Froe

A froe (or frow), shake axe or paling knife is a tool for cleaving wood by splitting it along the grain.

The origin of the word froe is not clear, and some references find it spelled frow.

[2] Froes are similar in general form to axes, in that a froe is an L-shaped assembly of a blade head (typically steel) set at a right angle to a handle called a haft (traditionally wood).

This technique can be used with enough precision that regularity of measurements can be kept when cutting shingles, ground stakes, or even small rails or planks.

This is simply a short length of a thin log, still with the bark on it, with one end reduced with a drawknife to convenient diameter for a handle.