Making a Simple Wood Splitting Tool (Froe)

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ม.ค. 2020
  • Only three things were used to make this wood splitting tool, called a froe: A leaf spring from the junkyard, a cheap shovel handle from the hardware store and an angle grinder. This project is as simple as simple gets!
    It's hard to find a froe in my part of the world, we don't even have a word for this tool, so I decided to make one myself and looked for a suitable leaf spring at my local scrap yard. It's around 1/4 inch thick and a bit over 2 inches wide.
    I cut it at around 12 inches long, before the spring got too bent, which gave me a cutting edge of around 9 inches, which should be plenty enough for my needs. Shaping went quite easy and the end result looks pretty much like a froe, but the sharpening part was really time consuming and my entire workshop is now covered in angle grinder dust.
    But overall it's an easy project that can be done in an hour or so with just some basic tools.
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ความคิดเห็น • 411

  • @HannahMattox
    @HannahMattox 2 ปีที่แล้ว +18

    This makes me miss hanging out with my old man in his shop, watching him take tools and random things he'd find and turn them into either another useful tool or some kind of piece of art. My uncle gave him a piece of purple heart wood that he found and my dad made it into a small boat paddle to go with my mom's ship art. It had a tiny worm hole in it and he left it in it, and it was used as the hanging piece so she didn't have to mount a hanger to it. She still has it, though he's gone now, but watching channels like this really make my heart go back to a happy place of my childhood.

    • @pmacc3557
      @pmacc3557 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      The man is making us jealous. Fair play to him. Can't beat the ol' boys😊

  • @BigMOFAKINRed
    @BigMOFAKINRed 3 ปีที่แล้ว +55

    I got caught up watching the process and ended up learning what a "froe" is. This video was a two-for- one!

  • @colewyman9413
    @colewyman9413 4 ปีที่แล้ว +117

    Hey i gotta tell you when you took the blade out of that saw and re-attached it inside the loop of that leaf spring that might have been some of the smartest shit ive ever seen

    • @TheHarleyhillbilly
      @TheHarleyhillbilly 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Cole Wyman that was a smart move.

    • @brian9731
      @brian9731 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I'm a service engineer for security systems (CCTV, alarms etc). Sometimes, what I do is mechanical or electrical and other times it's sitting at a computer dealing with software. Add to that, it's on customer premises, not on a fully equipped workshop and often (though not right now with Covid-19) it's with what I can carry on public transport in Central London. It makes me very resourceful!

    • @chadmoyer1453
      @chadmoyer1453 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Lol.

    • @davidmiller134
      @davidmiller134 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Then we're thinking why didn't I do that

  • @CrazyMonkeyBoy7
    @CrazyMonkeyBoy7 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    0:29 my man knows how to make straight lines without a ruler

  • @davidjames2145
    @davidjames2145 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    Perfect! I need a large froe and was about to buy one then saw the price! This is exactly what I need.
    This is also a perfect TH-cam video in my book; no annoying background music, just the sound of the work.
    The maker has obviously made a lot of things in his life given the fluency of this; it's very enjoyable to watch.
    Liked, subscribed and saved for future reference. 👍
    🇬🇧

    • @pmacc3557
      @pmacc3557 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Good stuff. Did you make one? What metal did you get for the blade?

  • @opieoperativefunkshady9179
    @opieoperativefunkshady9179 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    The end where the wood was chopped so perfectly, was gorgeous.

  • @lightriver3474
    @lightriver3474 4 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    by the effects of quarantine videos like this have become very interesting

  • @wesleyofficer1237
    @wesleyofficer1237 4 ปีที่แล้ว +46

    As a purist, this kills me.
    As a realist, I Love it!
    As a woodworker that Steel hammer on a steel tool made me cringe.
    But overall GREAT JOB!
    (I need a froe, hence my finding your video)

    • @kool-aidcherryc6523
      @kool-aidcherryc6523 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I loved it to

    • @rossbrumby1957
      @rossbrumby1957 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Splitting kindling I wouldn't call woodworking.

