Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Riving, a Viking-age woodworking technique

hurstwic.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–80 of 93 posts

Re: Riving, a Viking-age woodworking technique

#71

Post by AngryData »

jdietrich wrote: post #17
GlenTheMachine wrote: post #4

This is an interesting article, but riving is not specifically Viking. It was the primary method of producing workable wood blanks from tree trunks in every civilization that used wood blanks. Which is to say, it was used all over Europe and Asia (at least), for at least the last 2000-plus years. I'm not as familiar with the woodworking traditions of Africa or pre-European-contact North or South America, so I don't k…

Riving is still used for producing timber that needs to have perfectly straight grain with minimal runout, most notably the tops of acoustic guitars. The difference in stiffness between a rived and sawn top can be drastic, with commensurate benefits in tone. http://www.lutherie.net/frankford.runout.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EpVIEyYiSs

It is also important for making straight arrows that don't warp or shatter either, especially in the olden days when arrows were made by hand and thus very expensive/time consuming.

Re: Riving, a Viking-age woodworking technique

#72

Post by KozmoNau7 »

samstave wrote: post #49
NightlyDev wrote: post #38

Riving(rive) means tearing or splitting in Norwegian and English. The word comes from Old Norse and is commonly used in Norwegian, but I didn't know it also was an english word. To me "I couldn't open it, so I had to rive it." sounds like Petter Solberg(known to mix norwegian and english) trying to speak english. "It's not the fart that kills, it's the smell" (fart meaning speed in norwegian, and smell meaning crash)

so would "rivendell" mean to "split a forest" or something along those lines?

The Danish translation is "Kløvedal", literally "cleaved valley".

Re: Riving, a Viking-age woodworking technique

#73

Post by exDM69 »

shriphani wrote: post #44

I recently acquired a gransfors bruks axe for a sculpture I was working on - and I have discovered a newfound love for scandinavian woodworking tools. My arsenal is almost entirely Japanese but I might convert over the next few years.

How is the Granfors axe? I'm considering getting a right handed broad axe from them, but it is quite expensive. I have their froe and it seems to be great.

I'm contemplating either buying one from them or going to a blacksmithing course in Estonia to forge one myself. The price is about the same but doing it myself would give me new skills and experience.

Re: Riving, a Viking-age woodworking technique

#74

Post by VBprogrammer »

GlenTheMachine wrote: post #4

This is an interesting article, but riving is not specifically Viking. It was the primary method of producing workable wood blanks from tree trunks in every civilization that used wood blanks. Which is to say, it was used all over Europe and Asia (at least), for at least the last 2000-plus years. I'm not as familiar with the woodworking traditions of Africa or pre-European-contact North or South America, so I don't k…

My house built in around 1880 still has lath and plaster ceilings (wooden battens with plaster applied over the top of it). The lath is made from riven oak because it needs the strength at quite small dimensions.

Re: Riving, a Viking-age woodworking technique

#75

Post by PhasmaFelis »

GlenTheMachine wrote: post #4

This is an interesting article, but riving is not specifically Viking. It was the primary method of producing workable wood blanks from tree trunks in every civilization that used wood blanks. Which is to say, it was used all over Europe and Asia (at least), for at least the last 2000-plus years. I'm not as familiar with the woodworking traditions of Africa or pre-European-contact North or South America, so I don't k…

> It's also used today by "green woodworkers" - woodworkers who specialize in building using non-dried wood.

What's the advantage of that technique?

Re: Riving, a Viking-age woodworking technique

#76

Post by lostlogin »

monochromatic wrote: post #60
GlenTheMachine wrote: post #4

This is an interesting article, but riving is not specifically Viking. It was the primary method of producing workable wood blanks from tree trunks in every civilization that used wood blanks. Which is to say, it was used all over Europe and Asia (at least), for at least the last 2000-plus years. I'm not as familiar with the woodworking traditions of Africa or pre-European-contact North or South America, so I don't k…

Riving is the right way to start if you’re making your own dowels too.

This must explain why so many broom handles are crap - they have been cut.

Re: Riving, a Viking-age woodworking technique

#77

Post by lostlogin »

oh5nxo wrote: post #67
Gustomaximus wrote: post #62

The modern equivalent still common in Australia and probably other countries where you turn one log into 5 fence posts: https://youtu.be/rILXrWcav_Q

Funny, I'm always knee deep in long shavings when cutting that way, much shorter knotty lumps which won't split with an axe. Matter of wood, or special chain perhaps? Birch, pine, spruce and normal cutting chain&teeth, in my case. Or maybe there is a non-obvious technique?

I’d be wanting chaps at a minimum. Kickback with cuts like that must be easy to achieve.

Re: Riving, a Viking-age woodworking technique

#78

Post by jeromenerf »

exDM69 wrote: post #73
shriphani wrote: post #44

I recently acquired a gransfors bruks axe for a sculpture I was working on - and I have discovered a newfound love for scandinavian woodworking tools. My arsenal is almost entirely Japanese but I might convert over the next few years.

How is the Granfors axe? I'm considering getting a right handed broad axe from them, but it is quite expensive. I have their froe and it seems to be great. I'm contemplating either buying one from them or going to a blacksmithing course in Estonia to forge one myself. The price is about the same but doing it myself would give me new skills and experience.

Great all around products from my experience.

They look and feel good, they are easy to sharpen, take a good edge. Most axes are made for green woodworking/soft wood and using them on hard seasoned wood may work and dull the edge fast though.

Hultafors, wetterlings and husqvarna also produce similar products in quality, sometimes cheaper. Granfors has a broader offer, when it comes to specialty tools, such as bearded axes.

Re: Riving, a Viking-age woodworking technique

#79

Post by jeromenerf »

yborg wrote: post #3

I would imagine this wood-working technique wasn't unique to the Scandinavians. For one thing, a wedge is much simpler to make than a saw.

French have a word for people producing wine barrel material: "merrandier".

A "merrandier" will select trees (usually straight oak of a certain age), put them down and to size (the logs are then called "merrain", hence the name), split them using wedges, along the grain, them resplit using a froe (called "départoir", which is just a dull blade with a lever), then refine the smaller bit using a specific tool (called "queue d'hirondelle").

The resulting bits will be send to the barrel maker to be shaped into staves (called "douelles").

Riving is at the heart of the process, and is meant to provide longevity in resistance and impermeability.

Re: Riving, a Viking-age woodworking technique

#80

Post by shabble »

mcenedella wrote: post #52
CPLX wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're at all into woodworking it's just a matter of time before an evening in the YouTube rabbit hole leads you to riving, or Alaskan chainsaw mills, or Wood Mizer demo videos, or silent Japanese guys that are wickedly good at joinery.

Links??!?! :)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVcHxw2MHN0SCgxkqsQUg... is a pretty good selection of traditional greenwood skills. The shingles videos contain a fair bit of the riving as described in the article.
Post reply on HN