Just throwing this out there--

 

A phone call to Colonial Willamsburg in VA.?

Roy Underhill uses one often.

 

Maybe they can give you a lead and/or have the blacksmith shop make one for you?

 

I found a heavy meat cleaver at an estate sale and use it as a froe.  It serves my purposes and might be easier to find and use while you search for the real thing.

 

 

 

John maybe they have springs shops where you are.. Around here spring shops are in all the towns large enough to be called cities... like was said a leaf spring already made is not flat but the special steel stock in those shops are flat. And someone not busy could fix you up with a piece of steel with the hole for a handle.......springs for trucks and heavy duty pickups come in lots of thicknesses.

 
When a company buys a new truck chassic the leaf springs are never tough enough for the heavy duty oil field equipment they stack on and around the body and its the jobs of the employees to build the right springs for the extra weight that will be riding on those springs...I am sure they would give you a busted leaf spring but like said , they have an arc already in them so if you was to be making wood shingles they would look the same but you might find birds taking over your roof in the near future!! 

  Another place you can find used spring steel.. The bumpers around a go-cart are usually 3/8" spring steel and 2 1/2 to 3" wide..maybe even wider at some tracks. A busted go-cart bumper is not worth anything once it gets busted...

 

 

Dan can't you find something else to use your froe on. Those block were not made to be sized with a froe, dummie or is that dumby, dumy?

I want to thank you all for your help and wonderful suggestions, I did find one on eBay I just could not pass on. It's a smaller froe, 8" blade, and for now it's perfect for splitting out spoon and small bowl blanks from firewood and small green wood logs. 

38 bucks including shipping, handmade by a blacksmith a long time ago. The cool factor is pretty neat, and the shape is what I wanted. The height of the blade makes for better control during splitting. 

 

That being said, I have a local buddy who is giving me a leaf off his old 42 Jeep he is rebuilding. From that I'll make my longer 16" froe for riving chair parts from larger diamter green logs. 

 

@CharlieL, the bend is hammered out with heat. Folks use a plumbers torch or a charcoal fire to heat them up and straighten. Leaf springs are desired for handmade froes because they already have the loop for the handle, where the bushing assembly is located. 

 

Here is my new baby. I love it!

 

 

 

@John Morris,

And here I was going to take a look next door.

I'm sure my neighbor probably has one, or two, or...

10 minutes ago, Larry Buskirk said:

@John Morris,

And here I was going to take a look next door.

I'm sure my neighbor probably has one, or two, or...

Thanks Larry. Like I told Gunny, shipping it to the left coast would probably cost more than a new Froe. I really appreciate all the interest this generated and the helping hands offered. You all are the best!

12 minutes ago, John Morris said:

shipping it to the left coast would probably cost more than a new Froe

That wouldn't surprise me. When I was fixing the washing machine UPS wanted $73.00 to ship an 18lb. outer tub from Chicago to my place. (Less than 100 miles) 

Just now, Larry Buskirk said:

That wouldn't surprise me. When I was fixing the washing machine UPS wanted $73.00 to ship an 18lb. outer tub from Chicago to my place. (Less than 100 miles) 

Ya, sounds bout right, it's ridiculous. UPS is strange sometimes. I remember I shipped an items to Texas via UPS that was about 50 lbs and in a box the size of a rifle case, it costs around 17 bucks, go figure. and your 18lb tub cost 73. Has a lot to do with the size too, how much space it takes up in the shipping van. I bet it has more to do with size than weight, come to think of it.

Size does matter, but what was even crazier UPS would have flown it from Chicago to Milwaukee, and then trucked it to my place about half way between! 

6 minutes ago, Larry Buskirk said:

Size does matter, but what was even crazier UPS would have flown it from Chicago to Milwaukee, and then trucked it to my place about half way between! 

That's cuz you're two weeks from everywhere Larry.

 

If you've been checking Ebay! lately, it costs more to ship some things than what you would pay for them! 

I was wondering why I was getting offers for reduced prices on things I put in my watched items list. 

And it's also why the items that are listed as "Free Shipping" have crazy prices on them. 

 

Craig's List can have some good/great deals, but they're few and far between. 

 

Glad I hooked up with the "King" of curb shoppers. 

Yeah, I'm looking air a paper towel holder / shelf made of sheet metal that Rockler sells for $20 plus shipping. I'm deciding weather it's worth it for me to make, instead of just buying it.

2 hours ago, John Morris said:

 

@CharlieL, the bend is hammered out with heat. Folks use a plumbers torch or a charcoal fire to heat them up and straighten. Leaf springs are desired for handmade froes because they already have the loop for the handle, where the bushing assembly is located. 

 

Here is my new baby. I love it!

 

 

 

 

 

The loop already being there is a nice bonus.

8 minutes ago, CharlieL said:

Yeah, I'm looking air a paper towel holder / shelf made of sheet metal that Rockler sells for $20 plus shipping. I'm deciding weather it's worth it for me to make, instead of just buying it.

Time should be a consideration, but I also like to consider, how fun it would be to make it!

So I guess I can't use the jet then?

Moved to Hand Tools, from classifieds. It's starting to be a hand tool topic now.

50 minutes ago, John Morris said:

Moved to Hand Tools, from classifieds. It's starting to be a hand tool topic now.

I thought it already was. 

Must be that A.A.A.D.D. thing again! 

16 hours ago, Artie said:

Is the froe in the right hand or the left hand? LOL

The left! The right hand swings the to. To and froe, to and froe..... you need to build a rhythm!

John

Dang I just got here too late. Saw a small froe and a meat cleaver today in a Antique store. Was going to suggest the leaf spring also. Hey doesn't anyone here watch Forged In Fire ? Those guys can make anything . So get Gunny to ship in single rate USPS box and find a blacksmith . 

 

Hey i I am great at making plans but don't ask me how many worked the way I initially planned 😇