When hardwood was plentiful and labor was cheap, the massive framing members were mortised and tenoned, assembled with pegs into structural works of art, and promptly buried under clapboards and plaster. Parts of the beams sometimes protruded from the ceiling or were left exposed under second-story floorboards. But as house interiors became more finished, the rugged-faced timbers were considered too rustic to remain exposed and were completely concealed or boxed in with finished boards. The look of hand-hewn wood is difficult to recreate. The tougher job first.
Some people try to simulate the slicing ax marks with a chain saw.
Others beat the boards with hammers and slop on stain, coffee, dirt and all manner of grunge to create an aged and distressed appearance. But for all the effort and ingenuity, recently distressed wood often looks like boards that were recently run over by the truck that delivered them. The original hand-carved faces were produced by two types of hewing strokes. Depth strokes were cut down into the wood in a series of evenly spaced chops. Cleaning strokes were cut along the beam in a slicing action that removed large chips down to the level of the depth cuts.