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Tom's 100+ year old log cabin where he lives.
No running water, nor electricity. But a great view, isolated, and right
on the Spanish River. |
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The work shed where the canoes are built.
Mine is Tom's 41st bark canoe. The shed is welcome, especially when it is
pouring rain, and when the mosquitoes are out (i.e., most of the time!). |
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This and the adjacent picture show a close-up of
the bark. Contrary to many people's belief, it is not paper-thin;
rather, good bark is far closer in to the leather in your belt in both thickness
and flexibility. |
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The bark is harvested from the trees in
(hopefully) large sheets so as to minimize the number of seams in the boat.
It is carried out of the bush in rolls. Here you see how much it can be
bent without splitting or cracking. |
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All of the work is done with traditional
hand-tools - well, let's qualify that: post contact tools, since metal is
used.
Here Tom is using his maw and a wedge to split cedar.
This is in order to make the sheathing, or planks, that go between the bark skin
and the ribs on the inside. |
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Here he is at his shaving horse using a draw knife to work what will
become the sheathing. You can see a number of the planks against the wall behind
him. These are about 4" wide, and 1/8" thick. |
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This is a close-up shot that gives a better view
of the sheathing that will eventually be fit between the bark and the ribs in
the interior of the canoe. Notice how thin the split, and the
uniformity. |
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 These
are the ribs that will go into the canoe. They still need to be shaped -
something that happens later in the build. The ribs and sheathing are all
hand-split out of cedar logs, as above, and worked with a combination of the
shaving horse, also seen above, and a crooked knife. |