Hi Chuck!
  I'd say 'no' to the 'batoning chisel', on account of the chisel edge. I think
a symmetrical edge is called for. Although, for tenon cheeks, it might be
better....
  Just a thought, there are many cheap and dinky meat cleavers in Sallie's and
Goodwilly's kitchen tool bins---not many nice ones---of course, but even a
cheesy and unsharpenable HSS souvenir from "The Sizzler's Belt Buster Platter"
---one of which I actually own---would make a nice little froe...for now, not
for me, I'm busy looking for a short piece of 2" drill casing to make a full-
size froe club like Scott's. Wish me luck.
   
    see you tailgating at Best In The West?
                     hope so; gam in OlyWA


How horrible it is to have so many people killed!---And what a blessing one
cares for none of them!
Jane Austen 

    On Sunday, July 3, 2022 at 04:06:38 PM PDT, Chuck Taylor via groups.io
 wrote:
 
 Scott, you wrote:

====begin snip====
A few weeks ago I was musing how come I had never seen a dedicated bench
froe. For splitting off tenon cheeks or small blocks to be driven through the
dowel plate. Lots of small jobs around the bench you need to split wood along
the grain.

...So I found a piece of steel. ... I cut out what I thought I needed and set
to, and massively ground it true. Full taper ground from the spine to -almost-
the edge.

http://users.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/images/hometools/benchfroe2.JPG
====end snip====

A truly impressive tool! Easy of the eyes too!

For those of us who lack the skills to make a tool like that, what would you
think of using a "Batoning Chisel", available from Lee Valley, for similar
functions?

Cheers,
Chuck Taylor
north of Seattle USA