froe vs hatchet vs what else? for splitting bracing

[Matt Lau]

Thanks, John!

I was string at the small froe for the umpteenth time on the toolsforworkingwood site, wondering it it would make sense.

I'll likely be looking for a fairly dull chinese cleaver this weekend...it should be perfect for this.

[David Bassett]

... I'll likely be looking for a fairly dull chinese cleaver this weekend...it should be perfect for this.

I'm not sure I've seen a Chinese cleaver up close, but I've heard them described as very thin. (Hence sharp & great for slicing.) If so, it seems to me they'd be too fragile for splitting.

Also, it occurs to me, splitting on a very fine scale is a task often handled by a draw knife by, e.g. green woodworkers & chair makers.

Anyway good luck & let us know what ends up working.

[John C Cox]

Thanks, John!

I was string at the small froe for the umpteenth time on the toolsforworkingwood site, wondering it it would make sense.

I'll likely be looking for a fairly dull chinese cleaver this weekend...it should be perfect for this.

Why not just keep doing what you were doing? It sounds like you were successful enough splitting out your brace wood with whatever kitchen knife you were using....

I ended up with what I got because this one particular knife wouldn't hold an edge for the life of it. My wife kept complaining that it wouldn't cut worth a lick.. So I confiscated it for guitar duty..

[Peter Christensen]

David the Chinese cleaver I have is from LV. The blade is about 0.080"/2mm across the back of the blade. Below the handle it starts tapering to the thin edge. Other may be different.

[Jim Koepke]

Now that my understanding of what is being done is better, this may be a good use for the slitting blade on a combination plane. They are often used for making the pieces for window shutters.

It would likely be easy to make a panel gauge for the purpose.

jtk

[David Bassett]

David the Chinese cleaver I have is from LV. The blade is about 0.080"/2mm across the back of the blade. Below the handle it starts tapering to the thin edge. Other may be different.

The one LV has looks much heavier than any other I've seen pictured. Given Matt's location and other comments, I'd assume he would be shopping in SF's Chinatown and finding something like Random Example from Google Search. But I don't really know, this is all hearsay to me.

Anyway, to split you need a wedging action and that seems to me to be a thicker blade. A thinner blade will favor cutting and not follow the grain as well.

[Mike Holbrook]

I started with the suggestion of using a drawknife. If anyone has doubts about what a person with drawknife skill can do with such a tool, check out Curtis Buchanan’s videos on YouTube. There are a bunch of videos, #3-Riving the Arm Rail and Spindles, #4- Carving the Spindles with the Drawknife, #5 Shaping the Arm Rail with the Drawknife are probably the most relevant to this discussion.

As is the case with using many hand tools the skill set of the person wielding the tool is often the relevant factor. I have spent a good amount of time wielding various drawknives, froes and axes. I will work many more years before I achieve the skill set guys like Curtis, Peter Galbert and Drew Langsner have. Among these experienced chair makers, you will find different guys using different tools to do similar work. These individual preferences have more to do with the individuals skill set with each individual tool. There are guys with good axe skills who carve spoons with an axe, even the “carving”.

As Curtis explains early in his #3 Riving video, the bevel/side profile of the tool being used is very significant regarding what it can do. This is an entirely different issue than sharpness. There are many different drawknives, wedges, froes with very different bevels/side profiles. Certainly a wedge shape designed to make rough fire wood is not what is needed to split out 1/4-1/2” short pieces for quitar braces. There are drawknives, wedges, froes and even axes that are capable of making these splits though.

I am working on a 8.5 lb Hewing Axe, with a 13.5” blade today. When I am done I will use it to pry/cut even thinner pieces, than those mentioned by the OP, from the sides of logs. The profile of the sides of all these tools determines what they can or can not do.

[lowell holmes]

I used to have a machete that I used to split branches and wood with.

[Matt Lau]

Most of them are about 2 mm in thickness and tempered fairly softly...especially the cheap ones.
On my first guitar, I used my kitchen cleaver and it worked fine (if I didn't sharpen the thing right before using it).

The cheaper ones work well...got to a chinatown and get a $8 or 12 cleaver.

[Matt Lau]

Why not just keep doing what you were doing? It sounds like you were successful enough splitting out your brace wood with whatever kitchen knife you were using....

I ended up with what I got because this one particular knife wouldn't hold an edge for the life of it. My wife kept complaining that it wouldn't cut worth a lick.. So I confiscated it for guitar duty..

I just wondered if there's something better out there?

I'd tried a hewing axe...but it was way too big!
I'll post pictures when I get my act together.
I'll likely keep my favorite cheap cleaver for kitchen duty and find a beater tonight...since I have to go to Oakland for a dental meeting.

[Jim Koepke]

I'd tried a hewing axe...but it was way too big!

Sometimes it might be helpful to find or make a miniature version of a standard tool to fit our work. That was my reason for fashioning a mini-froe.

jtk

[Mike Holbrook]

When I read this article I immediately thought of this tool. I am in the process of moving and it just turned up. It is called a Camayiri (sp?, stylized type to the point of not being readable). It was/is made by Silky, who makes Japanese saws, particularly pruning saws. It has a blaede that can be moved in an arch. I think it was designed to split bambo. I used mine for small splits and as a brush clearing tool.


image.jpg

I searched the Silky site but did not find it. Silky does make a selection of knives, cleavers, axes.....that might work though. Check under choppers section.