The Axe Wielder's Handbook
Mike Beaudry received his B.S. in Education from the University of Maine. With his wife, Claudette, and two children, Jesse and Emma, he has homesteaded, farmed and raised animals in Maine for 25 years. His articles have appeared in Countryside and Small Stock Journal and The Bangor Daily, and he has lectured at historical societies and museums. His hewn timbers have appeared in several structures, barns and houses in the area, and his hewing abilities have caught the attention of historical preservationists. He frequently does hewing and shake splitting demonstrations at museums, living history centers, and selected fairs. In addition, he teaches hand hewing at his Montville home. Mike is also a historian engaged in researching log construction in New England. He has traveled extensively in the Northeast, including the Canadian Maritimes and parts of Quebec, rsearching and photographing log structures. He has studied the 17th century "Logg" garrison houses of coastal Maine and New Hampshire,  the Acadien and Quebecois piece sur piece log homes of Northern Maine and Vermont, the scribed fit hewn log homes of the 19th century Swedish immigrants, sporting and lumber camps, and the log forts and blockhouses of predominantly 18th century northern New England. His interest has led him to study not only the way the logs were joined but to study the axemanship involved in shaping the timbers. He believes the tool marks on old timbers can be read, telling us not only of the axeman's skill, but of his haste or patience, and about the axe used. Mike believes this is essential in doing restoration work. The craftsman must be able to recreate any hewn surface, whether rough or smooth, left by the original builder. He has conversed with preservationists, historians, log builders, timber framers, hewers, and shingle  splitters, gleaning from each ideas that have helped refine his own techniques. Mike is currently undertaking the construction of a hewn double pen barn.