Making Authentic Viking Oak Shingles - Part 3 of Our Viking House Build!

[@GeneSimonalle]

This is a great series and we really enjoy watching the progress. Tools are part of the process, so I hope you make a video about your saw experiments!

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

thank you Gene. Im glad to know you are watching:) I will try and make a saw video:)

[@gerbenvanderveen-yw9mi]

Thank you Rasmus for another beautiful and educational video. Nice to see how you teach yourself old techniques and think about how it could have been done based on historical research. I am curious about your saw and hope to see it in your next video

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

I will definately use the saw in the next house video. And I might try to film making a second saw in my modern workshop as well:) as always thanks for watching.

[@CIA-M]

Nice compilation with quick shots of making the shingles. See how much work it is to make just 1 straight piece. Again, wonderful video, can't wait for the next!

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

thank you:) yes it is a lot of work - but it is nice and almost meditative to do this repeating proces . and I LOVE the sound of tools in oak - like the perfect marriage:)

[@ianandresen2326]

Gable ends ! That is what they are called here! Amazing video! Looking forward to more videos! Thank you

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

Thank you Ian:) Gable - very close to the danish Gavl:) i should have known. thanks for watching my friend.

[@huorian4200]

I'm currently in a project that looks like this...I'm building a Viking style cabin with just an ax and a few hand tools. I make 4 x 4 beams with my big ax. It's long and takes a lot of patience but it's very rewarding and free 😆. I like what you do, you inspire me a lot, keep it up, man.

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

Hello. Sounds like a great project you have. Rewarding is the key word I think. I feel it when I work slow and remember to breath and enjoy as I go along. thanks for watching. and best of luck with your own cabin

[@ArielleViking]

Such a relaxing and satisfying video. Beautiful shingles. 👍🏻

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

Thanks a lot Arielle. Im happy you are watching along:)

[@lowellpearson8782]

Great thank you lots to learn .

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

You are most welcome:)

[@Afro408]

Vey good video again Rasmus. For splitting the shingles, maybe the Vikings used the long edged broad axe, that was made for shaping the wide boat planks. It would work just as well as a Froe for this job. For your proposed Gable end shingles, you could use the Birch tar you made earlier to weather proof them a bit? 👏👏👏👏👏😁👌

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

I dont think so as the axe (if its the one i think you are referring to from ex. haithatbu) is most likely single bevelled and that would make it difficult to split with. But maybe i am wrong. it is also possible that there was froes but just not found. i will use birch tar for sure. both because i love the smell, the look of wood with tar and it will increase the life:) great you remember the tar production:)

[@jim7217]

Such a satisfying sound when the log cracks and that first split of the log looked perfect. Part of the satifaction for me of splitting logs - at least for making a fire.

[@jim7217]

really looking fwd to the replica saw you are making. Very exciting. BTW - those shingles you made look great! Lots of work put into those - and I like your shady spot by the small creek/stream there. Good to be out of the sun for hard work.

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

Hello Jim. Thanks for watching and for taking the time to write. I agree. the splitting is always a great satisfaction. firewood or something else. I remember splitting elm with my dad as a kid. I still remember the smell and the excitement.

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

its a great spot and I love going there work or just to relax:)

[@reinswart6077]

That's tough and labor intensive work Rasmus and you'll need quite a few roof shingles. Then we have it easy these days 😅 Very interesting video again, I enjoyed it again. Thank you for sharing.

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

Yes it is. but also almost meditative due to the repetitative work. I will not use them on the roof but on the gable end or maybe a piece of a wall:) thanks for watching my friend.

[@01backpack]

I find it interesting how people from the past were able to create tools and buildings from what we see as primitive means. It makes it more enjoyable to watch when people like you are truly excited about relearning the past.

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

I agree with you:) And im glad to hear you find it enjoyable:) thanks for watching

[@TheBowie40]

lovely video Ramuni. your doing a great job and we are all learning along with you..

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

Thank you:) that means alot and its good to know:)

[@catsandravens]

Shingles look amazing, especially with the tools you're using! And all the scraps make wonderful kindling for when winter comes! Love the video!!!

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

Thank you. Yes is does. But for now it also provides some kind of base layer for the build site as the ground is a bit muddy:)

[@johnwolf4023]

I'm sure you are going to think that I am some kind of a nut. I have been puzzling over the saws shown in the book about the Mastermyer find for a long time. I made my best guess and forged one out today based on what I could read and figure out from the drawings. It does cut but is much thicker than a modern saw and so is slower, and my guess was to cut on the pull stroke. You can have it if you want it, I would like to know just how well I did (or not). It has been raining a lot lately, so I have been in the forge shop a lot.

