Riving Brake

That’s a great piece! I’d love to see it in action because I don’t do much green woodworking and I’d love to know how it works.

-- "hold fast to that which is good"

I dont know what it is or what it does, but it looks cool

-- Jimi _ Measure twice, cut once.......@#%#$@!!!......measure twice, cut....

Sorry, Daddy T, I guess I should have made that clear. A riving brake holds pieces of green wood while they are levered apart (rived) with a froe. Traditionally, a forked tree trunk was used to wedge the pieces for this process. Peter Galbert’s design makes it much easier to brace differently-sized pieces at the best angle for you.

-- Robert - Visit my woodworking blog: http://littlegoodpieces.wordpress.com

Thanks for the clarification ,a interesting tool,well done.

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/

Well done, indeed!

Thanks for posting!
-Jim; aka “Stumpy Nubs”
(The best woodworking show since the invention of wood.)

-- It's the best woodworking show since the invention of wood... New episodes Wednesdays at: http://www.stumpynubs.com

I must be over-thinking this.

I did followed the links and I understand what you start with, and I understand that you end up with split boards that have a minimum of cut grain, unlike using a saw. But it isn’t coming together for me. (More coffee?)

Please explain (or even a link) to the process and how this device helps you get from a large piece of wood and down to the split blanks.

Thanks,

-Dave

-- I'm not old. Just "well seasoned".

Rather than try to explain myself, let me give you some links to blog articles by Peter Follansbee, one of the foremost experts on the process that I know of. If these don’t immediately make things clear, a search for “riving” on his website will turn up a wealth of information on the subject. Hope this helps!

http://pfollansbee.wordpress.com/2009/10/20/i-forgot-stability/

http://pfollansbee.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/more-carving-riving-cedar/

http://pfollansbee.wordpress.com/2009/12/28/some-birds-some-woodworking/

-- Robert - Visit my woodworking blog: http://littlegoodpieces.wordpress.com

OK. That explains it. The “brake” helps to hold the wood blank in place while you split it with the froe. Makes sense now.

This is why I like Lumber Jocks. Always learning new (old school) things and techniques from others.

Thanks!,

-Dave

-- I'm not old. Just "well seasoned".