canoehead

thanks for the pics Alec. i think i'll try and persevere with splitting them, rather than sawing them. your's look good. it seems a good use of a material that would otherwise get burnt. and an efficient way of processing them. have you plastered to riven lath? i've only plastered on sawn, do you use much more plaster?

had same problem on my ms660, last year, brake handle failed, when it melted adjacent to the mounting point by the exhaust cover. had similar problem more recently with brake handle overheating when exhaust cover came loose during milling, had to araldite the exhaust studs in as loctite not enough, also the chain oiler casing burning if there is any oil roaming around whilst milling. seems like the saw could do with a modification to the exhaust cover to redirect the hot gases away for milling, doesn't seem to happen cross cutting as the saw never gets run for extended periods without a break, and so doesn't overheat. maybe the answer is to not run it for too long without a break.

it sort of depends on what you want to be able to do. if you do an evenings nvq carpentry course you are going to spend as much time learning about (cosh for site work) as you are getting hands on practical experience in carpentry, because they are geared toward you having an apprenticeship and doing the vast amount of practical work off campus. personally i'd suggest just making things. there are loads of books in lots of different areas that can give you a heads up about how you go about doing things, but practical experience can only be gained by doing it. everybody has to start somewhere, and the key to becoming any good at it is just about how often you do it, and how interested you are in it. after a while you'll find your familiarity with one way of doing s things gives you confidence to approach other less familiar things. if you're interested in timber framing there are a few god books which help you look at sequencing and choice of construction detail which is key; jack sobon - build a classic timber framed house (which i used alot) steve chappelle - a timber framer's workshop rupert newman - oak framed buildings if you are into boat building (and lowestoft has the best boat building course in the u.k.) building the maine guide canoe - jerry stellmok and rollin thurlow the wood and canvas canoe - jerry stellmok and rollin thurlow building the strip canoe - gil gilpatrick and general carpentry tauton press make a series of book's in a series called for pros by pros that include; framing roofs, stairs, finish carpentry etc. i even occasionally look at a 1940's ministry of labor publication for the course work in carpentry (that my grandfather did, which was essentially the same as the one i did) that was revised and republished more recently as carpentry and joinery: bench and site skills - brian porter hope that helps, good luck with it all.

it sort of depends on what you want to be able to do. if you do an evenings nvq carpentry course you are going to spend as much time learning about (cosh for site work) as you are getting hands on practical experience in carpentry, because they are geared toward you having an apprenticeship and doing the vast amount of practical work off campus. personally i'd suggest just making things. there are loads of books in lots of different areas that can give you a heads up about how you go about doing things, but practical experience can only be gained by doing it. everybody has to start somewhere, and the key to becoming any good at it is just about how often you do it, and how interested you are in it. after a while you'll find your familiarity with one way of doing s things gives you confidence to approach other less familiar things. if you're interested in timber framing there are a few god books which help you look at sequencing and choice of construction detail which is key; jack sobon - build a classic timber framed house (which i used alot) steve chappelle - a timber framer's workshop rupert newman - oak framed buildings if you are into boat building (and lowestoft has the best boat building course in the u.k.) building the maine guide canoe - jerry stellmok and rollin thurlow the wood and canvas canoe - jerry stellmok and rollin thurlow building the strip canoe - gil gilpatrick and general carpentry tauton press make a series of book's in a series called for pros by pros that include; framing roofs, stairs, finish carpentry etc. i even occasionally look at a 1940's ministry of labor publication for the course work in carpentry (that my grandfather did, which was essentially the same as the one i did) that was revised and republished more recently as carpentry and joinery: bench and site skills - brian porter hope that helps, good luck with it all.

