I've been hewing Doug Fir all weekend at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk and it's not too bad for a softwood. I found that even though it had been felled a couple of weeks ago it was beginning to nip my axe as I worked it, the resiny fibrous nature of it was very alien to an oak man. I agree with Gord, you need to get right onto it and with a nice sharp axe. My Pennsylvania pattern worked pretty well on it but I was mostly using 18th cent. Austrian axes and the Gransfors 10th cent. Rosskilde repro (it being Sutton Hoo). I'd still rather hew fresh oak all day though! Have fun!