# What is the L shaped thingy....



## Jim West Pa (Jul 27, 2010)

that is used to split wood when accompanied with a mallet ?
And, can anyone advise on what kind of price is acceptable to buy a good old one at ?


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*its a froe*

http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A0PDoX89YCtPwFAAvTuJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTA3cnMybzJvBHNsawNpbWc-?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dfroe%26fr%3Dytff1-tyc7%26fr2%3Dpiv-web%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D6&w=576&h=432&imgurl=www.traditionalwoodworker.com%2Fimages%2F685-0015-v2-lg.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.traditionalwoodworker.com%2FFroe-Basic-American-Pattern%2Fproductinfo%2F685-0015%2F&size=15.9+KB&name=Froe+-+Basic+American+Pattern-Traditional+Woodworker&p=froe&oid=5b615dfbbbe77a5b0bd2dc9658d0b5b4&fr2=piv-web&fr=ytff1-tyc7&tt=Froe%2B-%2BBasic%2BAmerican%2BPattern-Traditional%2BWoodworker&b=0&ni=60&no=6&tab=organic&ts=&sigr=12mfqa2p1&sigb=12u5q3n9e&sigi=11ntuafra&.crumb=QEL1syH545b


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## Jim West Pa (Jul 27, 2010)

Thanx Bill. I plan to use one on my next bellows build if i can find one.
I jist gotta git my push me pull you saw sharpened and reset first.

I wanna make my next bellows with all tools period to my 1830 house. :yes:

See what you started Tom !!!!!!!!!!!!:laughing:


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## Wrangler02 (Apr 15, 2011)

I've been looking for a froe for a couple of years. New ones seem to be $40 to $90 +/- 

In all of my antique store/flea market searching I have never seen one and I have never gotten in to e-bay. I like to touch and feel before I buy. Someday I will find one!


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## Jim West Pa (Jul 27, 2010)

Wrangler said:


> I've been looking for a froe for a couple of years. New ones seem to be $40 to $90 +/-
> 
> In all of my antique store/flea market searching I have never seen one and I have never gotten in to e-bay. I like to touch and feel before I buy. Someday I will find one!


 
I've got a LOT o' junk and 'antique' stores in my neck Wrangler. I'll be lookin fer one myself now and if i happen to encounter two of 'em i will certainly drop ya a line.


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## Wrangler02 (Apr 15, 2011)

Jim West Pa said:


> I've got a LOT o' junk and 'antique' stores in my neck Wrangler. I'll be lookin fer one myself now and if i happen to encounter two of 'em i will certainly drop ya a line.


Thanks. That would be nice of you.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

There's some pretty cool videos of froe work with Peter Follansbee online. I've seen him on the Woodwrights shop and he had an article in PWW a few months back that was cool too. He rives oak boards out of logs and cleans them up green. It looks like a really cool, if not extremely labor intensive, way to get small boards. And the oak looks fantastic when he uses it in the finished projects. I can't say I've ever run across one myself, but I'm sure they are out there. Good luck. I'd love to see some pics of your work if you locate one and get to redoing the, what was it, bellows. What are those?


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## Jim West Pa (Jul 27, 2010)

ACP said:


> There's some pretty cool videos of froe work with Peter Follansbee online. I've seen him on the Woodwrights shop and he had an article in PWW a few months back that was cool too. He rives oak boards out of logs and cleans them up green. It looks like a really cool, if not extremely labor intensive, way to get small boards. And the oak looks fantastic when he uses it in the finished projects. I can't say I've ever run across one myself, but I'm sure they are out there. Good luck. I'd love to see some pics of your work if you locate one and get to redoing the, what was it, bellows. What are those?


Thanx ACP, i will certainly check that out. 
This is a bellows. I'm not done with it yet tho lol














( sorry for this blurry pic.The bellows was movin & i was chasin it lol)







A bellows is used to force air into the coals of a fire
and believe me, they REALLY work.


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

:laughing: just seeing this thread, Jim. Sorry, it IS contagious!

At first I thought, cool he's gonna make some shingles... Then I see bellows and for the life of me could not figure out what you could be talking about when it came to a froe. Thanks for clarifying!

Good luck with finding one, I actually found one at a flea market down here recently but they must have mistaken the iron for gold if I recall correctly. Otherwise I'm sure I would have picked it up. If I get time I'll swing back over there this week-end and see.

Good luck!

--------------------------------------------- one day I'll be so good that I won't need this forum any longer... then I'll know I have full onset Dementia! ~tom


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## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

I know you're looking for used, but here are some links to new if you can't find an old one.
http://www.japanwoodworker.com/search.asp
http://www.garrettwade.com/product.asp?pn=91P08.01
http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/shinglefroe.aspx
http://www.leevalley.com/US/garden/page.aspx?p=67231&cat=2,44728,45794,67231


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## Wrangler02 (Apr 15, 2011)

Thanks for the links. I am not necessarily looking for old. I am looking for cheap.


