How to sharpen a froe

[Glenn]

When making a froe for riving wood, if the froe a double bevel, single bevel.
If a single bevel, which side of the froe is the bevel located, or which side of the froe is the straight side located (making it left or right handed) ?

[njanvilman]

The antique ones that I have are center edged. I would think that if making one for a specific type of wood, a little experimenting would reveal the optimum bevel location and angle.

[archiphile]

Glenn just smooth out the edge on your grinder/sander and file it like you would and axe or a drawknife. It doesn't have to be particularly sharp just keen. That is a rather poor discription but it is the best that I can do at the moment.

[archiphile]

The antique ones that I have are center edged. I would think that if making one for a specific type of wood, a little experimenting would reveal the optimum bevel location and angle.

Thirty degree usually works best.

[Glenn]

If a froe is center edged (double bevel) that I understand.

My question is more toward the single bevel (if they are made that way) Let us say the user is right handed (hammer or maul hand) then the handle would be used in the left hand. Is the bevel toward the user (straight back side away)? OR is the straight side toward the user and the bevel on the back (away) side from the user?

[Frank Turley]

The few old ones I've seen have no included angle nor bevel. The cross section was totally wedge shaped, a triangular section. This requires lots of forging and perhaps sanding for a finish. This shape apparently allowed for easier riving. Ideally, the eye is shouldered a little ways above the blade edge to keep the haft from interfering with the action of the froe. The eye is a loop weld and when finished, should be tapered, the larger end on the blade edge side. The tapered haft is inserted, therefore, "from the bottom upwards." This is supposed to keep the haft from being knocked off through repeated use with the froe club. I have made a couple of them out of mild steel. I welded the eye straight and then tapered it over the floor mandrel.

In the Foxfire books, there was an expression, "This knife is dull as a froe." This referred to the fact that most old froes were made of wrought iron or mild steel. They didn't need to be "keen." They were used for riving on the end grain, not for for cutting.

http://www.turleyforge.com Granddaddy of Blacksmith Schools

[bigfootnampa]

Glenn; ALL of the ones that I have or have seen are beveled both sides. The old ones were NOT sharp... "dull as a froe" is an old way to describe a dummy. They do work best with long bevels IMO. The old ones that I have and have seen mostly had bevels the full width of the blades and were between 1/2" and 5/8" thick at the back... IME they work better than newer thinner blades. Another thing that a basketmaker I met told me was that the handles should curve slightly toward the blades for best performance... a feature that you will find on many older ones but that I have never seen on modern models. Of course if your bevel runs to the full width of the blade... it makes NO difference whether it was worked up from one side or both... only partial width bevels have a difference regarding which side was beveled. My reading has turned up the info that the most favored material for a froe club was Hackberry root. Just a little lagniappe there. (:-)

[Frosty]

I've never seen a single beveled froe. all the ones I've seen have been long wedges. However if someone wanted one single beveled, I'd put the bevel on the far side so any splinter, etc. that got thrown would be traveling away from the user.

Frosty the Lucky.

[Mainely,Bob]

A froe is basically a wedge with a lever attached.The ones I have worked with and like the most have a blade that has a shape as Frank said.The edge only needs to be sharp enough to not bounce on the wood when you hit it.Some woods require a more keen edge than others but none require anything near as sharp as a felling axe.No honing required,these are splitting tools remember and don`t cut anything.
Up here the best froe clubs are made from dogwood saplings,a fine grained wood.The trunk becomes the handle and the root ball becomes the head.The interlocking grain of the root ball keeps the head from breaking up.If cut during the winter the bark stays on and provides a pretty good grip on the handle,even for a gloved hand.The roots are usually just trimmed back with a hatchet and the root ball formed to roughly round.

[HWooldridge]

Well, I never handled an antique so in my ignorance, I made my froes single bevel. The handle is on the left since I am right handed; the straight side is nearest me and the bevel opposite facing. That way, (I reasoned to myself at the time) the wood would tend to rive off away from both me and the block of wood. It seems to work and I have used mine several times. As others have stated, I did not sharpen mine to a razor edge and left it thin but dull. I reckon a double bevel would also work just fine.

[Glenn]

Jerry Carroll says his froe is a single bevel with the straight side toward him during use.

It is an interesting discussion on a simple tool. Thank you for your replies and keep them coming.

[bigfootnampa]

Bob that is really neat info! I bet they did the Hackberry clubs similarly! I am gonna make me one now! I have cheated by using the "Big Orange" (poly sledge) and sometimes a two pound cross peen... but now I'm going out and get a sapling and make me a real froe club! I have about ten acres of woods so there oughta be one just right out there. I am so happy to know guys like you that can teach me this stuff! I have searched pretty widely in print and talked to lots of craftspeople too and I never could understand just how they made a club from a root... now I know and I thank YOU so! I have met you on other forums too and am continually amazed at the depth and breadth of your knowledge! You have personally enriched my life by sharing it! Thank you VERY much SIR!

[Mainely,Bob]

No thanks to me,thank the folks who took the time to show me the stuff I know so I could pass it on.
Knowledge is like water,we soak up as much of it as we can and are all worthy vessels for it.Like water,if we try to store it up and keep it all to ourselves it just evaporates.If we share it we all come away refreshed and ready to go back to work.

[ianinsa]

Hi All,
To clarify I am posting tounge in cheek!
In this part of the world 'frou' and pronounced the same is an endearing term for "the wife" and verbalising that you have one that needs to sharpen up would possibly get you a 'klap'(a smack of note).
Therefore please forgive me if I don't mention wheather mine has a single or double bevel and/or anything about 'weather or not I keep the straight side towards me during use' All I would say is that I would not swap/trade-in nor scrap my frou.
I loved this topic!Thanks.
Ian

[ThomasPowers]

My Frau came with a froe made from an auto spring, single bevel, bevel to the front, handle to the right. And yes it's supposed to be dull as you don't want to cut fibers but split them. If you don't have brash wood (easy to split), then you shouldn't be trying to use a froe on it!

[Cross Pein]

Great thread - pardon my ignorance but-
Can anyone post some pictures of froes and clubs - I'm gonna need one and I don't have a clue.

Thanks,
Bill

[eric sprado]

I made a number of froes in the 70's in Kodiak for folks in the "back to earth" times up there. I used auto springs with the eye still in. Flat side away from user and beveled side toward user. That's what they asked for ,but I don't think anybody had an old one to go from. They worked fine.The older ones I've seen since then were sort of double beveled... the edges were quite flat from back of blade to the edge so they probably worked same way for either right or left hander...

[John McPherson]

Cross Pein: Google is your friend.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Froe

[Glenn]

To update the thread, I used the froe to rive some wood for kindling for the fire. Much easier to use than an axe because as you could place the froe where you wanted the thickness of the wood rather than where the axe fell. On straight grain oak it was more fun than work. Now it is just a matter of a couple pieces of paper, a few pieces of wood, a shovel full of coal and the forge is hot before you know it. (Yes i use it to start the fires in the stove also.)

[Steve Sells]

Nice to see that old style tools are not just froe away items :D

[bigfootnampa]

Yes I agree Glenn. I like to use mine when splitting handle stock and spoon blanks. I think it much safer than using an ax or hatchet. I like it for splitting kindling to light the forge too (mostly I use small scrap from my handle or spoon making for this).

[Old N Rusty]

old tools froever!