Dan Dustin takes you through the process of hand hewing a beam, starting with the tree. This video was produced in 1995 at the Canterbury Shaker Village in Canterbury, New Hampshire.
Wow. I learned more about wood structure and axes in the last hour than in the last year. Thank you Mr. Dustin. As someone restoring antique tools as a hobby and getting into hand tool woodworking for practical reasons, this is immensely helpful and informative
First off... All of the comments posted are my thoughts exactly... Pure Gold... The most informative.... educational that i have found on this historical and amazing craft/art.... This information you present......and hand on trail and effort is priceless...I want to say thank you for your time, knowledge, and dedication also to share it and pass it on. And you Sir are at the top of the game.... I'am newbie in the world of woodcraft... the Old-school techniques are being forgotten... But again... thank you for continuing to carry the torch. Your gift of blood sweat and tears have saved me years of research and trail...Much appreciation for the inspiration to keep us new guys headed in the right direction. Godspeed and safety to all that are involved in theses videos and information...Much Respect from St Petersburg Florida U.S.A.....
It’s rare that I find a video that I don’t hit the skip forward button several times. I watched this one all the way through with eager interest. Thank you for your time and dedication to creating such an amazing instructional video.
What a great video, Mr. Chickadee got me interested in Hewing timber... after watching this video, I am reminiscent of how much better things were taught with instruction when I was growing up. What a great teacher, articulate and common, in explaining everything. Also, my favorite comment in the world now, I tell it to my friends when they're trying to do something... lol "The hope is, that after you're done failing all day, maybe the work will be done also"... so good.
@@dandustin824 no you made mine... I'm about to build a log cabin on my property and his was perfect. The only part I didnt understand was on the second log, when lining up the other two nail sets, a level was being used with the tape measure, and I couldnt tell what you were looking for or seeing, but it looked like it need to be precise
@@jaih12 as he assumed that the hewn face of the log is horizontal, he was using the speed level to ensure the tape was horizontal as well. The closer to parallel a face is to the measuring face, the more accurate a marking will be. The more divergent the (plane of the) tape is to the (plane of the) hewn face, the less accurate any measurements will be. This 'distortion' is due to the phenomena of perspective. So he was using the level to set the tape as close to a parallel plane to the hewn face (horizontal), and then using the level to transfer the actual measurement (4" from center, in this case) from the tape down to the hewn face. And even taking all these precautions, after putting his nails down, he still checked the lines to lines width to ensure they were 8".
That's for taking the time to have this filmed, and thanks for putting it up. i think i prefer your method for layout. it makes a lot more sense, and is fairly minimalist. Who needs logdogs when you have branches and a sapwood hinge locking the tree in place? Less junk to buy and carry into the woods. I was never content with the conventional approach of laying out the timber dimensions on the endgrain. One because getting a perfectly flat and square cut down is difficult without great skill, and two because getting TWO perfectly flat and square cuts to be parallel to each other 18~20+ feet apart is pretty much impossible. And if those faces aren't square and parallel to each other you will not get a true dimension as the beam will taper towards one end or the other. This is why you'll hear people who use that method post comments of "oh you should give yourself and extra quarter-inch or half inch" They need that extra material left on the log to 'fix' the beam later when it's closer to square and easier to measure/layout.
What an excellent, informative video. I work with sawn beams, but I've been wanting to give some hand hewing a try. It's really hard to find instructional videos that show the whole process and which make as much sense as this one did. Thanks very much Dan.
Usually I watch a video for the 2 minutes out of 30 where I learn something I didn't know. I'm halfway through this and I've learned something from everything that has been said - thank you Mr. Dustin!
What an incredible teacher and craftsman. Truly, this is the best demo on RUclips in my opinion, and I’ve watched many. Dan, I’ve always wanted to learn from you thank you for sharing this. Be well friend.
Thank you for sharing your process..Such a pleasure to watch a master at his craft. I cut down 20 trees on my property ( over 2 weeks) using a chainsaw and after it was all cut and piled i darn near died from exhaustion..LOL.and you make this look easy!....Well done Sir..a pleasure to watch
Excellent Tutorial. I am a Log and Timber builder in Montana with an enfesis on Historic Restoration and a Love for Axes and other vintage tools. Well Done Sir. Thank you
Glad it was helpful! I wonder if we could talk privately about axes and vintage tools? My website is: dandustin.com. Would you be willing to message me from there and we can exchange emails? Thanks in advance!
