Making shingles with a froe - video

**Jon** · Aug 10, 2018, 11:46 AM

Making shingles with a froe.

Previously: Thatching a roof - GIF and photo

**Jon** · Aug 10, 2018, 05:12 PM

Just noticed the cool mallet he's using.

**12bolts** · Aug 11, 2018, 01:42 AM

Thats nice grain in there. Any idea what sort of wood that is?

Phil

**12L14** · Aug 11, 2018, 01:29 PM

Some alder maybe?

**Philip Davies** · Aug 12, 2018, 09:39 AM

Surely shingles are radial?

**hemmjo** · Oct 7, 2022, 06:14 AM

Originally Posted by 12L14

Some alder maybe?

Alder is not naturally weather resistant so would not be a good choice for shingles. Alder is a nice straight grain wood, but more useful for indoor use but it is soft and prone to physical damage. Also alder bark is not textured like the bark on that bolt he is splitting. More likely that is some type of cedar or cypress.

**12L14** · Oct 7, 2022, 04:33 PM

Walnut then?

**hemmjo** · Oct 7, 2022, 06:28 PM

Originally Posted by 12L14

Walnut then?

Definitely not walnut. Walnut always, unless it is very young, has light outside section(sapwood) surrounding the rich dark inner wood (heartwood). The bark is also much more coarse.

These are walnut logs.

Making shingles with a froe - video-new_home_banner_img.jpg

More likely the log being split some type of cedar or cypress.

**12L14** · Oct 8, 2022, 04:03 PM

Chestnut - full video below:

**hemmjo** · Oct 9, 2022, 05:21 AM

Very good. I never give chestnut much thought as there so little left in the US. Personally, I have never seen a mature chestnut tree. I did have an opportunity to make someone a threshold for a door from a piece they got from an old barn. It was nice to work with so I did my best to find out what it was. Near as I could tell it was chestnut. Probably approaching 200 years old.

Wood is indeed fascinating.