There’s something about rustic shakes or more refined shingles that just screams ‘country charm’. From old New England cottages to sprawling West Coast estates and tiny rural cabins and outbuildings in the Rockies, wood shakes and shingles have a look and feel that simply can’t be beat by man-made materials. But buying them pre-made can be expensive.
So what do you do if you’re on a budget and want that classic look for your home or other buildings? Or just want the satisfaction of doing it yourself?
I’m here to tell you that splitting your own cedar shakes could not be easier. Shingles are little more complicated, as they are generally sawn and not split, so I’ll focus on shakes for the purposes of this demonstration.
Here’s a how-to video we filmed to show you the process. Trust me, if I can do it, you can too.
All you need are some rounds of wood that can be turned into shakes (cedar is ideal, but shakes can be split from other woods as well, such as pine [common in Europe]), a froe and a mallet.
Need a froe and mallet? Lehman’s carries both!
Here are a few tips:
- Keep the thickness of the shakes as consistent as you can.
- Flip the shake block end over end after you split off each shake – this allows you to get more shakes out of a block, as they end up slightly tapered.
- Wear appropriate footwear (not flip-flops like in the video… my bad!).
Bottom line? You can split your own shakes – it’s easy, and actually pretty fast. Why pay someone else for hand split shakes when it’s so easy to do it yourself?
Have you ever split your own shakes? Do you have tips to share? Please do in the comments below!
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You’re so brave to make those in a white shirt! If I tried to attempt that, the shirt would likely be ruined!
Really great knowledge you have shared and i learn a lot from this post.
Thanks for the presentation. We seldom see cedar shakes on buildings here in Colorado Springs but they were quite common on Cape Cod where I grew up. I’ll probably try this when I build a new shed next year.
It definitely is super easy. Good luck with your shed project, and thanks for stopping by!
If you can’t afford or find a froe.
One can be made from a old truck leaf spring and a wooden handle one edge sharpened
Excellent tip – thank you!
Interesting video Victoria. I’m in Ontario and plan to roof a shed with White Cedar shakes from my property. Any advice? Does the shake block need to be green or dry?
Hi there, John – Did you get my original reply? I don’t see it here, so maybe it didn’t post. Apparently wet blocks split easier than dry, if that helps… 🙂
We will be attempting to re-roof our house with shakes made from 2 big pine trees we need to cut down. How do we get the ‘block’ if we don’t own a saw mill and what kind of dimensions did you use?
Hmmm… great question! We’ve always used cedar, so I have no idea re pine. Maybe someone else has some suggestions… If you figure out a solution, let us know! 🙂
I cannot get the video to show? Wondering what type of mallet you use?
SO sorry – we’ll get that fixed up.
Hi, back in the day dad had me splitting cedar shakes after school for the house. I recently drove by and the shakes are still there 47 years later. Tip use clear timber. In other words, no knots which won’t split.
Indeed! Thank you for sharing your experience… 🙂
video disappeared?
got an old cabin on Sonora island i’m looking to re-roof. would be neat to do it as it was originally.
Hi Victoria, couldn’t access cedar shakes video..are you able to send me the link? Thanks, Vi
missvi2@hotmail.com
Oops – sorry about that. I’ll check and post back here. Something must have gone awry with Vimeo.
It’s fixed now. Time to get the site updated with a new theme.