What an excellent demonstration/lesson. Thank you for explaining the process so thoroughly and for sharing some stories of how you have learned and developed this craft. I feel ready to give it a try now 👍
Hey Dan, more vids your the coolest. I love wood working, I’ve been a farrier and blacksmith for 42 years now. Wood working was my first love as my dad was a wood worker And blacksmith. He taught me young to Square logs rebuilding barns. How the old story goes wish I would have payed better attention to the details. I squared a couple this passed weekend for what yet I don’t know, just did it. Brought back a lot of memories. Think you so much for your videos all of them. Really hope you can make more, awesome stuff bro, thanks again
This was an hour very well spent. Thank you for imparting your knowledge in a mostly unabridged form. The way you left the three stages at the beginning to visualize the steps was a stroke of genius. I've been looking for classes and mentors in this field and have come up short in a big way. I would love to come and learn directly from you given the opportunity. I'm from Vancouver Canada and there is a strong forestry culture but its mostly commercial logging. No old world artisans and craftsmen. Stay well, stay safe.
Best explanation, best end product, coolest guy ever to RUclips a hewing video. Thanks man, I subbed. Idk what you did for a living but if you weren’t a teacher the world missed out.
This video is good and gives a lot of good information. But it is a lot easier to go to the smaller end of the log and make the biggest square out of the end with a framing square. Then transfer the same dimensions to the larger side then snap a little from each corner of the squares and you are ready to start chopping! Great video good luck everybody
It has been very helpful. I am getting into hand hewing through replicating replacement beams that I am using for restorations on old pre 1900's settlers cabins and barns here in MT. Having an indispensable guide to teach the traditional way of hewing has enabled me to fully rescue and restore buildings that are near the end of their life in terms of how much longer they can withstand the elements without fully delapitating. Many of the hand hewn buildings I encounter seem to be made using traditional Scandinavian methods it seems and are treasures to behold and I am glad I can give them a second chance with your help. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and cheers from Montana!
Sounds like you've got yourself a good working system. Check back as I'll have a new video soon, titled "One Broadaxe Head." Thanks for commenting and keep in touch!
This is a master Craftsman at work. You can sense the tension and deleted unspoken words towards the end of the video, no doubt something along the lines of "we paid you good money to hand hew an 18ft beam on video and explain how you did it. Now do it." Need I say... Typical?
I know you know people in the Canterbury area that I know. I used to live with Tom Wilder. Lived in one of Steve Allmans shacks before that. I worked for 3 years with Brian Hutchinson on the sugar shack that sits across from his house. Worked for Web Stout doing surveying the whole time I was down there. Surprised I never came across you. Mark Hopkins and many other fine craftsmen in that area. Great video, thanks.
Great video! I hope you have developed a better hewing method for your old age! Standing on a log is too dangerous (too athletic for me!), although we have very competent orthopedic surgeons, backed by exceptional technology that was unavailable to ancient timber wrights. I use a top hewing technique that keeps the chopper's feet on the ground and the ax out of the ground. I raise the log on bunks to a convenient height, and roll crown side up, and chock it. Since I am not standing on the log, the chocking just needs to keep the log from rolling. I peel the bark before I mark plumb lines on each end, at the desired beam center, then mark the cross sectional ends of the beam. Straight edge axes are used for scoring, the same as a chisel is used for scoring a hinge mortise, and then swung level to release the raised chips. Curved edge axes are useful for finish hewing. As you stated, axes end up with curved edges when they are used for digging. Offset handles are not critical, but they look cool! The first side is hewed by eye, then checked with a taught string and gauge blocks, and adjustments made to straighten the surface. I flip the cant on the fresh hewn face and hew the opposite side in the same manner. The final faces are marked with chalk lines and hewed to the lines in the same top hewed fashion. I control squareness by eye and a framing square, a level is used only for the initial set-up.
Is anyone else scratching their heads about his theory on which side the bevel should be to the work. Most broadaxes have an offset handle to allow the flat side of the broadaxe to the work and the bevel away from it. I'm really curious as to what the correct way is. I've seen other creditable people and literature validating the above but his method makes sense and appears to work beautifully.
I tried both ways and found that with bevel side in, the wood slid off the log. Flat side in tended to bind up. Since then I have found broadaxes where the owner beveled both sides.
I am a little confused too. Mainly, Dan, can you describe how a right-handed broad axe differs from a left-handed one? I would have said that the flat edge needs to be toward the wood. It was made more confusing, because you are left-handed. Should a right-handed person hew with the log to the left of his/her axe? Loved the video. Thanks.
Well he made that look easy ! For some one not use to this work that would have taken at least four times longer. makes it clear why in so many log cabins the timbers only hewn on two sides or not at all.
