Trimming is the process of forming a straight edge on a wooden log using hand tools like axes. It’s commonly used in log cabin construction and involves marking and notching the log before chopping it with a sharp tool. The result is rustic, hand-crafted lumber.
Trimming is the process of forming a straight edged wooden log. The term generally refers to carrying out the process using only hand tools, such as different types of axes. In modern construction, power tools are sometimes used to give the appearance of hand-hewn logs.
Perhaps the best known example of cutting is in the construction of log cabins, barns and other buildings. On the U.S. frontier and other places where tools for planing lumber from logs were not readily available, plowing was a common method of creating one or more flat sides on a log. The flat surfaces carved into the logs provided a tighter fit for construction. In modern times, cut lumber is prized for its rustic appearance and hand-crafted quality.
Trimmed lumber is created from a felled tree or a log cut from a felled tree. Often the first step is to debark the stump, but a stump can also be cut with the bark still attached. The trunk is placed on stabilizing supports called iron dogs or cribs.
Next, the log is marked with a pencil or chalk line to show where it should be cut. The lines serve as a guide for notching, the process of removing excess wood from the trunk before cutting it. The hacking is often done using a power saw or a plane, but to truly produce hand-hewn lumber, it is done with an axe. It is typically done using a felling ax, the type of single-bladed ax often used to chop firewood. The person scoring the stump uses the ax to cut through the stump every few inches (about 7 cm), removing large chunks of wood being careful not to cut beyond the scored line.
The actual chopping is often done using a broadaxe, an ax with a slightly curved blade larger than that of the felling axe. Felling axes or axes are also sometimes used to cut timber. The blade of whatever tool is used to cut should be very sharp for precision and efficiency.
A person chopping log holds the ax with one hand near the head of the ax and the other further down on the handle. Short, controlled strokes of the ax are used to remove the wood a little at a time along the marked lines. The angle of the ax is important in removing the right amount of wood. A skillfully hand-hewn log will have a level, but still slightly rough surface.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
