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Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: Cecile en Don Wa] #28126 02/12/12 05:08 PM
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northern hewer Offline OP
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Hello everyone tonight

Hi Ken, Don and others:

Thanks Ken for the explanations in relation to the way early people dealt with heating, cooking, and the resulting extraction of smoke, --one thing that I was wondering, since we are on the subject, is just when fireplaces began to replace the open hearths in earnest, I suppose someone came up with the idea of a dedicated enclosure for the fire and the chimney to accomodate the smoke, it looks like the Pembroke cottage predated this newer type of "appliance". When was it introduced into this cottage? Thanks in advance

HI Don:

I believe that I have described my hewing process as clear as I can, but one thing that I must say is this:

I completely rough hew and finish hewing one side at a time, rolling the flat side up. I then snap a line on this flat surface, which will be the line that represents the second flat surface to hew to, I then stand on this surface to score, and after scoring I stand down on the ground and do my hewing.

Working in this manner creates a nice square corner each time, this will be the norm for the 3 sides, arriving at the fourth side, I hew using the same technique as the other 3 sides, but I hew out at the bottom on the final pass, and then roll the log the fourth time, bringing the bottom corner up, line and hew nice and square the final corner--

This final proceedure would not always be required, depends on how much of a perfectionist you are, or what use the timber is going to be used for

NH

Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: northern hewer] #28127 02/12/12 06:15 PM
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Hi Richard,

Ah yes, you use essentially "The Other Way" then. I would never have thought that repositioning the log for every hewn surface would have been a standard practice but you have enlightened me on that score and I will do some reconsidering in terms of my own practices, i.e., the advantages and disadvantages by comparison. Thanks for laying out the process in more of its entirety though, so often it gets left at the point of reaching the end of the log with no consideration of the fact that there are mostly four sides to every timber, not to mention the two ends.

Thanks,

Don Wagstaff

Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: Cecile en Don Wa] #28128 02/12/12 08:11 PM
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northern hewer Offline OP
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hello everyone

Thanks Don for the reply, I was hoping that my explanation would be sufficient, but wasn't sure.

NH

Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: northern hewer] #28136 02/13/12 08:29 AM
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Hi Richard & Don,

The general upgrade of open halls to retrofit chimneys started approximately between 1550-70 and by the early 1600's building houses with a chimney was fairly standard practice but the statistics on this topic are still in the process of being researched and compiled following dates that are arising from the dendrodating of more houses / cottages. The date of inserted floors will most probably coincide with the date of the chimney build.

Early houses were sometimes built with smoke louvres which sat on top of the rafters creating a little elevated roof area. Almost none of these smoke louvres have survived but from time to time remnants are encountered in a smoke blackened attic.

Sometimes a long (6ft) clay chimney pot was clamped between a pair of rafter couples above the fire with this pot passing through the thatch.

Regards

Ken Hume

Last edited by Ken Hume; 02/13/12 08:30 AM.

Looking back to see the way ahead !
Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: Ken Hume] #28159 02/15/12 01:03 AM
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northern hewer Offline OP
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hello everyone tonight

Thanks Ken for the information reference the introduction of chimneys into common homes in England, another very interesting tidbit of information that is good food for thought

It is a wonder that there wasn't more fires with the thatched roofs

You know It sort of run through my mind today when I seen an article about carbon monoxide poisoning from open burning fires, i wonder what the powers to be would think of the open fires used for a great number of years to cook and heat, it seems to me that there wasn't a great number of deaths from carbon monoxide through those years, but then I haven't seen any statistics either

I wonder how aware the people were from those years of the dangers from carbon monoxide poisoning or even if they were aware of the dangers

NH

Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: northern hewer] #28160 02/15/12 08:37 AM
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Hi Richard,

Fortunately carbon monoxide being lighter than air rises and since there was no upper floor then no one would have been exposed to this danger in the roofspace.

Thatch fires were common (and still are!) and so various remedies were employed including occasionally applying limewash especially in towns where buildings were close together.

Open hall fires were damped down and covered over at night with a large clay pot called a "couvre feu" [fire cover] and this term later became modified to become "curfew" which we now understand as meaning a time by which everyone must be off the streets. I note that The Weald & Downland Open Air Museum now employ these devices as an overnight fire safety precaution device in open hall buildings where fires are burned on the floor hearth.

Regards

Ken Hume

Last edited by Ken Hume; 02/15/12 08:38 AM.

Looking back to see the way ahead !
Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: northern hewer] #28161 02/15/12 08:40 AM
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Cecile en Don Wa Offline
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Hello,

Well, there were fires as a direct result of the use of straw and thatch roofing. Fires that laid whole cities and towns low and that's why, also around this time, 15th century, in say Amsterdam for example, the government boogies mandated hard roof covering, which meant tiles. No more thatched roofs in the city - imagine that. And it went even further. Not only the roofing changed but timber framed structures were replaced by brick and even the timber houses that were left were given brick facades and enclosures. A lot of times you will see these facades which seem to be tipping out over the street. That's because the brick wall follows the jettied timber construction being held to it with iron anchors and pins. There are more timbered buildings around than is apparent, they are just hidden behind these facades.

Greetings,

Don Wagstaff

Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: Cecile en Don Wa] #28190 02/17/12 05:09 PM
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Cecile en Don Wa Offline
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Hello,

The couvre fue, in a more modern iron version than the clay ones Ken Hume mentions, here in the lower corner of the picture
And then another one in a different place but almost exactly the same there behind the chair

And the fire in action to which they belong, at least one of them and they were such good fried potato cakes I must add.
Just some pictures I've taken at different places around here that are interesting to visit.

Greetings,

Don Wagstaff

Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: Cecile en Don Wa] #28191 02/17/12 05:57 PM
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D L Bahler Offline
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Don,
as I read this I eat the traditional Röschti,
Swiss potato cakes, this one with cheese on top.


Was de eine ilüchtet isch für angeri villech nid so klar.
http://riegelbau.wordpress.com/
Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: D L Bahler] #28192 02/17/12 06:02 PM
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D Wagstaff Offline
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Hi Dave,

Got a recipe?

Greetings,

Don Wagstaff

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