My son and I are only just starting on our 4th beam hewing project, so we still don't really know what we're doing, but not knowing any better and never having tried anything else, what we've done so far is to hew the top surface of the log while standing or kneeling beside it. I wonder if you could explain any why hewing the sides makes more sense to you. I think the reasons we've hewed the top side instead of the sides are (1) it makes it pretty easy to run a string on both sides of the face we're hewing to define the plane we want to hew and (2) we've been sawing our kerfs instead of chopping out sections every so many inches, and sawing horizontally seems a lot more practical. I'm guessing the reason to hew the sides is mainly just that the biomechanics are better? Standing on the log and chopping between my feet is still kind of intimidating to me, though. Also, I wonder if you have any experience riving hewn beams in two. There's a very large white oak that fell down in a recent storm on my neighbor's property that he said I could have. I'm hoping to get a 16' long roughly 14"x14" heartwood beam out of it and then split it in two with wedges and gluts to get two roughly 7"x14" beams. The plan I'm hoping will work is to hew one face, then score it with an axe and maul, then hew the opposite face (leaving the two sides round), then score my line on that side, and then split it using a dozen or more gluts. Do you have an idea how much hope there would be in that working? Or do you have any other suggestions for how to divide a large beam in two without a sawmill? In any case, thanks very much for what you've shared in this video. It was great!
Hi Patrick! Hewing is geometry: you know the rules -- Euclid taught you in high school. Let him guide you. Also, you can't split white oak. Try if you must, but don't let failure upset you. You might be better off finding someone local with a sawmill. They shouldn't be expensive -- sawmill owners love to have an excuse to run their mill. Good luck!
Thanks so much! If my odds aren't good, I don't want to ruin it, so I think I will find someone with a chainsaw mill that can come to the log -- I don't have any good way of getting the whole log to a mill -- or maybe I'll buy a rip chain and just eyeball it.
I am a little confused too. Mainly, Dan, can you describe how a right-handed broad axe differs from a left-handed one? I would have said that the flat edge needs to be toward the wood. It was made more confusing, because you are left-handed. Should a right-handed person hew with the log to the left of his/her axe? Loved the video. Thanks.
The way you use the hewing ax with the bevel towards the wood made me wonder if it would be the same with an adz. They're always ground the other way. Any thoughts?
Dan, do you recommend an offset eye/handle or straight for hewing axe? If so, I’m right handed and right eye dominant so I’d probably be the opposite of you. Thanks!
Awesome video, and cool to learn about the broad axe, I never would have guessed! So you are left handed? Which means you use a "right handed" broad axe?
A sweetheart pro at work, knows all the ins and outs of trees.ancient Japanese bolt houses following the tree structure. Which two axes are suitable for juggling and hewing flat beams, axes which are easily obtainable and of good enough quality ? Where to find them ? Iam in uk,old English Kent axe heads look good for juggling ? What about Gränsfors broad axe ? Wetterlings axes are no more, sadly. We have Austrian, German and swedish types near U.K. thank you sir.
Hi! Thank you for your very kind words! When Thor Heyerdahl approached Peter Freuchen at the NYC Explorers Club to ask for support for the Kon-Tiki expedition, Freuchen told him to "just get on the water." I would offer similar advice. Use what you have and after a while you'll have opinions. I got my first axe at the Flea market -- not thinking about length, flatness, etc. --and it's what I've been using every since.
Any recommendations on where to purchase the axes? Id like to use this technique for a few projects. I notice there are several styles and handle sizes. Would you mind telling me what would swrve me best as a novice. handle lengths as well. Thank you
Robert, we should talk about this. Would you mind sending me an email using the contact form on my website: dandustin.com? We can then exchange phone numbers. I have lots of opinions -- many of which are probably irrelevant. I really appreciate your interest!
i’m not sure if your still reading comments. but i was wondering if i could just use a felling axe to hew some logs. i don’t have a broad axe and i hope i would be able to use it for some of the poplar, paper birch, black ash and spruce trees around here on the farm in north western ontario
Hi Ethan, the answer is absolutely yes -- you can hew with a felling axe. Grind it as thin as you dare, keep it as sharp as you can, and do ALL your work standing ON the log -- otherwise you'll wind up with it in your leg. My father said he hewed out whatever he needed with an axe and nobody on the Dustin farm ever heard of a broad axe.
Dan Dustin thanks for the reply! helps a lot. and quick question that you’ve probably been asked before, why hew when you can mill? or is it just preserving the skill and history of how things were done back then?
Hi! Sorry for the delay in responding. This is not an easy question. You'll want to look at size, consistency of shape, absence of rot or dead branches. You might want to pose this question to people in your area that deal with wood: loggers, builders, lumbermen, old timers. Good luck!
Ok, for your last very effective hewing axe please tell the length of the axe handle, the length of the axe blade eg 7 inches and weight of the axe ! So I can get an equivalent axe, probably not a modern version. Thank you again for all the guidance.
The one I use the most: handle length: 24 inches, blade back to front: 9 1/4 inches, blade cutting edge (bit): 7 inches, weight 5 pounds. I have a second axe that I use sometimes: handle length: 27 inches, blade back to front: 10 3/4 inches, bit: 10 inches, weight: 5 pounds. Hope this helps!