just incase you were wondering were i'm at with this now? currently putting in a concrete block-work retaining wall around the building below ground level, to prevent any ingress of damp (or mountain), and symultaneously (sp) putting up the chimney. and also now making my wife jollop the frame with a home made bio-cide from pine-tar, linseed oil and diesel. previously (last month), in the rain felled and milled a whole load more intermediate posts (40), and some more common rafters (7). (also hewed a couple of the rafters) month prior to that cut chestnut for shakes, carried it out of the forest, cut it into bulks (rounds) and spent 40 days and 40 nights splitting 7000 (yes, 7000) shakes. don't want to do that again, unless i am being paid

you have nailed it chris, i'm in total agreement, from what i can gather the use of scribe joinery is really about having to use less than perfectly matched timbers, and the american square rule system is dependent upon uniform square timbers, and both are the product of the environments from which they came, in the u.k. where the limited availability of logs big enough to dimension into square timbers dictates the use of scribing faces that don't marry, that in the u.s. just isn't an issue where the stock pile is almost unendingly vast, allowing you to cut whatever you want. i think the whole point of hewing is the ability to make lumber that's un-millable, useable. that i see as the main reason to hew, not its historical significance. its why they did it in the first place. that its an affordable do-able thing. it means you don't have to haul a much bigger timber out of the forest, you can fell it and hew it in the same place, and carry out your finished material. all it costs after the purchase of the axe is a hearty dinner, no fuel, chains, mill, or anything. for me its using the lessons and knowledge of the past to solve a current problem. what i like abut the plimouth plantation project is its really the antidote to all those perfectly cnc'd frames littering google images. not from a historical perspective, or their ability to craft something authentically, but to see thru their extensive research the myriad of possibilities for low cost, low impact, sustainable building, that uses tried and tested materials in conjunction with each other, materials that are often the by-product of some other activity or contribute another resource in their making. using what is available in the most appropriate way. and that's something i think is great about timber framing in general, it allows you to begin to think about what is possible, outside of mainstream construction. its sort of like, well actually we haven't progressed at all, we've just been suckered into thinking that the answers to construction come after the industrial revolution, as a result of it, and that all we are doing is purchasing a product that has been mass produced, because its producable in that quantity, and not because its a better solution to building. i really believe the old ways have a lot of value, particularly in this context.

Alec, i wish i could say i had hewn it out, but i didn't, i milled that one. i want to be that good. here's a link to some guys who are that good, not sure about their attire. new timber frame house construction The Riven Word i'm going to keep at it until i am that good. is your expertise in boat building? and what sort of tools have you made? any pictures? could you forge a timber framing slick? or an axe? that i would really very much like to do. stock removal knives are one thing, but an axe, to make an axe, that's where it all begins surely? was there a special tempering process for the adze? was it differential hardening like other cutting edges? did he use clay or something like it to retard the heat? or a torch to apply it very specifically? thanks rick

curvey rafter to be, hopefully. joggles and joggling by the roadside.

what is your favorite axe and why? (you can have more than one) this has to include a picture of the axe.

simon, i saw this, a while back thanks to you. i especially liked the film where they make the keelson. their hewing to make one board was impressive. thanks rick. has anyone got any pics of anything they've hewn? and axes?

like the barge board. and alec, how did you find out about the radius of the adze ratio to the radius of the arc it travels thru. it makes perfect sense, but how did you get to find that out? thanks rick

excellent alec, would like to know how the gransfors hewing axe performs, am hoping its as awesome as the rest of their axes. i want one, but they are currently out of my price range. i bought a 7 1/2 lb ward and payne side axe off ebay for £26 which i like a lot, and more recently two austrian axes, one a long handled bearded axe, and the other a goosewing axe, both a couple of hundred years old, am waiting for them to show up, they weren't expensive. i like the handle you made for your wife's adze. i also like that you have your wife adzing. what were the 4x2's made from? and is your house timber framed? is it an early one? have you seen this [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DD20bubHQIE]Paul Zahnd, Charpentier à l'ancienne. - YouTube[/ame] this is the level of skill i want to achieve, and the direction i want to take in framing. a bit niche market i know. also found this guys website and just marvelled www.mudpond.net would really like to do a hewn cruck frame next. 'if we can't reach for the stars what's a heaven for?'