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## Wrangler02 (Apr 15, 2011)

I found my froe today. It is hand forged and appears to be pretty well used. I'm in northern MO with no way to post pictures. I'll show youall when I get home.


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

Sweet! Congrats!

Now, did Jim find one too?

~tom "Ignorance is not a lack of intelligence - it's a lack of know-how"


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## Jim West Pa (Jul 27, 2010)

Wrangler said:


> I found my froe today. It is hand forged and appears to be pretty well used. I'm in northern MO with no way to post pictures. I'll show youall when I get home.


Ya got me droolin here Wrangler :laughing:
Git them pics up !!:yes:


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## Jim West Pa (Jul 27, 2010)

firemedic said:


> Sweet! Congrats!
> 
> Now, did Jim find one too?
> 
> ~tom "Ignorance is not a lack of intelligence - it's a lack of know-how"


Not yet Tom.You guys would been able to see me beemin in the norther sky if i had :laughing:

Janet has next friday off and we have a list o' junk stores, fleach rakets and 'antique' stores we're gonna visit then.

We may even take the two hour journey to Rogers Ohio.
It is a fleach racket and auction that's jist waaaaayyyy too big to do in one day.


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## Chuck M (Dec 21, 2010)

I was talking with a local blacksmith last weekend and he said for him to make a froe it would probably cost around $40. I am going to do some work with him and and may possibly try making one.


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## Wrangler02 (Apr 15, 2011)

Chuck M said:


> I was talking with a local blacksmith last weekend and he said for him to make a froe it would probably cost around $40. I am going to do some work with him and and may possibly try making one.


Now that's Cool!!!


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## zacker (Mar 25, 2010)

check Ebay, you can at least come across the metal part... I just picked up two old Log roller (Peavy) hooks and am in the process of making one back into a peavy but with a steel bar for a handle instead of wood and the other will become a log stand. Working with a blacksmith could be an awesome chance to learn more about making other objects for your home...hooks, hinges, cabinette handles and drwawer pulls. Im also collecting parts to build a small Gas forge.. I cant wait, I wanna try making a knife and maybe some handles. By the way, I saw some pics recently or a guy useing an axe, the same way youd use a froe to split a big log.. just an idea. I also want to try hand hewing a beam but I know me, once I break a sweat ill wanna stop....lol,lol,lol... :laughing:


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## Wrangler02 (Apr 15, 2011)

Some shots of the froe that I found.

Sent from my iPod touch using Wood Forum


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

Wow! It's difficult to make to much detail in the picture but from the looks of it I'd say it's certainly hand forged. That's awesome, great find!

When do we get to see the hickory handle you already made and a nice cleaned up sharpens blade?

Incidentally... Anybody know what the 'desired' bevel angle is for a froe?

~tom "Ignorance is not a lack of intelligence - it's a lack of know-how"


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## Wrangler02 (Apr 15, 2011)

We're still camping in Arkansas. I happened to remember that my wife's Ipod has a camera. So I took the pictures on the kitchen cabinet of the camper and emailed them to my Ipod so I could post. That explains the lack of detail!!

Who knows when I'll get the handle made. I've searched for years for this part. I'm in no real hurry!!


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

You know, that's only 5-6 hrs north of me... Boiling crawfish... Just say'n! lol

~tom "Ignorance is not a lack of intelligence - it's a lack of know-how"


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## zacker (Mar 25, 2010)

firemedic said:


> Incidentally... Anybody know what the 'desired' bevel angle is for a froe?


 
Based on a quick web search while waiting for my wife to get ready to go out to a barn sale, it would seem that there are many types or shapes of froe, including a type with little to no handle. Most of the ones I see though are straight bladed. Also here is an interesting wiki on useing a froe from Wikipidea... Especially the part on using a piece of log instead of a mallet to hit the froe. Hmmmm... I guess that would be the more traditional way to do it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Froe

Here are some basic dimensions... 
http://www.fixittoolsstore.com/site.php/FixItTools/pd490145/shingle_froe_by_peavey


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## Wrangler02 (Apr 15, 2011)

firemedic said:


> You know, that's only 5-6 hrs north of me... Boiling crawfish... Just say'n! lol
> 
> ~tom "Ignorance is not a lack of intelligence - it's a lack of know-how"


The rule for the trip this time of year is to hook the trailer to the old pickup and drive south untill I can turn off the heater. Year before last that was Vicksberg MS. Other years it has been Hot Springs. I'll let you know if we need to drive all the way to the other end of the Mississippi. 