I think the person that invented to broad axe knows how it’s used your wrong might be right for you but not intended to be used that way when hewing a beam
The flat side of the blade should be next to the log. A single bevel takes more material away than a double bevel. A chisel is flat on one side, the flat side against the wood. The hewing axe is for takng the majority of the wood away. Then you use a adze. A hewing axe as a bent handle leaning away from the log. This is a broad axe, not a hewing axe. There are different types of broad axe.
John, thanks for your comments. What I'm finding is that many woodworking techniques are regional. It really depends on where you're from and what old timer taught you. My techniques come from Norris Patch of Hopkinton NH who was a friend of my grandfather's.
@@dandustin824 wow thanks for answering.. I'm currently looking for a peice of property with enough good trees to build a timber frame house.. I'm poor and figure that would be the least expensive way to build a house.. I just need to find the hand tools lol
@@dandustin824 I am in the same frustrating position as you. However the Heartwood is the structure of the tree and that structure is flexible, stores water & photosynthate (sugar), is able to move in alternating patterns branch unto branch to dampen the effects of the wind, and able to create walls of compartmentalization within itself. When a tree dies, all the leaves & bark starts falling off, and it is obviously a dead tree; it becomes even harder, rigid, inflexible, and susceptible to rot. A living tree behaves a certain way, and a dead tree does not behave at all; rather it just falls apart. It would be like saying my bones are dead because they're dense, centralized, and not as full of water as the rest of me.
The old Australian sleeper cutters would put this fellow in the shade. They would have that beam squared up before he marked his out. Abd I am not joking.
This one's a keeper. Not only showing you "what" , but explaining "why ". Great stuff
Thanks so much!
I’ve watched many videos on hewing and this is by far the most informative and thought out way presented on RUclips. What a great tutor.
Thanks very much!
This is pure gold.
Thank you Dan Dustin.
It's very nice that your showing new people how the old timers did it along way back was done this thank you for sharing your technics
Thank you for watching!
Wow. I learned more about wood structure and axes in the last hour than in the last year. Thank you Mr. Dustin. As someone restoring antique tools as a hobby and getting into hand tool woodworking for practical reasons, this is immensely helpful and informative
Great to hear!
Well said Sir... I feel the same way.... Much Respect from St Petersburg Florida U.S.A
First off... All of the comments posted are my thoughts exactly... Pure Gold... The most informative.... educational that i have found on this historical and amazing craft/art.... This information you present......and hand on trail and effort is priceless...I want to say thank you for your time, knowledge, and dedication also to share it and pass it on. And you Sir are at the top of the game.... I'am newbie in the world of woodcraft... the Old-school techniques are being forgotten... But again... thank you for continuing to carry the torch. Your gift of blood sweat and tears have saved me years of research and trail...Much appreciation for the inspiration to keep us new guys headed in the right direction. Godspeed and safety to all that are involved in theses videos and information...Much Respect from St Petersburg Florida U.S.A.....
Thank you so much, Will!
One of the best hours I have ever spent as a woodworker. Thank you.
Thanks so much!!
It’s rare that I find a video that I don’t hit the skip forward button several times. I watched this one all the way through with eager interest. Thank you for your time and dedication to creating such an amazing instructional video.
Glad you enjoyed it!
What a great video, Mr. Chickadee got me interested in Hewing timber... after watching this video, I am reminiscent of how much better things were taught with instruction when I was growing up.
What a great teacher, articulate and common, in explaining everything.
Also, my favorite comment in the world now, I tell it to my friends when they're trying to do something... lol "The hope is, that after you're done failing all day, maybe the work will be done also"... so good.
You make my day! Thank you!
@@dandustin824 no you made mine... I'm about to build a log cabin on my property and his was perfect. The only part I didnt understand was on the second log, when lining up the other two nail sets, a level was being used with the tape measure, and I couldnt tell what you were looking for or seeing, but it looked like it need to be precise
@@jaih12 The level wasn't necessary. And remember this, (IMHO) there is no wrong way to build a log cabin. All the books overdo it.
@@jaih12 as he assumed that the hewn face of the log is horizontal, he was using the speed level to ensure the tape was horizontal as well. The closer to parallel a face is to the measuring face, the more accurate a marking will be. The more divergent the (plane of the) tape is to the (plane of the) hewn face, the less accurate any measurements will be. This 'distortion' is due to the phenomena of perspective. So he was using the level to set the tape as close to a parallel plane to the hewn face (horizontal), and then using the level to transfer the actual measurement (4" from center, in this case) from the tape down to the hewn face. And even taking all these precautions, after putting his nails down, he still checked the lines to lines width to ensure they were 8".
