Wood shingle
Historically shingles, also known as shakes, were split from straight grained, knot free bolts of wood.
Distinctive shingle patterns exist in various regions created by the size, shape, and application method.
Wood shingles can also be shaped by steam bending to create a thatch-like appearance, with unique roof details and contours.
The traditional method for making wooden shingles before the 19th century was to rive (hand split) them from straight-grained knot-free sections of logs pre-cut to the desired length known as bolts.
[2] This reworking was necessary to provide a tight-fitting roof over typically open shingle lath or sheathing boards.
Dressing, or smoothing of shingles, was almost universal, no matter what wood was used or in what part of the world the building was located, except in those cases where a temporary or very utilitarian roof was needed.
The sawn shingle of uniform taper and smooth surface eliminated the need to hand dress.
Slate, terneplate, and clay tile were used on ornate buildings and in cities that limited flammable wooden shingles.
In either situation, properly installed shakes provide long-lasting weather protection and a rustic aesthetic, though they require more maintenance than some other more modern weatherproofing systems.
Modern commercially available shakes are generally thicker than the historic hand-split counterpart and are usually left "undressed" with a rough, corrugated surface.
[4] In North America shakes are typically made from California redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), western red cedar (Thuja plicata),[5] and Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides), while in Scandinavia and Central Europe they are more commonly made from pine (Pinus sylvestris) and local variations of spruce (Picea).
Likewise wooden shingles are manufactured in differing lengths, in North America, 16, 18 and 24 inches (410, 460 and 610 mm).
Before helicopters came into common use for transporting the slings, they were sometimes processed in the bush and finished, hand-split shakes were carried out in a pack frame.
Both shakes and shingles must be edge grain cut to prevent warping and splitting as the wood dries.
When splitting blocks and manufacturing shakes or shingles, particular care must be taken to consider the orientation of the grain in the wood.
Likewise, when bucking, care must be taken to ensure cuts are precisely perpendicular to the grain to minimize waste and maintain product quality.
Wedges are driven into the face to split off a slab, usually on a natural check or imperfection, which runs the entire length of the log.
Nearly all the houses and buildings in colonial Chiloé Archipelago, Chile, were built with wood, and roof shingles were extensively employed in Chilota architecture.
