Blade 30 cm long. Handle perpendicular — L-shaped. Place on end of billet, strike back with mallet — billet splits into thin slab. Shingle.
Uses
Roofing. Siding. Fences. Amish shingles from white oak or cedar — 30-40 years without replacement. Asphalt shingles — 15-20. Who wins?
Technique
Key: split along grain, not across. Then each shingle is a natural water channel. Rain rolls down the fibers. Doesn't soak in. Doesn't rot.
A master makes 500 shingles per day. Barn roof (200 m²) — 3,000 shingles — one person's week of work.