That's for taking the time to have this filmed, and thanks for putting it up.
i think i prefer your method for layout. it makes a lot more sense, and is fairly minimalist. Who needs logdogs when you have branches and a sapwood hinge locking the tree in place? Less junk to buy and carry into the woods. I was never content with the conventional approach of laying out the timber dimensions on the endgrain. One because getting a perfectly flat and square cut down is difficult without great skill, and two because getting TWO perfectly flat and square cuts to be parallel to each other 18~20+ feet apart is pretty much impossible. And if those faces aren't square and parallel to each other you will not get a true dimension as the beam will taper towards one end or the other. This is why you'll hear people who use that method post comments of "oh you should give yourself and extra quarter-inch or half inch" They need that extra material left on the log to 'fix' the beam later when it's closer to square and easier to measure/layout.
Thanks for your comments!
What an excellent, informative video. I work with sawn beams, but I've been wanting to give some hand hewing a try. It's really hard to find instructional videos that show the whole process and which make as much sense as this one did. Thanks very much Dan.
My pleasure! Thanks so much!
Usually I watch a video for the 2 minutes out of 30 where I learn something I didn't know. I'm halfway through this and I've learned something from everything that has been said - thank you Mr. Dustin!
Thank you for the positive comment, Doug!
My complements to Dan and to the videographer thank you this is a great resource.
Thank you, Cody!
best video of hewing on youtube thank you . From Wales
Many thanks, Jack!
What an incredible teacher and craftsman. Truly, this is the best demo on RUclips in my opinion, and I’ve watched many.
Dan, I’ve always wanted to learn from you thank you for sharing this. Be well friend.
Thanks so much, Dave. You made my day! Feel free to drop by anytime.
Thank you for sharing your process..Such a pleasure to watch a master at his craft. I cut down 20 trees on my property ( over 2 weeks) using a chainsaw and after it was all cut and piled i darn near died from exhaustion..LOL.and you make this look easy!....Well done Sir..a pleasure to watch
Thanks very much!
Excellent Tutorial. I am a Log and Timber builder in Montana with an enfesis on Historic Restoration and a Love for Axes and other vintage tools. Well Done Sir. Thank you
Glad it was helpful! I wonder if we could talk privately about axes and vintage tools? My website is: dandustin.com. Would you be willing to message me from there and we can exchange emails? Thanks in advance!
I've watched quite a few videos and read my share of books on the topic. Thank you for the best explanation on how to hew a timber.
You're very welcome! Thanks for the positive comments.
What an excellent demonstration/lesson. Thank you for explaining the process so thoroughly and for sharing some stories of how you have learned and developed this craft. I feel ready to give it a try now 👍
Glad it was helpful!
Hey Dan, more vids your the coolest. I love wood working, I’ve been a farrier and blacksmith for 42 years now. Wood working was my first love as my dad was a wood worker And blacksmith. He taught me young to Square logs rebuilding barns. How the old story goes wish I would have payed better attention to the details. I squared a couple this passed weekend for what yet I don’t know, just did it. Brought back a lot of memories. Think you so much for your videos all of them. Really hope you can make more, awesome stuff bro, thanks again
Thank you, Fred! I have half a dozen beams piled up right now that I have no immediate use for. I love having a reason to hew every day.
Most delightful video to date. Thank you excellent craftsmanship
So glad you liked it!
This was an hour very well spent. Thank you for imparting your knowledge in a mostly unabridged form. The way you left the three stages at the beginning to visualize the steps was a stroke of genius. I've been looking for classes and mentors in this field and have come up short in a big way. I would love to come and learn directly from you given the opportunity. I'm from Vancouver Canada and there is a strong forestry culture but its mostly commercial logging. No old world artisans and craftsmen. Stay well, stay safe.
Thanks so much, Joe! You'd be welcome anytime.
He certainly have a good speaking voice.
Best explanation, best end product, coolest guy ever to RUclips a hewing video. Thanks man, I subbed. Idk what you did for a living but if you weren’t a teacher the world missed out.
Thanks, Shane!
Thank you Sir for your knowledge
My pleasure!
Dan, thank you, I enjoyed this lesson in hand hewing so very much. So glad that you shared this.
Glad you enjoyed it!
You can always te when your dealing with a true craftsman..this guy is a good teacher and craftsman and that is the best way a man can be in my eyes
Thanks, Robert!
This video is good and gives a lot of good information. But it is a lot easier to go to the smaller end of the log and make the biggest square out of the end with a framing square. Then transfer the same dimensions to the larger side then snap a little from each corner of the squares and you are ready to start chopping! Great video good luck everybody
Dude, the knowledge you have is amazing. I am glad you have chosen to pass it on. Thank you.
I appreciate that! Thanks, Dillan!
I grew up in Maine in the 90's. This video is way nostalgic. Appreciate the education.
Glad you liked it!
Awesome
excellent teacher. reminds me of larry haun
Appreciate the experience. Keep up the good work!
Will do! Thanks for watching!
I like this system a lot.
Thanks, Nathan!