I did find a couple of places to get crawfish here in Arkansas.


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## Lostinwoods (Mar 1, 2012)

In "Old Ways of Working Wood" by Alex Bealer he describes a froe as "... No more than a piece of wrought iron half an inch thick, two inches wide and eighteen to twenty inches long, doubled back upon itself and forge welded to form a round eye about two inches in diameter. One side of the instrument is drawn out to a blunt knife-edge...". So no specific angle is given just a picture that does indeed look like a blunted knife. He does describe the plane of the two forks of the brake as forming about a 30deg. angle from the ground (with the higher branch closest to you) should you be using your froe out in the woods and need to make a brake out of a forked tree...don't forget your mallet. 
Apparently some Native American tribes used to split large boards of cedar with with bone and wooden wedges and a wooden maul so if you can't find a good froe you could go back even farther in time. They cut two notches in the trunk the distance between then being the desired length and the depth of about two inches or the desired thickness, then a series of wedges were driven between the bottom of the two notches and a board was split off...if anyone tries this let me know how it works!


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## zacker (Mar 25, 2010)

I know a guy who told me when he was a teen he worked for a guy who used to do this... theyd get huge logs in say 10-20 foot long and theyd use a chain saw to make a line along the logs length where the split would be and then they would drive a bunch of Oak wedges into it and split the log. He said they have like 4 ro5 guys wedging the logs and it went pretty quickly.


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## Jim West Pa (Jul 27, 2010)

Wrangler said:


> Some shots of the froe that I found.
> 
> Sent from my iPod touch using Wood Forum


Now that is jist as cool as all go 'round :yes:
Man, now i'm REALLY on point :laughing:

How much did ya have to give for it Wrangler ?
As Tom said, let's see that baby handled up and sharpened.
Heck, let's see a vid of it in action :laughing:


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## Wrangler02 (Apr 15, 2011)

Jim West Pa said:


> Now that is jist as cool as all go 'round :yes:
> Man, now i'm REALLY on point :laughing:
> 
> How much did ya have to give for it Wrangler ?
> ...


I paid $9.00 + some money for the State of Missouri. 

It was the bargain I was looking for!


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## Jim West Pa (Jul 27, 2010)

Wrangler said:


> I paid $9.00 + some money for the State of Missouri.
> 
> It was the bargain I was looking for!


Great stuff. Good for you Wrangler :yes:
Our fleach racket season is about to begin here.
I'm hopin to git me a find similar.


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## Lostinwoods (Mar 1, 2012)

zacker said:


> I know a guy who told me when he was a teen he worked for a guy who used to do this... theyd get huge logs in say 10-20 foot long and theyd use a chain saw to make a line along the logs length where the split would be and then they would drive a bunch of Oak wedges into it and split the log. He said they have like 4 ro5 guys wedging the logs and it went pretty quickly.


Replace the chain saw with a stone ax and it sounds good. I love reading about old methods and I used to split fire wood with an ax, use a block plane and I do use an edge rounding plane as it's easier than a vibrating router (my routers are almost as old as me), but somehow I almost always end up using power tools, getting older may have something to do with this:smile:. Still I admire people willing to do things the old way, but if I start turning some of the downed aspen around here into (small) boards I'll probably use a cordless sawzall and a band saw rather than the froe or wedges...it would be interesting to try though.


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## Lostinwoods (Mar 1, 2012)

I just heard the expression, "dull as a froe" being discussed on the radio. They figured out it was for woodworking but unless you know how one is sharpened the expression doesn't make much sense .


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## ntrusty (Feb 21, 2012)

buddy of mine picked one up at a flea market in Branson MO last weekend for $18. Will take a pic this weekend and send it to you if i get the chance. He mentioned the had more than one and he bought the smaller of the selection. Didnt catch the name of the flea market but we have some good ones here in Ark and up into Missouri for tools.


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

zacker said:


> Based on a quick web search while waiting for my wife to get ready to go out to a barn sale, it would seem that there are many types or shapes of froe, including a type with little to no handle. Most of the ones I see though are straight bladed. Also here is an interesting wiki on useing a froe from Wikipidea... Especially the part on using a piece of log instead of a mallet to hit the froe. Hmmmm... I guess that would be the more traditional way to do it.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Froe
> 
> Here are some basic dimensions...
> http://www.fixittoolsstore.com/site.php/FixItTools/pd490145/shingle_froe_by_peavey


Sorry, zacker, I should have acknowledged this sooner but i somehow missed it. Thx for the info.

~tom "Ignorance is not a lack of intelligence - it's a lack of know-how"


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