Define Butchering

[Albert A Rasch]

Fellows,

 

If you would be so kind as to define "Butchering" as related to the smithing trade. I did several searches and permutations thereof, but I still don't know what it means. Usually it revolves around something like: "I will butcher the shaft and then..."

 

I had never heard the phrase until yesterday in a comment on a Youtube video, and then three times today here on the site!

 

Thanks!

Albert

[basher]

as I understand it butchering is the process where you make a partial cut into the steel in order to segregate material . you can then forge the material down separately from the main body of the bar. A butcher tool will often have one side perpendicular to the blade edge and one angled side this leaves a 90DEG step in the work and a taper to work into.

[Albert A Rasch]

Ahhh,
 
That makes sense in the context I saw it in initially. They were talking about forging a stump anvil, and that makes sense now.
 
Thanks for your time in answering!
 
Albert

[bigfootnampa]

In addition to Basher's comments; a butcher tool is usually slightly blunt on the "cutting edge" so that the joint between the parent material and the butchered mass will be slightly radiused and thus less apt to form stress cracks.  Such a butcher tool could be a top tool, a chisel or a hardy tool.  An anvil corner is often used as a handy substitute for a butcher tool though it is generally not as suitable for more critical operations.

[GNJC]

Albert, take a squint at John B's post 'Introduction to blacksmith's tools' in the tools I.D. section. It shows a butcher and its follow-up tool the side-set hammer. I think he as also done a tutorial on tenon making showing their use step by step - but I can't find that.

 

I only started using a butcher last summer and only made my self a side-set just before Yule. (In fact, in my case it is a front-set, more helpful for me for various reasons...) Both make a huge difference when forging rivets, tenons and so forth - the job is quiker and simpler.

[Frank Turley]

I first learned about the butcher as a top tool in the British COSIRA book, "Wrought Ironwork" with reference to tenon making. The base of the tenon was demarcated with a butcher, the beveled side facing the tenon end, and the straight side facing the bar length. The photos appeared to show an incurve to the blade length, so I made mine like that. After using it for a while, I noticed that the all around notch that it made could be used as a decorative device, especially on bases of tapered, top pickets or other finials.

[Tubbe]

Here's Johns post regarding tenon making:

 

http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/29317-tenon-making/

[Albert A Rasch]

Wow, thanks guys!

 

Imagine that, I am not kidding, I have never, to my recollection, heard the term until yesterday, and I have collected smithing books for thirty years, and even more reference material since Al Gore invented the internet . Looking at Mr John's tutorial, I recognize the tool from illustrations, but if you had shown me that day before yesterday I would have called it a handled hot cutter. The side sets I was familiar with, if not their appropriate use.

 

Thanks again for elucidating on the subject, As always I appreciate the time, energy, and effort you all put into helping out!

 

Regards,

Albert

[eric sprado]

I have a butchering tool for my little Fly Press and it is invaluable for making tenons. Always butcher a little LESS(meaning leave some extra material) than you want the final tenon to be. Just like cutting a board it's hard to put material back when you cut it too short!! I'll try to take a picture of my butcher and post it here later on today..

[Michael]

When Peter Ross came to the CBA demo back in October, he made mention of some disagreement among the West Coast smiths about the historical provenance of butcher tools.  According to Mr. Ross, there is no historical evidence of butcher tools being used in 18th century smithys.

[Albert A Rasch]

And thus does another bitter rivalry begin...

 

"And in today's breaking news, a Hammer-In erupted in violence when angry Smith/Academics produced butcher tools and said... "

 

Albert

[Frank Turley]

Peter Ross is an antiquarian and reliquarian (I made up the second word). He has researched the heck out of American colonial and immediate post-colonial smithery. He is familiar with the written literature and archeological findings.

 

In terms of tools used, the search goes on. Part of scholarshop is educated guesswork. I was at a Ross workshop where he supposed that hot filing was probably not done in colonial times, because the steel was too dear and the manufacture of the file was too labor intensive; one would ruin the file by loss of temper and loading of pins. I think that if we find a butcher in an archeological dig of the proper period, then we would have evidence.

 

All seriousness aside, I enjoyed Albert's breaking news.

[John McPherson]

I have met a few scholars who had FSA or FSA Scot after their names (Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, either London or Scotland, depending).

 

Maybe we need an FSA Blacksmith group. We could start with Postman, Meier, Turley and Ross. Who else? Ah, the stimulating roundtables with heated intellectual exchanges on "What did they know, and when did they know it?" It makes one positively giddy to think on it, eh wot? :wacko: 

 

Seriously, I am working with a local museum to build a replica of an 1830 smithy, and period authenticity is hard to document on any but the largest tools. You can narrow down anvil patterns, bellows styles, coal vs charcoal, even aprons, but hardy tools, swage blocks, hammer patterns are much harder. The existence of hot rasping, butchers and so much else is inference from the finished products. Which is pretty durn scarce, hereabouts.

[FieryFurnace]

Isn't that when you crack open the air gate to heat up a piece your about 3/4-the way done with, and you forget about it and you hear it sparkling across the shop over the noise of the blower and band saw running?

 

Just sayin'!

[Albert A Rasch]

Fellows,

 

if you really want to see/read some heated history related arguments, check out any primitive arts/muzzleloading/reenactment sites. People have actually been known to come to blows at events (so I've been told) over time period authenticity. I once asked what I thought was an innocent question about French and Indian War era Colonials and bayonets, and you would have thought I was questioning the merits of a Beck's rifle. (That's serious btw.) The long and the short of it was Provincials like myself would have no business possessing a bayonet for my fowler.As bayonets were the property of the Crown, I was obviously a scoundrel, and wouldn't be welcome at the rendezvous anyway.

Provincial?

Me?

 

I'm not sure they were kidding either...

 

Regards,

Albert

[Francis Trez Cole]

an other use for the butcher is to score round bar to cut in a  rope pattern. 

[Frosty]

The one thing I haven't seen said in so many words is the bevel pattern of a butcher. not being a scholar I'll gladly bow to superior knowledge. From my experience butchers are single beveled, one straight face and the other face beveled to meet at the working edge. I have a sharp butcher for cutting working pieces from the bar, it leaves all the pinch on one piece so my bar has a nice clean square edge and the pinch is all on the work piece.

 

I also have a radiused butcher for shouldering, I think of it as an acute fuller though that's just me.

 

When did butchers first occur? Uh, when the first smith decided the corner of his anvil wasn't the right tool? Or maybe when an apprentice didn't make a hot hardy or hot cut right and the master decided to make him try using it? That would be serendipity, Keep your eyes open for serendipitous things, that's why I keep track of my mistakes. What doesn't work as planned could well be perfect for something else.

 

Good news flash Albert gave me a chuckle. I don't know how often something like that'd happen though, ask two smiths a question and get three or more answers.

 

Frosty The Lucky.