Hewing facts for kids
Hewing is an old way of shaping wood using an axe. It means cutting a log to make it flat on one or more sides, turning it into useful lumber. People have used hewing for thousands of years, long before modern machines existed.
Before the industrial era, hewing was the main way to create strong wood beams for buildings. Today, sawmills do most of this work. However, hewing is still used sometimes, especially for special projects or to keep old traditions alive.
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What is Hewing?
The word hew means to strike, chop, or cut with a tool like an axe or sword. You might hear it used when talking about warfare, cutting stone, or even mining coal.
When we talk about hewing wood, it means shaping a log with a sharp tool, usually an axe. The goal is to make one or more sides of the log flat and smooth. This turns a round tree trunk into a square or rectangular piece of wood.
Steps to Hew a Log
People have been hewing wood since ancient times, so there are different ways to do it. But generally, the process involves four main steps.
Preparing the Log
First, a tree is chosen and cut down. Hewing can happen right where the log falls, or the log can be moved to a special work area.
The log is usually placed across two smaller logs to lift it off the ground. To keep it steady, the support logs might have notches, or a long iron bar with teeth can hold it. Then, the person doing the hewing measures and marks lines along the log. This is often done with a chalk line.
Scoring the Log
The next step is called scoring. This means making notches (cuts) every foot or two along the log. These notches are cut almost as deep as the marked line.
There are a few ways to score a log:
- One way is to stand on the log and swing an axe downwards to make the notches.
- In Germany, two carpenters might stand on the ground. The log is placed on trestles (supports), and they swing their axes downwards.
- Sometimes, a chainsaw is used to quickly make the notches.
Joggling or Juggling
After scoring, the next step is called joggling or juggling. In this step, the pieces of wood between the notches are knocked off with an axe.
This removes a lot of wood quickly, leaving a rough surface. It makes the final hewing step much easier because most of the extra wood is already gone.
The Final Hewing
The last step is the actual hewing. (The whole process is also called hewing). This part is done on the sides of the log using a special axe called a broadaxe.
Hewing usually starts from the bottom of the log and moves upwards towards where the top of the tree was. This helps prevent wood fibers from breaking and moving inwards, which could weaken the beam.
It's also possible to use an adze to hew the top surface of a log. In the past, shipbuilders often used adzes to shape ship timbers. The tool chosen (axe or adze) depends on where the log is and what part needs shaping. Axes are best for the sides, and adzes are good for the top.
After the main hewing is done, other tools can be used to make the surface even smoother. These tools include a hand plane, a drawknife, or a yariganna.
Hewing Today
Using hand-hewn beams in new buildings is quite rare now. However, old hand-hewn beams taken from historic buildings are often reused.
These old beams are also popular as decor in some modern buildings. They add a unique, rustic look that reminds people of older times.
Images for kids
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In some medieval Scandinavian buildings, a special hewing method created a herringbone pattern on the timbers. This is a modern example in Stråsjö Chapel in Hälsingland, Sweden.
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Stråsjö Chapel
See also
In Spanish: Labrado artesanal para niños
