Cedar Shake and Shingle Information

Started by conohawk, March 08, 2005, 03:52:27 PM

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conohawk

I am going to use cedar shingles on the exterior walls of several buildings.  Being new to this material, I was delighted to come upon this handy bit of information today:

http://www.cedarbureau.org/techinfo/wallmanual/wallmanualcontents.html

My thanks to Marni at WoodRoof.com for emailing the link to me.

glenn kangiser

We used to hand make our own shakes in Oregon with a fro and I think it was called a mallet although it looked more like a club made from a 4"or so tree limb to drive the fro through the shake bolt.
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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conohawk

QuoteWe used to hand make our own shakes in Oregon with a fro and I think it was called a mallet although it looked more like a club made from a 4"or so tree limb to drive the fro through the shake bolt.

What size piece of cedar do you start out with when making them by hand?  I don't have a picture in my mind of the process.

I imagine these shakes would dry out pretty quickly.  Then again, would it even matter if they were nailed on before seasoning?


glenn kangiser

#3
I think shingles are usually sawn and shakes are split.

The bolts -think large squared  block of wood- would be the length you wanted for your shakes.  As I remember we were cutting long ones at about 24 inches.  18" would give you more rows of shakes for coverage of the same area.

A bolt 10 inches wide across the face of the growth rings would give you 10" wide shakes x whatever depth the bolt was.  Shakes are split off the sides that would show all grow rings as opposed to the sides that would show the surface of one or two growth rings- make sense ???

Splitting shakes from one end then the other end gives you tapered shakes with cedar - splitting from the same end gives straight  shakes -I read somewhere.  We always swapped ends when we did it.

A Froe is a straight knife blade about 1/4 inch thick x 2 1/2"inches wide -18" long and sharp on the bottom  as I remember with a ring on one end for a handle to go in.  Grandpa's was a tree limb handle about 16" long.  Using the club or mallet you drive the blade into the top of the bolt- pull the froe handle sideways and a shake splits off - turn the bolt over and repeat the process.  You control the thickness of the shakes by where you place the fro before you drive it in.

Shakes were nailed onto 1x4's spaced appx 4 inches
apart horizontally up the slope of the roof.  They were placed on double thick with varying widths but always the gap on the exposed one was over the solid shake below.

I found a site with a froe - now have to go back and correct my spelling.  I have purchased from this company and highly recommend them.

http://www.aloghomestore.com/tools1.shtml#froe-gransfors



Here is a picture of me in my younger days getting ready to make shakes.  The club is quite like the ones we used for a mallet.  The handle can be more crudely made as the club wears out and needs to be replaced once in a while.
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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Greenbank

One of my fond memories from a week spent at a camp south of Olympia was the splitting of shakes (as an activity to try). This was back when almost all of the houses I can remember seeing had shake roofs. Shingles weren't even considered out in those parts.

It was a very satisfying activity. To me, chopping wood is similar, one of most satisfying "chores"...but only when the wood is from straight-grained conifers. Chopping becomes an incredibly unsatisfying chore when you're talking about splitting some twisted old piece of maple or similar. Ditto anything that requires a wedge and a maul as opposed to a lightweight axe!
A fool and his money are soon elected.


glenn kangiser

Now you're making me want to give it a try again some day-- I don't know if the incense cedar we have here in CA. will split as nice as the old red cedar we used to split in Oregon.  I used to saw, split and load a cord of Alder in 2 hrs when I was in high school - uncle let me have decks of logs that had set too long after being logged.  Now down here with oak and eucalyptus I have graduated to a hydraulic wood splitter. ;D
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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markbrown

Last October I went to a Old tractor and machinery show.  They had 2 interesting machines that were powered by a tractor and belt.  One was a barrel stave cutter and shaper.  The saw part was like a 55 gallon drum with saw teeth on the edge, thus when a 4 x 6 " piece of wood was cut the inside and outside had a radius,  then there was a jug to shave the ends down on each stave .  the other machine was a horizontal shingle cutter and trimmer.  Large blocks of wood where clamped in place and run thru a saw, when the whole thing was on a rail system came back to the home position a wheel and gear advanced the "tilt" if you will and another shingle was cut.  I will take camera this year and make photos.

Mark

Kevin

Instead of using single shakes why not use the product that has i believe a sheet of plywood covered and you just nail up the entire sheet.
It saves time and looks the same.
Kevin

glenn kangiser

I was wondering a couple of weeks ago about how they made barrels ???  I belonged to the Early Days Gas Engine and Tractor Association for a while.  Still have quite a few engines.

When I was a kid in Oregon some friends of ours had a shake mill where they would drop a cedar bolt (block) in and it went back and forth cutting one tapered shake in each direction.  

I was visiting with my parents (probably about 7 y.o.) there one time and thought it would be fun to try to ride one of their kids' bikes.  Large rock road and I wasn't very good -- fell off -- hit my head-- knocked myself out -- had to get seven stitches ---- a lot of people say I still haven't fully recovered. :-/
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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glenn kangiser

#9
The way I see it, Kevin, when the politicians finish messing up the economy, North Korea nukes our cities, Iran and their buddies shut off our oil, the farmers shut down production because they can't afford oil, truckers protest and park their trucks all around the capitol,  the rest of the world decides they don't like our foreign policy, people in the cities are fighting for the last remaining scraps of food on the store shelves (would take about 3 days without restock)------you won't be able to buy that manufactured plywood with the shingles nailed on it.  ;D  

I will still be standing here with my froe and club and garden and have all the food and shakes I want ;D Until the remaining city people get here - and take it from me :-/

Where did that come from ???  May never happen but it doesn't hurt to be prepared ;D

Seriously, Kevin, I didn't know they made that product.  Thanks for bringing it to our attention :)

Do you know of a website for it?
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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Amanda_931

In some high-fire-risk areas cedar shakes are on the "forget about them" list.

For good reasons?

They sure are pretty.

Amanda_931

Oh, heck, I'll pretend I'm really on a bamboo hobby-horse.  ;)

You COULD, if your time frame was long enough, make a roof out of bamboo you'd grown youself.

Split the culms in half, cut or knock out the dividers between the sections, and then lay one up, one down, the way that tile roofs are done.

I don't think I'm going to, mind you.

glenn kangiser

Cedar was always our favorite for starting fires and while the look is great-- yes they do burn just fine :-/
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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Kevin

Glenn If that all happens I'll stop by and help stand gaurd.
But until then I'll try and find a website. I have seen it on The show Hometime and This Old House.
The even make prefab corners. There making this building stuff much to easy anymore. Everyone is going to try and do it.
Kevin


Kevin

I found a website. anyone thinking of putting up cedar shingle should look.
Kevin
http://www.cedar-valley.com/index2.html

Daddymem

Here's an article from Mother Earth News showing the process of making shakes.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/arc/4923/
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