Earlier this week myself and Niall Kenny headed out to cut down some oak trees in preparation for an upcoming experiment Niall is organising to re-create a traditional charcoal making pit. We chopped down one of the trees with a replica bronze axe to see how long it would take to fell compared with the modern iron  axes we had: we took 11 minutes with the bronze axe and only 4 minutes on a similarly sized oak with the modern iron axe. Presumably the difference wouldn't have been quite as acute in the past considering variations in metal alloys and of course in the skill of the axe-wielders. 

Why you ask? In these days of climate change, flooding and general mayhem (as if there has ever been a time when those things haven't been happening!). Well, its all part of Niall's research into early Irish charcoal production which nicely compliments my own work into early Irish ironworking.

Hopefully we will be able to use the traditionally-produced oak charcoal to fuel the furnace for SMELT 2010, which will take place in March.