What does a shingle froe do?

A traditional woodworking and wood splitting tool, a shingle froe is held from above and strikes from a wooden mallet drive the blade down through the wood being split along the grain. Instead it gives a mechanical assist helping the wood split down along the grain.

What is a Cooper’s froe?

Cooper’s froe with a curved wrought iron blade with an eye and a turned maple handle fitted and wedged into the eye. Wedge also of iron.

How thick should a froe be?

It should be fairly thick at the back, about 5/8″ or so, with an even taper from edge to back, not a bevel like a knife. You can buy froes new, but they are simply cut out of 1/4″ stock, with a knife edge. You don’t want to cut anything, just split it.

Should you sharpen a froe?

– A froe should be *sharp*. This not only to allow the start of the cut, but also to allow it to potentially slice through the grain when making longer cuts to control direction and depth.

Is a FROE sharp?

Froes are typically not sharpened and so normally will not spit wood with ease.

How long should a FROE handle be?

He redesigned the traditional froe with several key improvements. The large version of his froe has a blade 3/8” thick x 1 1/2” wide x 12” long, and a 17 1/2” long handle of hard maple. The smaller version has a blade 1/4” thick x 1 1/4” wide x 8” long, and it’s handle (also hard maple) is 13 1/4” long.

What is FROE and maul?

Overview. Froes are used in combination with mallets to split timber, to make planks, wooden shingles, or kindling; they are safer and more accurate to use than hatchets or splitting mauls because the blade is not swung. The origin of the word froe is not clear, and some references find it spelled frow.

What is a shingle froe used for?

This is the tool used by colonial settlers to split shingles, shakes, and lumber for homes in early America. Today the shingle froe is still a primary tool in many traditional woodworking projects which require riving, like Windsor chair spindles and spoons. Simply pound the blade of the froe into the end of a short log with a mallet or maul.

What is a froe used for in construction?

A froe is used for the controlled splitting (riving) of green wood. Typical uses are shingle making, splitting saplings for fences, and splitting blanks for furniture making. In earlier days, they were even used to make siding.

Why is it called a froe?

One possibility of its roots can be found in the Old English word fro, which meant “away”, which was the direction you hammered the froe to split the wood. Froes are similar in general form to axes, in that a froe is an L-shaped assembly of a blade head (typically steel) set at a right angle to a handle called a haft (traditionally wood).