Green woodwork is the process of working freshly cut, unseasoned timber that has a high sap/water content. Wet wood is easy to cut, split, shave and shape. As the wood dries it hardens and becomes much more difficult to work. Using traditional methods there are several stages involved in converting a 'green' log to a finished product or chair part.
Cleaving
Cleaving is fundamental to working 'green' wood. A section of round log is split down its length to produce smaller parts ready to be shaped. A tool called a froe allows you to control the direction of the split. It would not be possible to split dry wood in this way.
Trimming
The 'cleft' lengths are usually triangular in cross section. The corners can be quickly trimmed off with a side axe.
Shaving
The wood can now be gripped in a device called a shaving horse. Because this device is operated by your legs as you sit on it, your hands remain free to shape the part with a draw-knife.
Pole-lathe turning
The Pole-lathe is used to finish and shape the chair part if required. The tenons are also formed using this device. These are the precisely turned ends of the rungs that will be forced into holes in the legs when assembling the chair.
