1. a cleaving tool with a blade set at right angles to the handle, used for splitting shingles, staves, or other wood products along the grain
Usage: also spelled 'froe'; woodworking and carpentry tool; historical and traditional use

Examples

• The carpenter used a frow to split oak into thin shingles.
• A frow is driven by a mallet to cut wood along the grain.
• Early American craftsmen relied on the frow for making barrel staves.
• The blade of a frow is perpendicular to its handle, unlike an axe.
• He selected a sharp frow from his collection of traditional woodworking tools.