Hand Split Shakes

[fRED mCnEILL]

We have a number of big old cedar trees on our property that I was thinking of cutting down and turning into shakes.

Anyone ever done this? Can you use the whole tree or only part of it?

Thanks for any info you may have.

Fred Mc.

[Dave Falkenstein]

Check with your home insurance company. Insurance rates can jump up if you have a shake roof.

[Rob Wright]

Watch last weeks episode of Dirty Jobs w/ Mike Rowe - you couldn't get me within arms reach of most of the machines that he was using to make shakes and shingles!:D I don't think that I have ever seen him as scared around machinery as that episode.

The episode details the steps that are used in making the shakes. I guess that it could be done at home - but a fair amount of work would be involved.

-Have fun if you decide to do it.

http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/dirtyjobs/episode/episode.html

He did this is buoy cleaner - full episodes can be watched at discovery.com

-Rob

[Tom Walz]

I've done it by hand and liked it. Lot of work to get a roof.

Maybe better to hand split long boards the way the native americans used to do.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Anyone ever done this? Can you use the whole tree or only part of it?

It is no small amount of work. You'll have to contend with insect damage making your shakes poor quality. But hey, make yourself a Froe and set to it.

Usually you need a rather large bole to get any meaningful width of shake. After all the end grain on a shake isn't annular

[jerry cousins]

have done lots and lots of hand-split shakes - using a froe & mallet - but we usually use sugar pine - have never used cedar - but it maybe that the trees around here (pnw) aren't the right kind or size. and what i have seen the cedar shakes are usually re-sawn. i believe that all wooden shakes are now treated with some type of fire-retardant chemical - but should not be a problem for out-buildings. for splitting shakes or pickets you need to find a very straight grained tree - and yes - it is a lot of work.

jerry

[Joe Chritz]

I know that you can cut shakes with a bandsaw mill. I know someone who has done a lot of them and they look very nice.

Not hand split but one more option for you.

Joe