I visit the blacksmith shop of Paul Krzyszoski (Toronto Blacksmith) to watch him forge me a hewing axe (Viking broad axe style) for some upcoming timber frame building projects at my wilderness homestead (at the log cabin in the forest). The biggest project this year will be the workshop, which I plan to build using timber framing techniques combine with log cabin building and stone masonry.
I'm considering making at
least one wall cordwood with sawdust and concrete and the remaining
walls; squared timbers (which I'll do with the hewing axe). All of this
will sit on a field stone foundation. I may build the woodshop on top of
the stone cellar since the cellar will be mostly underground and can
essentially function as the basement of the shop. I'm not sure about
this yet as I need to excavate the ground by hand once the snow melts to
see how deep the bedrock is and how difficult it is to dig in the rocky
soil.
Paul does awesome work, forging axes, adzes, log dogs and other timber
framing tools.
Very cool work. It brings back memories. I spent 30 years working in a drop forge. Never made any axes like that but in my down time I made a fair share of knives and swords. Most of out hammers were huge compared to the one he used. But we did have a couple small trip hammers like the one he used.
ReplyDeleteBadger
Thanks and did you ever have an accident?
DeleteYa, missing two fingers on my left hand. But seen much worse. One killed, two men lost arms, and one lost a hand.
DeleteBadger
Thanks and looking at him work so quickly made me think of that.
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