Old Wood Floor Planks Were Adzed.

[thaibeachlovers]

Hi,

living in a very old Thai wood house in the north- presume made of teak.

I noticed that the floor boards appear to have been adzed flat. Definitely not a circular saw, as too uneven and can see the cut marks. I'd always assumed that pit sawing would have been the method of sawing planks anywhere, but perhaps not.

Does anyone know if adzing was the usual method of producing planks in LOS, or is it unusual?

Thanks.

[rucus7]

If that was the tool available, that is what was used. Uniformity could be obtained with an adz if used by skilled hands. Hard to say how long ago. I have not even seen an adz in more that twenty years.

[thaibeachlovers]

If that was the tool available, that is what was used. Uniformity could be obtained with an adz if used by skilled hands. Hard to say how long ago. I have not even seen an adz in more that twenty years.

Yes, the skill must have been amazing. You wouldn't even realise on first glance.

The original house is very old.

[Artisi]

As an engineering apprentice working in a Sydney shipyard over 50 years ago, all the old shipwrights used an adze as we would use a plane today. There was a story that the old chinese who also worked round the shipyards called them crazy man axe and if they used them they always stood in 2 buckets one foot each and can honestly say I don't blame them when you watch an adze being used.

[thaibeachlovers]

As an engineering apprentice working in a Sydney shipyard over 50 years ago, all the old shipwrights used an adze as we would use a plane today. There was a story that the old chinese who also worked round the shipyards called them crazy man axe and if they used them they always stood in 2 buckets one foot each and can honestly say I don't blame them when you watch an adze being used.

Love that about standing in a bucket!

[bbradsby]

As you say, it is in evidence via the markings from the tool used... hand-hewn via adze was the way, as there was no electricity!

if you've ever built a house without electricity, you really come to respect the past generations of builders. I have - but even I had access to dimension lumber! so imagine having to fell the trees by axe and then have to hand-shape every piece. Then imagine doing it with clear heart rainforest woods and no nails.