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

i love crazy people:) the one i work on is 4mm thick in the blade. I cant seem to find mentions of the blade with of the original. i would love to give the one you made a go and see how it works:) very much so:) can we communicate on messenger or instagram?

[@johnwolf4023]

@@RAMUNI-Viking Sorry, I'm old and not socially mediated - no messenger or instagram, though I do have e mail. I made this 4 mm as that seems to be the thickness of the smaller blade from the Mastermyr find. I forged the back to a slight taper, so may not have needed to set the teeth, which would narrow the kerf a little bit, but did from force of habit. It reminds me a bit of a plane maker's edge float in use - rather slow and a wide kerf. I sawed the equivalent of the shoulders on 2 tenons and it is still sharp. The metallurgical analysis of the original shows wrought iron, I used medium carbon steel that I normalized and left un- hardened. I've seen steel made as the Vikings would have, it was very uneven carbon content, useful for edge tools and weapons but probably (my guess) not able to hold up as a long, thin strip without cracking. I was thinking of making a saw blade with steel welded to wrought iron, realized today that I have seen examples of Viking work like that - the cutting edge on spear blades. Probably on swords too but I've never made one of those. I might try a saw like that someday. When re-toothing or making a saw, laying out the teeth with a hacksaw saves killing a lot of files and I find to make an even spacing easier. With wrought or annealed spring steel this is easy, on heat-treated spring steel it is a screeching, hack saw killing ordeal. At 8 points per 25mm, a thin flat file will touch up the bevels, probably will form the teeth from hacksaw cuts. I'm thinking about hand cut, possibly case- hardened files - flat is always easier to forge than triangular. I had wondered that the remaining handles in the chest were made from branches, was studying my finished blade and thought "of course they did!". They could burn the tang in along the pith, just like it was a pilot hole. Genius. I would mail you the saw and your 20mm auger if I had an address. Oh, and the triangular bits on the house are "gables".

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

@@johnwolf4023 that sounds amazing. This whole world of Steel and irons and their qualities is still New land to me so its amazing to hear from someone Who knows:) my email is [e-mail] - please send me an email and I Will send you info:) im the Saw i made i also used the hacksaw to Saw down first. That gave good direction for the file. Thank you so much for your engagement and support:)

[@andrewcrampton3433]

Fantastic video in such a lovely place. The triangular part of wall under the peak of the roof is called a Gable in English. Thank you for explaining why you used the axe for splitting. My first thought was why weren't you using a froe. Excited to see the next part of the little house go up. Have you thought about fire hardening the face of the shingles or using something like pine pitch? This would help protect the softer sapwood.

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

Thank you so much:) Gable end - thank you. I am excited to raise the building too. cant wait. I have though of fire hardening the shingles but i think it will be very difficult to control with small dry and 5-8mm thick shingles in a fire. I will treat them with some tar for sure though:)

[@erikhoff5010]

Another way to make the shingles is to split one side of the whole log to make narrow thin boards. If done correctly, you can get 2-3 splits side by side as you split the log. This helps cut down on the waste wood which occurs by splitting the log as you are doing it now. (III) Similar to the little picture on the left. Love your videos and the knowledge you share with us! Skal, my friend!

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

Ah i see. I have not thought of that. seems like a good idea. I will try it out for sure. thanks for the feedback and the idea:) much appriacte it.

[@Foxy-ie9rt]

I also needed a saw for my work. In the end, due to the size, I chose a frame saw that I made from hornbeam branches. I originally had a saw blade forged and grinded the teeth into it based on the findings. Unfortunately, even on the umpteenth attempt, the blacksmith did not manage to hit the right amount of flexibility, and the saw blade always cracked after some time. I ended up switching to a modern saw blade that I blackened to give it a forged look. I take this as a necessary concession because I don't want to pay the blacksmith for new saw blades over and over again.

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

Sounds like an interesting saw journey, and i totally understand your decisions. I want to also blacken the one i made out of sheet iron to look more authentic - well knowing that is it not. I still hope to find a blacksmith you can make a good forged replica of the big saw from mastermyr.

[@Foxy-ie9rt]

@@RAMUNI-Viking My saw blade is approx. 500 mm long. I think a shorter one (maybe 100mm to 150mm) might be fine. Of course, it is possible to forge a thicker saw blade and thereby increase its resistance to cracking. The disadvantage of this solution is that the teeth are too thick and the saw is difficult to work with (cutting is laborious, the saw gets stuck and grinding takes a very long time). It would probably require more experimentation with the quality of the material used (my saw blade was forged from iron ore smelted in the period way), degree of hardening, thickness, etc.

