with enough precision that regularity of measurements can be kept when cutting shingles, ground stakes, or even small rails or planks. Another use is to rive pieces of wood to be used for steam bending, as this wood follows the grain and is less prone to breakage. Hitting the narrow blade of a froe repeatedly soon damages a mallet, and so the traditional implement used to hit it is a froe club. This is simply a short length of a thin log, still with the bark on it, with one end reduced with a drawknife to convenient diameter for a handle. It is rotated slightly in the hand with each blow so as to even the wear and, although the club soon wears out, a new one can easily be made. References External links Van Natta Forestry and Logging website Wood cleaving Green woodworking tools Woodworking hand tools Axes fr:Départoir