    • @nickbacon8292
      @nickbacon8292 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      It looked to me like a rubber mallet

    • @jeffreybarnes1478
      @jeffreybarnes1478 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      The steel hammer on steel tool bothered me also. Try a wood mallet. Great job on the video though.

    • @michaelmccoy1794
      @michaelmccoy1794 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Here in the pacific northwest froes are used to split cedar into blocks for milling into shakes and shingles. We don't use a wooden mallet (laughing my guts out). We use a mallet with a heavy cylinder of lead for a head.

  • @cameronf3343
    @cameronf3343 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    You know what’s better than voiceover commentary? Text commentary that says “let me play you the song of my people” as an angle grinder goes about making chipped fire. I like it. 👍🏼

  • @Yamesy
    @Yamesy 4 ปีที่แล้ว +51

    It’s unreal how this man turns scrap metal and things into amazing pieces of craftsmanship.

    • @TheSmallWorkshop
      @TheSmallWorkshop  4 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Thank you!

    • @badbrain8279
      @badbrain8279 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      I had one of these once. "Mother Earth News" showed how to make one. After trying this again with a storebought one many years later I decided it was too much trouble. You have to get straight grained wood with almost no knots which is very hard to do these days. I've always wondered how pine would do. There is nearly none available here.

    • @kool-aidcherryc6523
      @kool-aidcherryc6523 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Idk and know one knows he dose magic

    • @kool-aidcherryc6523
      @kool-aidcherryc6523 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Also The Small Workshop why don’t you talk like you have to do this first then this why do you not talk

    • @skinfish8929
      @skinfish8929 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@badbrain8279 it works with pine wood , I did some , in the past . I made a froe like this , somme yrs ago , with Triumph Spitfire leaf spring , ( it was too thick ) then I tried a gransfor bruks one( I made a video on TH-cam , of epicea shingles making ) , and then found a very old one , forged here ( SW of France ) that was rusted but very good to use .

  • @Till27_Spence
    @Till27_Spence 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    This channel is not only interesting but oddly satisfying. Usually can make me fall asleep if it’s late enough. No homo just chill

  • @nevermore888
    @nevermore888 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    here we go, 2 a.m and this pop up. time to watch.

  • @PMichaels
    @PMichaels 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    YOU. ARE. AMAZING! 😍 I love watching you work. What you create is awesome, and the fact it is done in a small shop with common tools makes it that much better. Keep up the great work, sir! 👍🏼

  • @dennisbenjamin3602
    @dennisbenjamin3602 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I love your tape measure marker

  • @paulwilson2204
    @paulwilson2204 4 ปีที่แล้ว +33

    What can you use an angle grinder for?
    Yes.

  • @williamburgos2963
    @williamburgos2963 4 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    Ok, now take the rest of that leaf spring and make an awesome DRAW KNIFE with it.

    • @horseblinderson4747
      @horseblinderson4747 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Cloggers peg knife, elbow and tang adzes. Leaf springs are decent steel.

  • @NotUndertaleAaron
    @NotUndertaleAaron 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I love the little notions he adds every so often, they make the experience just that more enjoyable.

    • @TheSmallWorkshop
      @TheSmallWorkshop  3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Glad you like them! Some people think they are cringy.

    • @acrazydurian
      @acrazydurian 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@TheSmallWorkshop and those people are WRONG

  • @ianmoone2359
    @ianmoone2359 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    If you make a pair of them, do you then have a two & fro? 😜😂😂👍🇦🇺

  • @JSolisHD
    @JSolisHD 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    One more video, before I go to bed (4am) Here I am wayching a blacksmith make a froe.

  • @bradyrushingtv
    @bradyrushingtv 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    BRAVO!!! I watched this one several times, and it just keeps gettin' better! Thanks for the video!

  • @markluke8447
    @markluke8447 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Great job, nice work.