Bloody amazing video. I'm gona do the same off this. I'm a retired professional woodcarver
I wish you much success! Thanks for your comments.
I love listening to this dude. He is extremely wise.
Thanks for the compliment!
This is a beautiful video.
Thanks so much!
Incredible. Amazing to see this work.
Thanks so much! Stay tuned for an update titled "From Tree to Beam Plus 25 Years."
This man is an amazing teacher I wish I could just have 30 minutes in real time with him
Thanks so much!
I have already figured out where the 8 inches go. 🤙
Amazing stuff. Thank you!
Thanks for watching!
I just used this technique to hew my first beam, on a couple acres I got in Maine. Thank you Dan
Thank YOU! You make my day!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. You a great teacher!
Glad it was helpful!
It has been very helpful. I am getting into hand hewing through replicating replacement beams that I am using for restorations on old pre 1900's settlers cabins and barns here in MT. Having an indispensable guide to teach the traditional way of hewing has enabled me to fully rescue and restore buildings that are near the end of their life in terms of how much longer they can withstand the elements without fully delapitating. Many of the hand hewn buildings I encounter seem to be made using traditional Scandinavian methods it seems and are treasures to behold and I am glad I can give them a second chance with your help. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and cheers from Montana!
I love the sound that razor sharp broad axe makes peeling of the chips.
I love that sound, too!
Very detailed video thank you
Thank you for watching!
Best and most informative video you can possibly find! Just to confirm: beveled side towards work flat side out, right? 😁
Right!
Sounds like you've got yourself a good working system. Check back as I'll have a new video soon, titled "One Broadaxe Head." Thanks for commenting and keep in touch!
Love this video!!!
Thank you!
Thank you for sharing! Very informative
Glad it was useful!
Thank you! Valuable information found here!
Thank you, Felix!
"One of the ways to get work done is try every possible way. And once you are done failing.. the job is done"
Sounds like a poster for your shop wall! Lol!
This was so cool to watch. Great information.
Thanks, Haley!
This is a master Craftsman at work. You can sense the tension and deleted unspoken words towards the end of the video, no doubt something along the lines of "we paid you good money to hand hew an 18ft beam on video and explain how you did it. Now do it."
Need I say... Typical?
Brilliant.
Thanks, Taylor!
Thanks for sharing 👍 looks like a lot of work and lots of lay out!
Greg, I took greater pains with the lay out since I was doing the work for Canterbury Shaker Village. I'm not so fussy with my own work.
This guy is a machine he knows what is doing.
Thanks so much!
I know you know people in the Canterbury area that I know. I used to live with Tom Wilder. Lived in one of Steve Allmans shacks before that. I worked for 3 years with Brian Hutchinson on the sugar shack that sits across from his house. Worked for Web Stout doing surveying the whole time I was down there. Surprised I never came across you. Mark Hopkins and many other fine craftsmen in that area. Great video, thanks.
We touch at Mark Hopkins, but otherwise we're ships passing in the night. Thank you for the good words.
Thank you
You're very welcome, Dan!
Great video! I hope you have developed a better hewing method for your old age! Standing on a log is too dangerous (too athletic for me!), although we have very competent orthopedic surgeons, backed by exceptional technology that was unavailable to ancient timber wrights. I use a top hewing technique that keeps the chopper's feet on the ground and the ax out of the ground. I raise the log on bunks to a convenient height, and roll crown side up, and chock it. Since I am not standing on the log, the chocking just needs to keep the log from rolling. I peel the bark before I mark plumb lines on each end, at the desired beam center, then mark the cross sectional ends of the beam. Straight edge axes are used for scoring, the same as a chisel is used for scoring a hinge mortise, and then swung level to release the raised chips. Curved edge axes are useful for finish hewing. As you stated, axes end up with curved edges when they are used for digging. Offset handles are not critical, but they look cool! The first side is hewed by eye, then checked with a taught string and gauge blocks, and adjustments made to straighten the surface. I flip the cant on the fresh hewn face and hew the opposite side in the same manner. The final faces are marked with chalk lines and hewed to the lines in the same top hewed fashion. I control squareness by eye and a framing square, a level is used only for the initial set-up.
Check our Mr. Chickadee on YT.
What you're doing is new to me but makes a lot of sense.
Is anyone else scratching their heads about his theory on which side the bevel should be to the work. Most broadaxes have an offset handle to allow the flat side of the broadaxe to the work and the bevel away from it. I'm really curious as to what the correct way is. I've seen other creditable people and literature validating the above but his method makes sense and appears to work beautifully.
I tried both ways and found that with bevel side in, the wood slid off the log. Flat side in tended to bind up. Since then I have found broadaxes where the owner beveled both sides.