(Dan Curtis) hi, have you any pictures of the dug out you were building? have you built any other canoes? thanks rick

alec have you got any pics of the canal boat stems? please. thanks rick

please, with the photos, esp of the windmill sail spars. that sounds amazing. thanks rick

hi, in answer to your question, canoe birch (which in english is known as paperbark birch, betula papyrieira) is one of several white birches, but the only one suitable for canoe construction. it isn't native to the u.k. but is in many other parts of the northern hemisphere. the anishinabe (the first nations of canada) call it wikwas, and they would say it only grows in canada and the most northern u.s. states. you can buy it online and if you are interested i can find you the link. but its not cheap. (my avatar is the canoe i built in the woods in way northern ontario where i lived for awhile). it was one of the best things i ever got to do. if you want any advice, please ask. i'd be more than happy to help. rick

thanks, that's brilliant alec. 300ft2 is a lot. will try that this w.e. had exactly the same issue, couldn't get anything other than a wedge out, then trying to split the wedge it was all going wrong. that's why i wondered if you had to use a riving knife? i particularly liked the saying 'froe to the fat', i've obviously been froeing caution to the wind. have you got any photos? esp of your finished product? thanks rick

anyone got any tips on riving or cleaving lath from chestnut? how do you keep it from running out? how much difference does the stock make? anyone?

hi alec, have you got any pictures? what axes did you use, pictures, as well, if you have any please. similar experience here, so long as time isn't the issue seems to go okay. hewed out a couple of 5x7 diminishing rafters at the w.e. (still hewing the second one). seems a really good way of using timber thats too marginal to mill because its too contorted, or too big to mill (on the logosol, don't have an alaskan). big leap for me going from hewing canoe parts, or longbows, or spoons to squaring 5m beams out of logs. how did you cleave the tile battens? would like to cleave chestnut lath for plastering, so far had real trouble can't get it not to run out constantly, shakes were easy comparatively, any advice? did you use a riving knife fixed to a bench? thanks rick

is anyone out there hewing?

just wanted to say thank you everyone for all the really positive things you have said. i really appreciate it. when you work closely with something big like a building its sometimes hard to see it for what it is. sometimes you either need to walk away for awhile, or get someone else's opinion. especially the opinion of people who understand what it is you are doing. i hope posting it here might share the inspiration. i know there are better woodsmen and carpenters out there, and i hope that some others might run with the idea.

not exactly off of a plan, however, there's a book called 'build a classic timber framed house' by jack sobon. and that has been my most well loved and used guide. in essence i followed a lot of what he set down, up to the roof, which has been entirely my own devising, based on experience and research. there is an extension to be built at the back of the house, the roof of which i'm planning on seguing (sp.) into the main roof in what's known as a catslide. i had a whole series of issues that wouldn't allow me to construct entirely in the way sobon sets out in his book. i scaled down the length of his design, and mine is as close to the golden section as i could get. i couldn't get any plant on site to assist with lifting. my site was very tight for space, carved out of, and set into the mountain. i didn't have a team of helpers, willing or paid, i was on my own, which limited how i could construct. it had to be very modular, and couldn't happen in a barn raising way. it even meant pre-assembly checking was very awkward and at times hazardous, like inserting and removing the wall plates. scaffolding was minimal, mainly because i couldn't afford to buy more (there are no scaffolding hire companies here, or tool hire, or much of anything, except forest). portugal is very third worldy. which is good and bad. bad in that very little is available, there's not much money floating about the mountains; but good in it means you have to become as self reliant as possible. if you can't make it you can't have it (unless you have loads of money of course) i don't. its very quiet, except for the sound of chainsaws, and occasional hammering, its like what i would imagine stepping back in time would be like, a lot of middle aged people here can't read or write, car ownership is not very high, rotorvators on the road here are more common, little old ladies still carry stuff on their heads. 5 euros and a tin of sardines is payment for felling trees (i kid you not). 'the waking reality' of living here (as my wife just pointed) out is somewhere between the dream and the nightmare.

i milled it on a logosol M5 mostly with a MS660, and for some of it with a husky XP575. still got more felling and milling to do. currently in a quandry (sp.) over roofing material shingles or shakes? or home made schist/slates or peg tiles if i can find enough clay and make a kiln. the frame is on the side of a mountain in the middle of portugal. nearly all of the timber came from within 1 mile of where the frame has been made. most of it from my own farm. i wish it were in england, but couldn't afford it. this land has given me so many resources, and i am very grateful. thanks, glad you like it.

this is my frame. i knew where it grew in the forest. i want to call it the church of the woods. i felled all the timber, milled it (mostly with a chainsaw mill) and made it entirely on my own. its been entertaining, and awkward. (here are some pictures of it at what i hope is its most beautiful, with just 2 temporary braces left in the roof, before i put in the intermediate wall studs and the common rafters).

like ya winda frame, and like it was made just down the road from the cottage its going to.