  • @walter2990
    @walter2990 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I liked how he placed all of the items on his workbench, then started grinding..., with his hearing protection left sitting on the bench. File that under: Things we did when we were younger, but that now we regret. ;)

  • @pmacc3557
    @pmacc3557 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Brilliant work 👏👏💯

  • @fernandoreti4905
    @fernandoreti4905 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    what a smart project ... I liked it and I think I'll make one for myself

  • @TheVocalMale
    @TheVocalMale 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Brilliant! The simplicity was great

  • @stevewithaphen
    @stevewithaphen 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Very nice build! I love watching you fabricate a very helpful tool

  • @liversin
    @liversin 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    it's so cool what you do with old rusted stuff ! i've always wanted to find old things and turn them into something useful, like a long gone rusted car. i wish i had this patience and talent..

  • @cspann2872
    @cspann2872 ปีที่แล้ว

    That is waaaay cool. I never would have thought of a leaf spring. The froe I bought decades ago was a ring of pipe welded to a blade and I made my own handle. It got lost in one of my moves so now I'm gonna make my own. I'm thinking I would weld the loop closed so the leverage won't twist it open. I have a whole dead ash tree and I can't wait to split it up into baseball bats and shaker rockers. Thanks for the video!

  • @MrMarkpeggy
    @MrMarkpeggy 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Excellent project and video! Thanks for sharing.

  • @charlesknight3204
    @charlesknight3204 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Excellent video; better job on a very useful splitting tool that will last generations!!! Absolutely superb!!! God bless!!! Chuck Knight from Buffalo, Texas. 🤠

  • @pluisnonplux9728
    @pluisnonplux9728 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Love it, and it saves you a lot of money!!

  • @BorealEDC
    @BorealEDC 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Ahh the humble angle grinder, so versatile.

  • @MCsCreations
    @MCsCreations 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Pretty beautiful job, dude! Really fantastic!!! 😃

  • @mathguy829
    @mathguy829 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    On a scale of 1 to 10, that was an ELEVEN. Nice work. (May I order one please???)

  • @visumexcipio
    @visumexcipio 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Dang, I gotta go find a spring!!! To easy.

  • @BrookZerihun
    @BrookZerihun 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    well done sir

  • @Clickumentary
    @Clickumentary 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Hey that's great! Brilliantly simple device.

  • @JohnnyBravo1977
    @JohnnyBravo1977 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Pacat ca faci clipuri atat de rar, esti bun si meriti mai mult

    • @DanielH
      @DanielH 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Puțin si bun

    • @TheSmallWorkshop
      @TheSmallWorkshop  4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Multumesc, mai greu cu timpul...

    • @DanielWorkshop
      @DanielWorkshop 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@TheSmallWorkshop ca la toti. Timpu-i problema.

  • @arcwizz7981
    @arcwizz7981 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Bravo, esti artist cu ustensilele !

  • @ianpeden2906
    @ianpeden2906 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I really enjoyed that. I'm still using something similar that my Father made in the Sixties, but with the metal tubular handle welded on in line with the blade.

  • @hassanal-mosawi6049
    @hassanal-mosawi6049 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thanks for sharing that, well done

  • @yeagerxp
    @yeagerxp 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Excellent work👍👍👍. Thanks for sharing.

  • @brunojames4626
    @brunojames4626 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Love the Galileo reference

  • @larryferguson3387
    @larryferguson3387 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thanks for your ingenuity.

  • @ic3playa
    @ic3playa ปีที่แล้ว

    Good beer choice! Hai noroc! 🍻

  • @stevejohnson5922
    @stevejohnson5922 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    A very handy outcome

  • @leavenotrace8890
    @leavenotrace8890 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great Job I love the idea I will be working on my......Thanks!!!

  • @ferd.6779
    @ferd.6779 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Fine job indeed and the result is working well!! Love those vids keep up the good work!

  • @huli5384
    @huli5384 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Amazing craft , good job!!

