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Timber Beams Hewn Square from the Log
Before sawmills, beams for frames and machines were hewn square from the log with axes. Snap a chalk line, score notches down to it, knock out the wood between them (juggling), then hew the face smooth to the line with a broadaxe. Turn the log and do each side.
The picture: shipwrights with broadaxes hewing timbers for a ship, about 1915–1920 (Bain News Service, Library of Congress).
Intermediate
A day per beam
Instructions
1
1
Set the log up and mark
Set the log up and mark
Block the log off the ground so it cannot roll. Mark the beam's outline on both ends with the square and snap chalk lines along the log between them.
Materials for this step:
Log1 pieceTools needed:
Try Square
Chalk Line2
2
Score
Score
Stand on the log and chop notches every 30 cm or so, almost down to the line.
Tools needed:
Axe
Hard Hat3
3
Juggle
Juggle
Knock off the blocks of wood between the notches with the axe, leaving a rough face just short of the line.
Tools needed:
Axe4
4
Hew to the line
Hew to the line
Hew the face smooth to the chalk line with the broadaxe, working from the bottom of the stem upward.
Tools needed:
Broadaxe5
5
Turn and repeat
Turn and repeat
Roll the log a quarter turn, snap new lines from the end marks, and hew the next face. Check the corners with the square; dress any high spots with the adze.
Tools needed:
Chalk LineTry Square
Adze6
6
The biggest beam in a log
The biggest beam in a log
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