I am a little confused too. Mainly, Dan, can you describe how a right-handed broad axe differs from a left-handed one? I would have said that the flat edge needs to be toward the wood. It was made more confusing, because you are left-handed. Should a right-handed person hew with the log to the left of his/her axe? Loved the video. Thanks.
@@dandustin824 thanks Dan, happy hewing.
What a boss
Thanks!
Well he made that look easy ! For some one not use to this work that would have taken at least four times longer. makes it clear why in so many log cabins the timbers only hewn on two sides or not at all.
Thank you!
When you get done failing, your job is done!----NICE!! That's about right---
Thanks!
Now this here is a string😊
you bet!
@@dandustin824 that sure is some nice hardware and you said that you welded a piece of steel on for the cutting edge right?
@@layt6342 I didn't do the welding, but that's how it was always done by makers.
My son and I are only just starting on our 4th beam hewing project, so we still don't really know what we're doing, but not knowing any better and never having tried anything else, what we've done so far is to hew the top surface of the log while standing or kneeling beside it. I wonder if you could explain any why hewing the sides makes more sense to you. I think the reasons we've hewed the top side instead of the sides are (1) it makes it pretty easy to run a string on both sides of the face we're hewing to define the plane we want to hew and (2) we've been sawing our kerfs instead of chopping out sections every so many inches, and sawing horizontally seems a lot more practical. I'm guessing the reason to hew the sides is mainly just that the biomechanics are better? Standing on the log and chopping between my feet is still kind of intimidating to me, though.
Also, I wonder if you have any experience riving hewn beams in two. There's a very large white oak that fell down in a recent storm on my neighbor's property that he said I could have. I'm hoping to get a 16' long roughly 14"x14" heartwood beam out of it and then split it in two with wedges and gluts to get two roughly 7"x14" beams. The plan I'm hoping will work is to hew one face, then score it with an axe and maul, then hew the opposite face (leaving the two sides round), then score my line on that side, and then split it using a dozen or more gluts. Do you have an idea how much hope there would be in that working? Or do you have any other suggestions for how to divide a large beam in two without a sawmill?
In any case, thanks very much for what you've shared in this video. It was great!
Hi Patrick! Hewing is geometry: you know the rules -- Euclid taught you in high school. Let him guide you. Also, you can't split white oak. Try if you must, but don't let failure upset you. You might be better off finding someone local with a sawmill. They shouldn't be expensive -- sawmill owners love to have an excuse to run their mill. Good luck!
Thanks so much! If my odds aren't good, I don't want to ruin it, so I think I will find someone with a chainsaw mill that can come to the log -- I don't have any good way of getting the whole log to a mill -- or maybe I'll buy a rip chain and just eyeball it.
I am a little confused too. Mainly, Dan, can you describe how a right-handed broad axe differs from a left-handed one? I would have said that the flat edge needs to be toward the wood. It was made more confusing, because you are left-handed. Should a right-handed person hew with the log to the left of his/her axe? Loved the video. Thanks.
It would seem that way to me. My recommendation is you try it whatever way you can think of and see what works best for you.
The way you use the hewing ax with the bevel towards the wood made me wonder if it would be the same with an adz. They're always ground the other way. Any thoughts?
There's no choice with an adze. The bevel is away from the wood.
Dan, do you recommend an offset eye/handle or straight for hewing axe? If so, I’m right handed and right eye dominant so I’d probably be the opposite of you. Thanks!
Bret, I've made and used both. I think it depends upon how you use your axe. In other words, what works best for you.
Awesome video, and cool to learn about the broad axe, I never would have guessed! So you are left handed? Which means you use a "right handed" broad axe?
Thanks, John. I honestly never thought about broad axes being right or left-handed.
A sweetheart pro at work, knows all the ins and outs of trees.ancient Japanese bolt houses following the tree structure. Which two axes are suitable for juggling and hewing flat beams, axes which are easily obtainable and of good enough quality ? Where to find them ? Iam in uk,old English Kent axe heads look good for juggling ? What about Gränsfors broad axe ? Wetterlings axes are no more, sadly. We have Austrian, German and swedish types near U.K. thank you sir.
Hi! Thank you for your very kind words! When Thor Heyerdahl approached Peter Freuchen at the NYC Explorers Club to ask for support for the Kon-Tiki expedition, Freuchen told him to "just get on the water." I would offer similar advice. Use what you have and after a while you'll have opinions. I got my first axe at the Flea market -- not thinking about length, flatness, etc. --and it's what I've been using every since.
Dan, it doesn’t mention in the video, but how long did you let the beam dry before installing it as a joist?
My recommendation would be to install the beam as soon as possible and let it dry in place.
Any recommendations on where to purchase the axes? Id like to use this technique for a few projects. I notice there are several styles and handle sizes. Would you mind telling me what would swrve me best as a novice. handle lengths as well. Thank you
Robert, we should talk about this. Would you mind sending me an email using the contact form on my website: dandustin.com? We can then exchange phone numbers. I have lots of opinions -- many of which are probably irrelevant. I really appreciate your interest!