  • @BruceAUlrich
    @BruceAUlrich 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great job!

  • @Traderjoe
    @Traderjoe 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    It’s exactly what I was thinking it would be from! I had been looking for a leaf spring ever since I saw your picture. It’s weird how occasionally I will see shattered fragments of leaf springs on the side of the road, but never when I specifically look for them. Sometimes trucks or trailers get overloaded or hit a pot hole and the leaf springs get ruptured from the mounts and I see them just laying there. But now that I want to find one, I will never see another one again. I saw someone else make one from the hinge from a barn door.

    • @TheSmallWorkshop
      @TheSmallWorkshop  4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I think spring steel is better than barn door hinge steel. You should find cheap leaf springs at car scrap yards.

    • @dustinv8540
      @dustinv8540 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@TheSmallWorkshop thanks for sharing this build. May I ask the size of the spring? Or which common vehicle to get it from? Is the diameter recommended to be a size specific?

    • @rossbrumby1957
      @rossbrumby1957 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Not all leaf spring end loops are ideally shaped like that one, many don't have the blade section central to the circle. This won't affect the operation of the froe, but for symmetry and looks I'd find one like used here.

  • @user-on5bg9rt1s
    @user-on5bg9rt1s 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Good job!

  • @pnyarrow
    @pnyarrow 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Brill - thanks for sharing!

  • @JimAlaska49
    @JimAlaska49 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    That was very satisfying to watch :)

  • @DESLA-Waretown
    @DESLA-Waretown 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Excellent video!!!

  • @jerryodell1168
    @jerryodell1168 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great idea. It would be good to have about three of these with three different size blades for the shop. One shorter, one longer, and one the same size.

  • @spencerbass7142
    @spencerbass7142 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    That is really neat.

  • @lovesupreme6154
    @lovesupreme6154 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    That's badass bro.

  • @janekchmielewaski2049
    @janekchmielewaski2049 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Good job man

  • @harrylake9388
    @harrylake9388 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    That was really awesome to watch! Bad ass

  • @jeff5951
    @jeff5951 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Good meticulous work!

  • @bighairynuts4u
    @bighairynuts4u 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Nice to the point and functional

  • @127cmore
    @127cmore ปีที่แล้ว

    Very clever 👏 👌 😀

  • @chrisscutt4197
    @chrisscutt4197 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Well done!

  • @crazyl1282
    @crazyl1282 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Very cool idea.

  • @ataarjomand
    @ataarjomand 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Very nice clip. Nice filming, lighting and very clear. And you did a good job on the project itself.

  • @HammeredNailed
    @HammeredNailed 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Nice work and great idea.

  • @imright9957
    @imright9957 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Necessity is the mother of inventions

  • @ourfamilyoutdoors7331
    @ourfamilyoutdoors7331 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    This is an excellent idea, I think I’ll find a leaf spring and try to make a froe and a draw knife from it.

  •  4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Leaf spring is the best solution to make a froe, very good job! 👍Idid one with a lown mower blade, it's ok too.

  • @jayfromtexas6718
    @jayfromtexas6718 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great job

  • @lizarantes7962
    @lizarantes7962 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Him: gets hit by sparks on all places possible.
    Also him who had the infinity gantlet under his skin the whole time: “ tis but a mere scratch”

  • @jimbratcher2435
    @jimbratcher2435 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    A USEFULL tool good job

  • @KarawangChannel7
    @KarawangChannel7 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Super like your video

  • @mrmanusia
    @mrmanusia 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Nice tool, never seen before

  • @waltertoday1074
    @waltertoday1074 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Great tutorial and agree it is way better without the usual random muzak found on others ! :-).
    For a more robust tool that stays on the handle when really levering take the Froe to your local garage and have them drop a weld down the hole-blade junction. Did that for mine many years ago and it has been super solid.

  • @timcole6882
    @timcole6882 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thanks, it’s gonna make splitting kindling easier and less messy.

