Our good friend, Marshall Scheetz, published an excellent video last year showing the process of riving oak stock for buckets and barrels. It is 15 minutes of super crisp videography without any commentary. Its vibe is akin to the famous “Primitive Technology” YouTube channel. Marshall shows the use of a variety of steel and wooden wedges, a froe, and a hatchet to break down this massive log into primo stock. It is well worth watching.
Marshall’s video is a great compliment to Peter Follansbee’s in-depth video of splitting stock published earlier this year. Peter provides some great commentary, especially for those who haven’t done this kind of work before. Thanks to Daniel, Peter’s son, for his production of these films.
In principle, riving is a pretty straightforward operation, but there are some considerations that can make it more predictable. And those considerations are often easier so show than to write about. Mike found this in making his excellent Apprenticeship: Greenwood instructional video.
After watching these videos, go get yourself some freshly felled stock and a few wedges. There is no operation that will give you a better big-picture understanding of wood grain than riving.
– Joshua