Robert, also see my reply to DRJMF1 above. Thanks again!
i’m not sure if your still reading comments. but i was wondering if i could just use a felling axe to hew some logs. i don’t have a broad axe and i hope i would be able to use it for some of the poplar, paper birch, black ash and spruce trees around here on the farm in north western ontario
Hi Ethan, the answer is absolutely yes -- you can hew with a felling axe. Grind it as thin as you dare, keep it as sharp as you can, and do ALL your work standing ON the log -- otherwise you'll wind up with it in your leg. My father said he hewed out whatever he needed with an axe and nobody on the Dustin farm ever heard of a broad axe.
Dan Dustin thanks for the reply! helps a lot. and quick question that you’ve probably been asked before, why hew when you can mill? or is it just preserving the skill and history of how things were done back then?
@@ethankamphof3014 that certainly
@@ethankamphof3014 Certainly preserving the skill and history is important to me. The result is also more beautiful than a milled beam.
wow
Thanks!
That's cool.Wish I could hew my own logs and build me a log cabin
You could, Charles!
How does one recognize the strengths and weakness signs of a tree i will be using this for building my first home. Thank you
Hi! Sorry for the delay in responding. This is not an easy question. You'll want to look at size, consistency of shape, absence of rot or dead branches. You might want to pose this question to people in your area that deal with wood: loggers, builders, lumbermen, old timers. Good luck!
me long lost da
It s many years I am searching for a clear way to measure the right squaring. This is the first time a find it.
Glad to be of help. Best of luck!
👋👋
Ok, for your last very effective hewing axe please tell the length of the axe handle, the length of the axe blade eg 7 inches and weight of the axe ! So I can get an equivalent axe, probably not a modern version. Thank you again for all the guidance.
The one I use the most: handle length: 24 inches, blade back to front: 9 1/4 inches, blade cutting edge (bit): 7 inches, weight 5 pounds. I have a second axe that I use sometimes: handle length: 27 inches, blade back to front: 10 3/4 inches, bit: 10 inches, weight: 5 pounds. Hope this helps!
I think the person that invented to broad axe knows how it’s used your wrong might be right for you but not intended to be used that way when hewing a beam
Just remember that the skills have to be handed down to others and not through family because Shakers are celabate.
Good call!
The flat side of the blade should be next to the log. A single bevel takes more material away than a double bevel. A chisel is flat on one side, the flat side against the wood. The hewing axe is for takng the majority of the wood away. Then you use a adze. A hewing axe as a bent handle leaning away from the log. This is a broad axe, not a hewing axe. There are different types of broad axe.
John, thanks for your comments. What I'm finding is that many woodworking techniques are regional. It really depends on where you're from and what old timer taught you. My techniques come from Norris Patch of Hopkinton NH who was a friend of my grandfather's.
Can you do this to pine trees?
You bet!
I wonder how long he lets the trees season out?
Not at all! The greener the better for hand hewing.
@@dandustin824 wow thanks for answering.. I'm currently looking for a peice of property with enough good trees to build a timber frame house.. I'm poor and figure that would be the least expensive way to build a house.. I just need to find the hand tools lol
@@waynemartin7574 I have good luck with flea markets for hand tools. Hope your search is successful!
Tue craftsman
Thank you!
Can I axe you a question?
Ha ha! Of course!
This guy is going to have bad shoulder one day
Not yet! It's the knees that are going.
Hand hewing? Is there such a thing as machine hewing? Foot hewing?
I never thought of that! Thanks for the chuckle, Martin.
@@dandustin824 I've noticed that people often say "hand hewing" a lot. I catch myself doing it sometimes.
Heartwood is not dead
Could you do some research and tell me more? Everything I see on the internet says that is dead. Thanks!
@@dandustin824 I am in the same frustrating position as you. However the Heartwood is the structure of the tree and that structure is flexible, stores water & photosynthate (sugar), is able to move in alternating patterns branch unto branch to dampen the effects of the wind, and able to create walls of compartmentalization within itself. When a tree dies, all the leaves & bark starts falling off, and it is obviously a dead tree; it becomes even harder, rigid, inflexible, and susceptible to rot. A living tree behaves a certain way, and a dead tree does not behave at all; rather it just falls apart. It would be like saying my bones are dead because they're dense, centralized, and not as full of water as the rest of me.
"Trees cut with axes are easy to pull with horses because they have a point on the end" why not just saw a point??
Good idea! But I can't answer for history. I've never known anyone to do it.
Real men don't wear gloves, nor eye protection. Just like in the old days.
Lol!
The old Australian sleeper cutters would put this fellow in the shade. They would have that beam squared up before he marked his out. Abd I am not joking.
Too right, mate!