  • @giorgiochiappini1931
    @giorgiochiappini1931 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Beautiful!

  • @TheHarleyhillbilly
    @TheHarleyhillbilly 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    nice froe bro.

  • @user-in9xo6zo9p
    @user-in9xo6zo9p 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thank you

  • @stephenmitchell8324
    @stephenmitchell8324 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Nice job

  • @sciangear4782
    @sciangear4782 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    To catch your grinder sparks (learnt this from Veradona in the Czech Republic), get a thin sheet of steel, bend at a right angle so it will stand up by itself, attach a few strong magnets to the back. When you're done, lie the shield down, remove the magnets, use the shield as a funnel to tip the dust into a container for disposal. Brilliantly simple

  • @Bufflapierre
    @Bufflapierre 4 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    My favorite part of the video is when you show good safety etiquette by unplugging the angle grinder to change the disk.

    • @TheSmallWorkshop
      @TheSmallWorkshop  4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      I had one start on me out of the blue once, because it's button failed... Weird design, the switch was always on and a lever was keeping it off, when the leaver failed the button went to it's natural state of ON and it started jumping on the floor... Scary stuff! (It was not a Makita)

    • @Hawkeye4077md
      @Hawkeye4077md 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I like how the earmuffs are just sitting there on the bench. Great video. Awesome idea though.

    • @stovepipe9er
      @stovepipe9er 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Good to see all the safety Sally’s are here.

    • @yeagerxp
      @yeagerxp 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@stovepipe9er The safety Sallys are correct we should not knock them, I am 59 years old and am going to the family "I didn't hear what you said, please repeat" WTF I never used hear protection

    • @Wuffman
      @Wuffman 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      I noticed that and was glad to see it as well. Demonstrating good safety practice deserves a pat on the back.

  • @user-dx6pt9oo6h
    @user-dx6pt9oo6h 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Hi 👋 good idea 👍good job 👍

  • @pamtnman1515
    @pamtnman1515 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Outstanding

  • @carlosescobar6973
    @carlosescobar6973 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    MAGNIFICIENT 👍!!!

  • @Ikariel
    @Ikariel 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Wouah great tool, never seen that before
    Great work too 😺

  • @quarlow1215
    @quarlow1215 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    This is great. I've been thinking about buying a froe but I would much rather work with one I made myself.

  • @MarkMcCluney
    @MarkMcCluney 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Gallileo made wood splitters? I'd no idea. Great vid mate.

  • @emanueljuarez7348
    @emanueljuarez7348 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    gracias genio idolo! ahora a crear el mio!

  • @josiahtheblacksmith467
    @josiahtheblacksmith467 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    One of the simplest ways of making a froe I've seen yet

  • @keenowl1410
    @keenowl1410 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Very nice

  • @BEAdventurePartners
    @BEAdventurePartners 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Now that’s cool!

  • @chrisedward7659
    @chrisedward7659 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Wow nice!😀

  • @20252529
    @20252529 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Roy Underhill would be proud

  • @ligma247
    @ligma247 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Very Nice 😃👌🏻

  • @semelcred
    @semelcred 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    fabulous!

  • @mountainviewturning5319
    @mountainviewturning5319 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Very nice 👍

  • @SiRicketts
    @SiRicketts 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Ok, so I ended up watching this as I'm about to replace an ash handle on a small axe. Wow, what a brilliant tool. I have to chop some kindling this afternoon so now I've seen this I won’t be satisfied until I've made one. Of course we're on lock down here in the uk so no chance of getting to a breakers yard for a leaf spring for a while. Have subscribed so I'll have to be content with watching someone else make stuff for now. Stay safe and keep up the great work. 👍🏻

    • @stich1960
      @stich1960 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Just grab one off a neighbor's car, sure they won't mind.

  • @USCtrojanFootball1
    @USCtrojanFootball1 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I like seeing how creative people are able to repurpose stuff that would end up in a junkyard or worse a landfill.