Too quiet as they used to say in a hundred different cowboys and Indians 
movies.

So I'll liven things up a bit with a bunch of videos.  As some might 
remember, I'm
researching Russian cooper's tools for the new room plan for the 
cooper's shop there.
Trying to find more than I have up till now, I checked up Russian 
woodworking.  This
is what I found -- Russian carpenters using largely traditional tools to 
restore
and/or reproduce old Russian structures.  St. Roy would fall in love 
with these.

http://kizhi.karelia.ru/crafts/en/izgotovlenie-
plah">http://kizhi.karelia.ru/crafts/en/izgotovlenie-plah
http://kizhi.karelia.ru/crafts/en/izgotovlenie-
tyosa">http://kizhi.karelia.ru/crafts/en/izgotovlenie-tyosa
http://kizhi.karelia.ru/crafts/en/okorka-
brevna">http://kizhi.karelia.ru/crafts/en/okorka-brevna
http://kizhi.karelia.ru/crafts/en/pricherchivanie-
brevna">http://kizhi.karelia.ru/crafts/en/pricherchivanie-brevna
http://kizhi.karelia.ru/crafts/en/izgotovlenie-
lemeha">http://kizhi.karelia.ru/crafts/en/izgotovlenie-lemeha
http://kizhi.karelia.ru/crafts/en/izgotovlenie-
lemeha">http://kizhi.karelia.ru/crafts/en/izgotovlenie-lemeha (this one you
can
access from
the one above)

Making, then using an axe:

http://kizhi.karelia.ru/crafts/en/izgotovlenie-
prichelin">http://kizhi.karelia.ru/crafts/en/izgotovlenie-prichelin

I am reminded of one of the early episodes of the Woodwright's Shop, 
where Roy went
to Scandinavia for a show on making log cabins.  The ax work is simply 
incredible.
In one part, the carpenter is explaining the design of the traditional 
Russian
ax.  Can't understand a word of Russian, but he is pointing out the 
triangular
eye, which makes it OK to use the poll as a hammer, and the straightness 
of the
sides of the blade, which pretty much turn it into an ambidextrous broad 
ax.

Hollowing out the underside of a log to fit it snugly over the top of 
the log
it will rest on is good.  Carving a curve into a shingle to fit it over 
a curved
surface using only an ax...

The second video at 
http://kizhi.karelia.ru/crafts/en/izgotovlenie-
lemeha">http://kizhi.karelia.ru/crafts/en/izgotovlenie-lemeha (don't know
why it has the same URL as the decorative shingle making video) shows 
them using a
drawknife with straight handles -- straight out from the blade -- and 
it's pushed,
not drawn toward you.  A very different way of making shingles.

Mike in Sacto