Historical Manufacturing

• Originally cedar shingles were hand-split from blocks of cedar wood using a simple tool called a froe. A froe is a basic blade with an eye hook on one end. The blade is knocked into the wood block and then a handle inserted through the eye is twisted to pop the shakes free. Hand-split cedar shakes have a unique look and feel. Because they are hand split, each shake is different in thickness and dimension.
  
  

Modern Manufacturing

• Modern cedar shingles and shakes are generally machine sawed to deliver greater consistency in thickness and dimension. Cedar shakes, which are meant to have variance in size, are now cut by machine, and the variation programmed to create the traditional look of a hand-split shake; while at the same time affording the ease of installation that comes from a shingle with uniform thickness.
  
  

Installation

• Cedar shingles are fastened to a structure in an overlapping pattern. One course of shingles covers a portion of the shingle course beneath it. This overlapping pattern sheets water away from the structure of the house. Each shingle is individually nailed to the house with two corrosion-resistant nails. The nails are driven ¾ inches from each side of the shingle, and above the live that marks the overlap between one shingle course and the next.
  
  

Finishing

• Cedar shingles perform best when treated with a penetrating oil-based wood stain. Because cedar shingles have a lot of inherent flex, paint is not a good choice of finish. A penetrating stain soaks into the wood, and therefore does not run the risk of cracking and peeling from the shingle surface.
  
  

Maintenance

• A nice feature of cedar shingles is that when isolated damage occurs, it is simple to remove and replace the individual shingles involved. Shingles can be pried from the house and the nails pulled or cut. Then, a replacement shingle can be inserted in place of the damaged material. Split shingles can be repaired by sliding a thin metal shim beneath the split to restore the shingles water-resisting properties.