bending wood
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What kinds of wood bend best? I know Cedar is very good but i dont have much of that lieing around 
Ash is probably your best bet. it is easy to get, easy to steam, although it probably will discolour, oak is also easy to steam. Just try to ensure you have good flat straight grain. Yellow Cedar (hard to get in England), Douglas Fir,Spruce can all be used for ribs. The ribs for the canoe on the photo were Oak, only because I just happened to have some, 3/4" wide by 1/4 " thick, at 8" apart.
I have also used Willow twigs 1/2" diametre for ribs. Easy to work when green, no steam required, picked in spring they are very easy to peel the bark off. I like them because they are a lot less hassle than steaming! I still have the kayak with those willow ribs and they are hard as nail! If you decide to use these, you have to alternate them, thin end,thick end, thin end etc, at 4" approx intervals. you can use your hand.s width as measurement.
I have also used Willow twigs 1/2" diametre for ribs. Easy to work when green, no steam required, picked in spring they are very easy to peel the bark off. I like them because they are a lot less hassle than steaming! I still have the kayak with those willow ribs and they are hard as nail! If you decide to use these, you have to alternate them, thin end,thick end, thin end etc, at 4" approx intervals. you can use your hand.s width as measurement.
jojo said:There are all sorts of shapes and sizes, as well as many different ways of building canoes. there are no wrong or right way of building one. It depends on what you want to do with it, the waters you'll be using it on , etc
Also, depends how much time and money you are prepared to spend on it. I have built flat bottomed ply ones in less than a week, skin on frames and strip planking, taking many weeks of work. They are all valid in their own ways. 3 metres is a good size, although it can depend if you are 5' tall and weigh 8 stones or 6'5" and weigh 20 stones
This one is a skin on frame. Pictures not very good
That one a strip plank and veneer skin.
I built them without plans, using some line drawing in The Bark Canoes and Skin Boat of North America.
They look great, hats off to you! Especially as you built without plans...Do you have pictures of them being paddled? I'd like to see them afloat.
I wish I had. I lost a lot of photos when my old computer died on me .Lesson: Don't trust they are safe on a computer...put the photos on paper or CDs. Which I do now.
.Lesson: Don't trust they are safe on a computer...put the photos on paper or CDs. Which I do now.
Another thought on ribs: you can make them square 3/8" x 3/8" and then remove the corners with a plane or spokeshave, then sand then, in the same way you can make arrow shafts! They end up round. just another way to make them
willow sounds good but i cant wait till spring .
I got some hazel shafts the other day about 1" wide. I split them down the centre and shaved each half thin. Then i gradually trained them to take a bend and then tied them into shape ( no steam, hot water needed!) I put them in my house next to my radiator and now they are bone dry and have kept their shape solid. This seems to be a good way to make my ribs i think.
Another question... the ribs that we make for canoe building seem to be pretty thin. Do they withstand our weight because the preasure of the water underneath us equals out the force.
.I got some hazel shafts the other day about 1" wide. I split them down the centre and shaved each half thin. Then i gradually trained them to take a bend and then tied them into shape ( no steam, hot water needed!) I put them in my house next to my radiator and now they are bone dry and have kept their shape solid. This seems to be a good way to make my ribs i think
.Another question... the ribs that we make for canoe building seem to be pretty thin. Do they withstand our weight because the preasure of the water underneath us equals out the force.
As they say: there is always more than one way to skin a cat! What counts is the end result. You don't have to wait till spring, it just is easier to peel the bark when the sap is flowing.
Basically yes, the frame when complete is actually quite a strong structure. All the parts, ribs and stringers are supporting each other and the pressure is equal to your weight and what you carry. The skin is there to keep the water out Are you going to sit on the floor or are you putting a seat of some sort in your canoe? You have to be careful to spread your weight if you sit on the floor, or were you put your feet, as any part of the frame coud break with localised stress. And it's best to avoid sitting in your canoe on dry land! Are you tying the stringers to the ribs, and the ribs to the gunnells? I used so called artificial sinew in mine and the stuff is basically heavy dental floss, very strong but does not like friction much. Having said that, nothing has broken on mine yet!
I built this little skin on frame kayak 3 metres long, for my daughter. I have used it on a couple of occasion, but it was really too small for me. She has lost interest now! Among the many things I want to do, is to build a larger version, say 12 feet. It's just there is not enough time
Basically yes, the frame when complete is actually quite a strong structure. All the parts, ribs and stringers are supporting each other and the pressure is equal to your weight and what you carry. The skin is there to keep the water out
Are you going to sit on the floor or are you putting a seat of some sort in your canoe? You have to be careful to spread your weight if you sit on the floor, or were you put your feet, as any part of the frame coud break with localised stress. And it's best to avoid sitting in your canoe on dry land! Are you tying the stringers to the ribs, and the ribs to the gunnells? I used so called artificial sinew in mine and the stuff is basically heavy dental floss, very strong but does not like friction much. Having said that, nothing has broken on mine yet!
I built this little skin on frame kayak 3 metres long, for my daughter. I have used it on a couple of occasion, but it was really too small for me. She has lost interest now! Among the many things I want to do, is to build a larger version, say 12 feet. It's just there is not enough time
Lost interest!! wow! how? That is magnificent! You are so talented!
Sounds like it would be best to make a little seat then, rather than risk breaking all my hard work!
I have planned to tie the stringers to the ribs, and the ribs to the gunnells. How do you get a flat top without ends of ribs sticking out?
And what kind of canvas is that? looks great!
Sounds like it would be best to make a little seat then, rather than risk breaking all my hard work!
I have planned to tie the stringers to the ribs, and the ribs to the gunnells. How do you get a flat top without ends of ribs sticking out?
And what kind of canvas is that? looks great!
Thanks! You fit the ribs into 3/8" diameter holes drilled on the under side of the gunnells, perhaps 1/2" to 3/4" deep, and trim the ribs to fit into the holes. You can either put small pins through the gunnells into the ribs to hold them in place, or tie them to the gunnells. It is necessary to have them fixed as the ribs can slip out of the holes when they dry. How far apart depends on the size of your ribs. Mine were 1/2" willow and I think 4" apart. I'll check that and post it.
The skin on the kayak is just ordinary, loomstate 10oz canvas, painted with ordinary oil based house paint. The sit in the kayak was a thin bit of ply (I know not very traditional ) covered with a bit of closed cells mat. You can also use some bamboo blind type stuff, or really anything that comes handy as long as it spreads you weight a bit.
the skin on the canoe was some polyester filter cloth for large osmosis pumps. Very tough. But in fact if was less tough when covered in varnish, ripped more easily than the ordinary canvas.
The skin on the kayak is just ordinary, loomstate 10oz canvas, painted with ordinary oil based house paint. The sit in the kayak was a thin bit of ply (I know not very traditional
) covered with a bit of closed cells mat. You can also use some bamboo blind type stuff, or really anything that comes handy as long as it spreads you weight a bit.the skin on the canoe was some polyester filter cloth for large osmosis pumps. Very tough. But in fact if was less tough when covered in varnish, ripped more easily than the ordinary canvas.
thanks very much for all this info! I've just sent away for some loomstate 10oz canvas samples from a website! :You_Rock_
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