Description

The Froe

A froe is a precision wood splitting tool, used by greenwood workers or ‘bodgers’ for hundreds of years to split green wood accurately. This modern version of the froe is precision milled from quality steel and supplied with a polished hardwood handle. Full instructions for using the froe are provided – a summary is given below. The blade is about 10.5 inches long, or about 12 inches long including the eye.

How To Use

Your log should be no wider than the length of the blade, and ideally not more than 16 – 18 inches long if you want to split it in one blow.

Make sure that the log can stand stably on its own and place the froe blade across the middle of the log. Try to avoid splitting through the middle of large knots if possible.

Holding the handle lightly but firmly, hit the middle of the blade smartly with a large wooden mallet or maul, ideally made from another length of log as otherwise it won’t have the required weight. Do not use a metal mallet or hammer.

The log should split with one or two blows. If the wood is very resistant to splitting (e.g. old oak) then consider making up a couple of wooden wedges beforehand to assist with the splitting.

If splitting staves from longer pieces of wood, you should consider using a riving brake – details of how to do this are available from me or online.