I have been needing a froe for splitting wood lately, and could not find the one I used to have. Rather than buy a new one, I decided to try to make my own. My friend Bennie had an old truck spring, and he cut a piece off.
In order to make a useable froe, the spring first had to be heated and shaped. I had to use the tools at hand, the bar-b-q grill worked okay with forced air from a hair dryer. As a bonus, hamburgers were grilled after the first pass at shaping the froe.
http://www.coferadams.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Froe-truck-spring-14.jpgI had tested filing the edge, and the file just skated along the metal. Once the blade was straightened and centered, it was reheated and left to cool slowly in the ashes. This seemed to soften the spring steel enough to be able to file it.
To test the froe, I made a temporary handle from a hickory sapling.
Once I felt the froe was adequately shaped and worked properly, I started making a better handle from a seasoned white oak billet and worked on getting the cleaving edge right.
