I am curious how others go about setting up a log on solid support and laying out lines to be hewn. There is a good amount of information on the hewing process itself but very little on the first steps of hewing : providing a solid base off the ground and then sighting and line preparation. I find it personally, necessary to get the supports really stable. Otherwise you cant reference the log on the lines or you have to keep resituating the log until is back to level. If I get the log to stay true to level and plumb lines the hewing becomes much easier. Am I the only that has trouble with log moving around too much on its supports?

Normally the log is held in place on top of it's supports with some large iron "log dogs" that look like a giant staple. You pound one end into the log and the other end into the support log that has a "v" cut in it where the "subject" log is laying.

If you do a "YouTube" video search you'll see lots and lots of videos on "hewing" a log.

Jim Rogers

Look up "hewing trestles" that allow you to roll the log up into a notch, then secure with dogs as Jim suggests.

hello everyone tonight

Well --had to jump in here with my 2 cents worth--

Did a lot of hewing in my day, and here is my take on set up, and I must say many times tried and proven

Many will argue with my take but that is their prerogative

I used hardwood 6 by 6's about 8 feet long for bed pieces , the extra length was used to roll the finished timber on, their weight helping to keep everything stabilized as work progressed

Next I usually picked out an area fairly free of stones say 6" of good top soil, and level as possible

Next I placed the first 6 by 6 in position by bedding it in the soil approx. 3", and making it perfectly level, or as level as possible

Next 6 by 6 is bedded in about 6' from the first one making it also level and then parallel to the first by sighting over the top of the first bed piece

Moving another 6 feet and using a good long straight edge you bed in the third one so that it is in line with the top surfaces of the other two

One thing that I always did was to use a sledge hammer to tap the top of the bed pieces soundly to ensure that they will stay level and true when subjected to the weight of the log to be hewn and the continuous chopping of the broadaxe--if they stay true then you have a set up ready for a sixteen foot log or maybe up to 20 feet by letting the ends over run the last bed pieces slightly further

Most times in my work I installed a third and forth bed piece while I was at it so that I could accommodate 30 footers when the need arised, without having to back track

My take on set up and lining will come later

NH

My approach depends on just what I'm aiming for. Let me explain...

In the woods, maybe I will fell a tree and want to convert it before removing the log. When I do this, I will make makeshift stands out of branches or other large pieces of wood that are made on site. Usually, I will take some long branches and do something similar to what Richard describes above.

I will often cut notches into whatever support and roll the log into these. I have use log dogs, but prefer not to. I do not like to drive holes into my timbers.

Now I often also have logs delivered to a work site to hew and convert right there. Last time I did this, I selected 4 logs that were no good -bad knots or heart rot- and used them to make stands. I cut notches into 2 of the logs -2 notches in each log- then rolled other logs on top of them, perpendicular to the first. Then I cut notches into these top logs. This whole setup brings the logs I will be hewing up to about waste height. That's where I want them for my style of hewing, but if you use American style you maybe want them lower, so this setup won't work.

That setup makes a very sturdy assembly, where I can have 2 logs worked on at a time. Of all the things I have tried, this is my favorite.

When the logs are rolled into the notches and oriented how I want them with crown, etc, I use either a level or a plumb bob (whatevver I have on hand. I find a plumb bob to be more accurate, but takes a little longer to use) to mark reference lines on both ends of the logs, then I use a square to mark off of this reference line to establish timber profile. After that, it is a simple matter of connecting lines with a chalk line.

In replacement of the iron staples you can also use boards and nails.

I have seen in a book where the but was left attached to the stump,via the hinge, after falling and it was hewn in place. Don't know how accurate or true that is. They were hewing cedar rail road ties. Just by eye no strings or plumb lines.

Hi,

You can check out some hewing pics shown on the OWG Forum where Kyle Dumka is shown hewing larch felled in our woodland using both Gransfors and also much more affordable locally made staple dogs.

I am now thinking about the setup method that we should use to hew out some cruck blades (when the rain stops) and specifically would ask should this be done banana shape down or up ?

Ken Hume

Ken,

I would recommend down. It will be very hard to keep the log stable with the crown up, especially if the crown is as great as on a cruck blade.

Even when hewing straight sticks, I will site the log and orient the crown down for the first 2 faces

Lots of videos on youtube" of "hewing" hardly any on the first steps and quite critical steps of making a solid support for log to be hewn. Getting the log to the hewing "station"(not everybody has heavy equipment), and also sighting and drawing lines on log.