When settlers arrived in the wilds of 19th-century Innisfil, their first task was to build a home as shelter from the elements.
Typically, these were rectangular structures constructed of square-hewn logs, on average measuring roughly 16 by 20 feet. There were two or three rooms downstairs, including the parents’ bedroom, and a low-ceiling loft where the children slept.
Often, a coat of whitewash was applied to the interior surfaces of the hewn lumber to brighten the home. Later, interiors might be plastered using a mixture of sand and locally produced lime applied over hand-split lathes, with insulating layers of newsprint stuffed between the logs and lathes to help keep out the bitter cold of winter.
The final touches were home-made wooden shingles (or shakes, as they were also called) of straight-grained pine or cedar applied to the roof.
Making these shingles required a specialized tool called the froe or shake axe, an L-shaped tool with a long, narrow, rectangular steel blade head set at a right angle to a wooden handle, called a haft.
The most important part of making shingles wasn’t the labour itself but finding the right material. Shingles had to be made from blocks of straight-grained timber – cedar, pine or fir was preferred. Once a tree was located, it was cut into 24-to-36-inch lengths using a cross-cut saw.
To make a shingle, the edge of the froe blade would be hammered into the end of a block along the grain. When the blade was driven, you pulled or pushed the haft, using it as a lever to multiply the force and split the wood wider. The froe is then pushed down another three-to-six inches. Twist the handle again and the shingle pops off.
Unlike an axe, the froe can be placed exactly where the user would like the split to begin. This enables the user, even one with relatively little skill or experience, to have enough precision in his work that shingles of uniform dimension could be cut. Just as important, froes are also far safer to use than hatchets or splitting mauls because the blade is not swung.
After a bit of practice, even an unskilled individual could make a dozen well-crafted shingles in an hour. A roof’s worth of shingles could be cut in a day.
Eventually, several shingle factories appeared in Innisfil, obviating the need for froes and homemade shingles. But for a few generations they were a vital tool in a property owner’s arsenal of tools.
