How to Make Wood Shake Shingles

Handmade wood shingles are a traditional home siding material.

Wooden shakes are a traditional building material used on roofs and siding for hundreds of years. Shakes are split from a block of wood with a simple tool called a froe. The froe is essentially a heavy blade with an eye on one end in which a handle is fitted. The froe is driven into the wood block with a mallet, then twisted to pop the shingles free. With these simple tools, experience the satisfaction of making wood shingle shakes with your own hands.

Things You'll Need

• Froe
• Wooden mallet
• Blocks of wood

Instructions

1. Position the froe between 1/4 inch and 5/8 inch from the end of the block of wood. Use the wooden mallet to knock the back of the froe blade and set it in the wood.

2. Drive the froe blade into the wood by pounding on the back of the blade with the wooden mallet.

3. Push or pull on the handle to widen the split in the wood once the froe blade is driven completely down into the wood. As the split widens, the froe will drop down another 3 to 6 inches.

4. Push or pull the handle until the shingle pops off the wood block.

5. Adjust your width as you go. After a few shingles, you should have a good idea of where to place the froe to create a shingle of the desired thickness.

Tips & Warnings

• Cedar is a type of wood traditionally used for making shakes.

• Some blocks of wood will create more consistent shingles than others. You may have to go through a few blocks until you find one with the proper grain pattern.

References

• Mother Earth News: The Froe and You
• Cool Tools: Froe
• Log Cabin Adventures: Froe