Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
What axe & foe for chair making
Jim in Burlington Ontario
>I need to pick up a hatchet or axe and a foe for chair making. The problem is which one? I have seen a few nice ones at LV and there is a flat sided hatchet in the Woodcraft the Kent Broad hatchet. As for a Foe I was thinking of making one can you weld 01 tools steel? Thanks Jim
Halt! Are you foe or Froe???
Brad in Ottawa
>Jim,
Do you mean a froe? I have never heard of a foe for chair making.
I can't help you otherwise than to suggest you get in touch with John Hoffman. He posted a little further down about his class with Dave Fleming.
Better yet look at the contact information and call Dave and ask him! (That is if no one here has an answer!)
Brad
& foe for chair making ....car spring
gtools
>You can make a decent froe from a car or truck spring....the handle hole is ready made.......try a used car parts junk yard...should be cheap enough.....
Re: & foe for chair making ....car spring
Jim in Burlington Ontario
>Great idea never thought of using anything like that. I was thinking how much work it would be to bend it around a pipe. Should be able to pick some up cheap. Thanks
Re: What axe & foe for chair making
Adam Cherubini, NJ
>Jim,
As far as I know, making a froe is easy for a blacksmith, but for the rest of us...You might be better off buying one. There are several good froe makers out there. Try genuine forgery, or Drew Langsner.
I forget his first name (I'm thinking Gary, but he's the cartoonist) but he wrote a book about such things entitled "Toolmaking for woodworkers" The author's name is Larsen.
I don't know jack about chair making, but I'd get the biggest baddest froe you can get. I have a basket froe and I've bent it pretty good.
Otherwise, you should have a basic kit of green woodworking tools. The broad hatchet is really for hewing. Nice to have, but probably not necessary. I haven't sprung for the Gransfors Bruks tools yet but they sure are pretty.
I've had success with really basic stuff, wedges, wooden gluts, $2 flea market hatchet, wooden beetle. See Roy Underhill's books. Don't discount the really crude stuff. In my experience, green woodworking gets easier with experience. Its not so sensitive to tools.
Anyway, good luck with the chair making. Working with green wood is great experience. I do it more and more.
Adam
That would be Ray Larsen
Bob Hackett
>The book is,"Tool Making for Woodworkers,ISBN 0-9643999-4-6.It`s published by Cambium Press.It`s an excellent book for the beginning toolmaker.
MB
Re: What axe & foe for chair making *LINK*
Scott Quesnelle Guelph
>I would make your froe from mild steel. Just heat it up, bend it around. Rivet it and maybe a small weld. Grind the edge and you are in business.
Check out the Iforge section at anvilfire for a demo of making a froe. I plan to forge one up this summer from mild steel.
No help on the hatchet though.
Scott in Guelph
Anvilfire
Re: What axe & foe for chair making
John Hoffman
>I attended a chair making class in Cobden Ontario given by Guitar Dave Fleming. Dave explained that although there are a lot of froe's, adze'z and inshaves out there for chairmaking, a lot of them have problems. Main problems being the angle of the bevel to the handles etc (it gets a little beyond my one chair abilities). Anyway you may want to contact him and consider taking a class as it will take years off anyones learning curve. If you find a good source for these tools please post as I am also in the market for them.
John H.
Fleming is at Spokeshave Woodwork (613)646-2356