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
Last edited by northern hewer; 01/10/14 01:41 AM.