[@Marcothemagnus]

Hey! Really lovely video. I would not bother making a saw whatsoever, as you said, there's no evidence, so don't worry. Axes are wonderful for cutting tenons! Spend the time you'd spend making a saw, learning to use an axe more precisely across the grain. ❤

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

Hey. thanks alot. There is evidence though but just not alot. So for the sake of my own curiosity I will make one and try it out. I think the axe worked well for tenons, and i was very enjoyable - and you are right - the technique can always be improved. thanks for watching and for taking the time to write:) all the best.

[@plainnpretty]

Beautiful axe work you have a nice collection of tools . I like that you use them . Thanks for sharing this

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

Thank you:) its great to finnally have a project where all the tools get their rightful place. thanks for watching

[@Oleg_Nadezhdin]

💪🏼 привет 👋🏼👍🏼

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

thank you:)

[@Ingvar.Ragnarson]

Excellent work my friend! I absolutely love your beefy splitting axe, looks like you did very well with it even without using a froe. I'm very impressed, that looks like it's got to be very labour-intensive work making all those shingles. I hope you had a nice beer waiting for you up at your modern house when you finished! 😄 How dry was the oak log? Others may have already answered, but in English the triangle area under the roofline is called a "gable", or a "gabled roof". And if the gable sticks out further than the wall I think it's usually called a "box gable". Making a saw would be a very interesting project, filing and setting the teeth. Would you be basing it on the large Mästermyr saw? Or are there other archeological finds of Viking-age saws? All the best my friend, absolutely fantastic to watch your work!

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

Hello Ingvar. Its labour intensive but I must admit i like it alot. It gets almost meditative to repeat and then I love the sound of oak being worked with handtools. its like they were made for each other:) And I guaranteee you I had a well deserved prize. The oak was felled 4 months ago and was stored in rolls in a dry but sunny place. I made a few shingles right after collecting the wood and that was easier. So i definately want to finnish all the shingles soon. I am using the large mastermyr saw for reference and I will try and make a video about the lesser know partial blade from mastermyr in the near future. I know of a find from dublin and i believe haithabu also has a small fragment. So there is evidence. just not a lot. And its interesting why the mastermyr owner had 3 saws when the axe is so versatile. I hope to learn something. all the best.

[@BaerWyldeModernAgePrimitives]

That 'triangle' is called the gable end.

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

thank you:)

[@Sallafar]

With your saw-project you are probably onto one of the reasons i personally find to be likely part of the reason, why saws took quite some time to take hold in more decentralised cultures: Imagine doing what you do now to make the saw, to a lesser degree, but every once in a while. Now take away the modern triangluar file you are most likely using because having such a tool but every file-tooth punched in by hand would make for quite the luxury tool. Now compare that to what's needed to maintain an axe to a similar degree: basically a smooth riverstone, maybe a flat, straight piece of slate if you're fancy, and, if you want, a leather to hone the edge... Yup, i too would consider the latter more accessible. But maybe I'm missing something obvious.

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

i think you are totally right:) And the axe can do almost anything. Just a matter of time, bevel and technique. But my curiouisity is sparked: but then why did the viking who owned the mastermyr chest have 3 different saws in his tool collection. I hope to learn more as I go along:) thanks for your feedback:)

[@terrain-hardy]

yet another really really good and educational video...... As always. please, please .... PLEASE make a video on how to make a viking saw. A long time ago there was a youtuber named Chandler Dickinson (he's just started up again... jubiii) and he always said "need a tool, make a tool". It would be great, if you in you'r building project (which I and MANY MANY others, are looking forward to with great joy and excitement) would/could make something similar... So again, PLEASE make a "vikingsaw" video, and if more "need a tool, make a tool" stuff comes up on you'r building journey, we will eat it up just like a kitten getting cream ;-) I have only been able to find 3 videos on this topic and they are 2 from Phoenix Forge and 1 from Gustav Thane , so we definitely need one or 10 more on youtube... (just another way, of me begging) I myself have just started with the "Viking life" and your channel is definitely my "go to channel", and here is why ... you asked a few videos back about the format, edit etc, to this I would say : stay on your path, don't change anything and your channel WILL grow. your calm and cozy approach to your work is the whole essence, of how to commit to your "viking life" and the immersion in the history and craft's behind it.... Many many thanks for showing and please keep up the good work ;-)

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

Hello:) thanks you for this positive feedback. I will try and make a video on the saw making - promise. I have to check out gustavs video again. He is really good. Im happy you like the videos and want to engage and like the format. I wish you all the best in your new viking life and feel free to reach out and I will try and help along with the videos. All the best:)

[@selahschumpelt6302]

There's a KZbin content creator called Mr. Chickadee in the USA. He could be a good resource for you in figuring out your saw situation. Maybe you two could do a collab!

