We document the sequence of cumulative additions of characteristic features to adzes (e.g. Reduction intensity is measured using the Scar Density Index (Clarkson, 2013) calculated from 3D scans. In this paper we examine the sequence of adze production for a population of 109 adzes from Moloka'i, documenting the transition from blanks to preforms to the finished objects that were transported away from quarries. Despite the presence of more than two dozen adze quarries in Hawai'i, and previous attempts at replicating adze preforms and positing reduction sequences in Polynesia, there is no detailed study that clearly defines the steps and stages of quadrangular adze preform manufacture (the most common form in Hawai'i), and the resulting characteristic debitage. Hawaiian adze manufacture requires a great deal of skill and undoubtedly required long apprenticeships to achieve the finesse seen in many finished prehistoric adzes. I met an old tiehack and he ended up showing me an adze scar from when he was younger. The lipped adze Hayton was talking about help with heavy stock removal too. The 45 degree shear can remove alot of material without tearout. You've got to read the grain better with hand tools. Swinging and striking just behind the edge and slowly dropping the edge with each swing till it cuts and then establishing the arc of my stroke and applying more elbow grease.
To "find" the arc I swing in, I sneak up on it. They wanted rustic, beauty is in the eye. He took them out to the job and said he needed to draw back and wail at the wood to match the job the previous guy had done. We practiced until we could really make a nice finish and did a few beams in what we considered to be a good workmanlike finish. I did have to back it flat to remove old scratches, no bevel on that side, just re-establishing the surface. We tuned mine up, I have no idea of the angle, fairly shallow. My neighbor recently needed to adze an additions worth of beams. Keep trying, you'll get there, rome wasnt built in a day! I expect he could have gone on like that for hours. He had the log on the ground, and swung down and in from the left at about 30 deg to the line of the log, then from the right, then again from the left, right etc, working his way up about 4 inches each strike. I saw a bloke on telly last night using an adze ( I think it was one of those with little upturned wings at either end of the cutting edge) to square posts and rails for a traditional cleft oak fence. Also I got better results when I stopped trying too hard and let the tool relax. Also I had to experiment with the angle of attack of edge to wood. My edges are slightly curved, they dont seem to dig in so readily on the corners. It worked much better when I flatted the back with careful filing, emery, waterstone etc, till it was like a mirror. When I had trouble, twas because it wasnt sharp enough, and I had some pits/dings/small chips etc along the back face. Is the back side of your adze smooth and shiny right up to the actual edge? Is it ground with a bevel on one side only (ie the top side in the manner of a side axe) or has it been ground on both sides like a regular chopping axe? Its the old trade off between a durable (steep) edge and sharp (shallow) edge Is the edge sharp at its present angle? Mine are at about 27 deg (I guess), but I've never found the actual angle to be terribly critical.
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