Froe

The tool that you see in the picture is a froe. It had several uses but was utilized mostly for making wood shingles for roofing homes and other farm related buildings. People made shingles out most any type of wood that would split readily. In the South, pine was used most of the time. Other woods that split well were oak and cedar. It took a bunch of shingles to have enough to roof a house. A person splitting wood for shingles also needed a wooden mallet to strike the frow and drive it thourgh the wood. When the froe was about one-third through the wood piece, the shingle usually split from the wood block and fell to the ground........man, only a million to go!