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

I am a big fan of Mr Chikadee and his work. maybe I should reach out to him. Thanks:)

[@SirFrederick]

I've been gathering oak stumps o make shingle for my lean-to roof for a while now. Still don't have enough to cover the roof.

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

yes i takes surprisingly many shingles. I worked non stop for 3 hours and can hardly cover 1 square meter:) but it must we worth if you compare weather resistance, life span etc to turf roofs, or plan roof or thatching i suppose.

[@PatrickMatherne]

Did the Vikings have axes that had one cheek of the blade flat and the angle was on the other side. Seems like that would be easier to use to shape the wood.

[@osricsbruk]

Side axe, yes

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

I am pretty sure that the hewing axes ex. from haithabu was single bevelled. But i dont think it would be easier for the shingles. Maybe its a matter of preference:)

[@charlesdavis9937]

I can imagine having to sleep in a tent while building a house.

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

yes i think that could have been the case. But i live in my modern house while i build my viking house:) thanks for watching:)

[@carbination]

I have never heard of a viking saw, can you link any reading materials on it😀 well, if its in english 😢

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

This is the holy grail on the Mastermyr find: www.amazon.com/Greta-Arwidsson-Gosta-Berg-Mastermyr/dp/B00JZS2OL6 But if you Google mastermyr Saw there is some hits:)

[@carbination]

@@RAMUNI-Viking Thanks so much!!

[@Kalashnikov105]

Вау

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

what does that mean?

[@Ravnsfolk]

Lige får at gøre tingende en smule mere tælse, husk på metal er dyrt, ser du på vores viking huse, selv borghusende som er lavet af ran eg, er der ikke brugt nogen søm eller anden form for metal til at holde sammen på huset. Så når du bygger, hvis du gerne vil have det til at være et "viking" hus, ingen søm =)

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

Hej. Jeg har forsøgt at læse op på det. Og indtil videre har jeg ikke kunne finde noget om hvordan de overlevede tagspån vi har fra tage i vikingetiden var fæstnet. hverken med træsøm eller jernnagler. Jeg er helt med på at jern var dyrt, men de spån vi har, er fundet i relation til haller og magcentre. Derfor tænker jeg ikke at det er utænkeligt at de har været sat op med jernsøm, men det må være muligt at analysere de fundne spån nøjere og blive klogere. Det er helt sikkert nogle spændende overvejelser. Tak:)

[@fleeb-f9u]

look up "Gustav Thane" on youtube, he has a series of making a mastermyr inspired chest using only primitive tools, in the series he makes a replica viking age saw. There are other replicas out there, such as the one "Phoenix Forge" (aka borntoforge) makes in one of his videos aswell altho this saw appears to be more of a metal working tool. And altho there are no saw marks in wood preserved from the viking age ships, I dont see this as evidence they did not exist. Saw marks would be hard to preserve, and more so, they would not have been appealing looking just like modern wood work, so they would have smoothed the wood afterwards to remove them, either with tools like axes and knives, drawknives (or possibly some form of shave or plane, altho we have no evidence of one from the viking age) or even files which we have plenty of evidence they had. The Mastermyr find is one of my biggest inspirations as a tool maker and blacksmith myself, as it is a tool box and we can learn alot about what was possible just based on their tools.

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

Hello. thanks for the info. I like Gustavs videos a lot and just rewatched the one about his saw. very useful inspiration. You might be right about the builders wanting to hide the saw marks and I thinks that's a very valid theory. But on the other hand danish and Norwegian boat builders has reconstructed a whole viking ship without the use of a saw. So it is possible, but I imagine its a lot easier with a saw. Im very intrigued to learn more. Thanks a lot for watching and taking the time to write. All the best

[@westholdforge539]

If you keep making shingles like that your fore arms are going to get huge.

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

an acceptable side effect:)

[@frauleintrude6347]

They do the same until today in the Black Forest region. The craft did not change much. The roofer has some tips about which side of the wood comes on top and how to prevent water damage kzbin.info/www/bejne/eaGki6qLZ9Wcm7Msi=i2d7qOkb0NlUp7zj

[@RAMUNI-Viking]

Thank you for the link. I actually have seen the video. that channel is very good:) best greetings