the edge of the decking when the girt is a different height than the tie beam?


Leslie Ball
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Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: Gumphri] #27977 01/20/12 01:46 AM
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northern hewer Offline OP
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Hello everyone tonight

Thanks for coming back with the explanation Gumphri but I am confused with the last question about attaching the decking which building are you referring to?

enjoy

NH

Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: northern hewer] #27978 01/21/12 01:32 AM
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northern hewer Offline OP
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Hello everyone tonight

Just thought that I would reminisce abit about the Bellamy Driveshed project

When you look at the Picture I posted of the framework just raised, I am sure that you would not imagine the activity that went on in that area during the previous summer

Along the outskirts of the area we brought in the round logs cut the previous winter--we needed first the longer plates so these logs were first on the program to be hewn

2--38' pine--large enough to square 12" by 12" on the top ends
2--26' = --large enough to square 12" by 12" on the top ends
2--38' = " " 8" by 8" "
2--26' = " " 8" by 8" "

I remember the activity, the work, the sweat, and of course the interest the hewing of the long logs generated--the larger ones were upwards of 36" on the butts--there was lots of chips around for sure!

We then switched to the shorter posts and the cross girts while the framing team began the mortising and tenant work on the freshly hewn plates

The hewing of the rafters (20) was quite a challenge alone because they were tapered from 6" sq at the bottoms to 4" square at the top--being white ash they were tough for sure, and on top of that small to hold

well see you tomorrow night

enjoy

NH

Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: northern hewer] #27980 01/21/12 09:09 AM
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Ken Hume Offline
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Hi Richard,

Your last point about hewing small diameter white ash is interesting. I have noted in the Bayeux tapestry that small logs were positioned leaning against a forked tree and then hewn downwards with a "T" profiled axe. I have of late been splitting cedar fence post and then flatening these up on one side using a hatchet. Without realising what I was doing I quickly mimicked the positioning of the Norman Hewers using a firewood sawhorse and this stoped "the bounce". I also found that it was easier to hew from the pith down to the outside edge to create the first rough pass flat surface i.e. removal of the high spots and then the post was flipped and this process repeated on the other side of the post pith. I then removed all the sap wood along the split edges forming an arris thereby leaving one semi round face and three flat faces. If I had needed to remove the semi round face then I would by default have created a rafter and so by process of experimentation it seems relatively easy to rediscover the old techniques for making components.

One February morning as the snow was melting on Royalston Common in Northern Massachussetts I gathered up some wind blown white ash seed and brought this home with me to see if they would germinate. They did indeed and these seeds soon turned into healthy saplings which I grew on in pots for 5 years or so before eventually planting them out in my woodland alongside their English cousins. I am hopeful that in due course and long after I am gone someone walking the woodland will hopefully chance upon these American White Ash trees and wonder ?

Regards

Ken Hume


Looking back to see the way ahead !
Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: Ken Hume] #27981 01/21/12 10:13 AM
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Cecile en Don Wa Offline
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Hello,

Thanks for the insight Ken. We seem to be busy with similar pursuits. This week, spliting out rails and posts from that Western Red Cedar.

Greetings,

Don Wagstaff

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