Buying a Toboggan

[pierre girard]

I'm feeling a deep need to get out into the wilderness for a weekend's snowshoe trip, but I'll be taking my tent, stove, and ice fishing equipment. It is just too much to pack on my back, and none of my toboggans are long enough to pack all that stuff.

I built two new toboggans this fall from nine foot ash boards, but a couple of trial runs show they are too short and the toboggans are top heavy when loaded. I've been looking for some 12 foot logs to turn into toboggans, but that doesn't help me this year - as all the small sawyers are closed down for the winter.

Buying a wood toboggan kind of sticks in my craw - as I'm used to making such things myself. I have decided however - if I'm going to get on the snowshoe trail for a camping weekend this year - buying one is what I'll have to do.

I liked the looks of this one - built very archaic, and a nice price, but an e-mail to the company has produced no reply. This is a two board toboggan made of hickory for $150. I don't know what the length is.
http://www.wanuken.com/toboggans.html

This is a very nice toboggan - I like the style of the curl - and I have seen this toboggan - it is very well made. I'm a little concerned about an oak toboggan, however, as oak is not known for its tensil strength - and the price, at $248 seems high. This is a ten foot toboggan.
http://www.ntsled.com/html/our_sleds.html#HAND

This local company shows no freight or hand toboggans on its website, but a phone call produced the information that they have some long boards on hand and are considering building about 10 traines, eleven foot long, this year. They are supposed to call me tomorrow and let me know what their plans are. Their eight foot down hill toboggan retails for $190 at the factory, so I don't know what they would want for a hand traine. The eight foot multi-board toboggans are made of ash - which is the wood I've always used, though I'd rather have a two board toboggan. The eight foot toboggans can be purchased new on e-bay for $125.
http://www.arrowheadtoboggan.com/toboggans.html

PG

 

[Abbe Osram]

Hi mate,
I understand the wirred feeling buying a new one if you are used to build your own.
I saw a very nice toboggan in the book from Garrett Conover.
Its a high-density plastic toboggan which can be rolled up for transport in a small space such as a car without roof racks or a small plane, you can transport a hell of a lot gear on them and they are light too.

here is a picture from the book:

I think that you could build that quite easily or get it fast build in time. Later you could build your own wood toboggan again.

If you want to get in contact with the Conovers and ask them a little about toboggans or winter stuff, they are wonderfull people. Their book Winter Wilderness Companion is the best I have read on the subject Winter Bushcraft.
There is a forum they run while being on the newest Trail, they are going 400 miles through the wilderness. One can write a question to them and after a week they will answer via Satelit phone and a helper who runs the forum for them.

Here is the link: the Conovers

cheers
Abbe

 

[Keith_Beef]

I've been thinking about toboggans for the last couple of days... We had a snowfall in early December (5" between 05h30 and 07h30) that lasted a couple of weeks, then on 2 January (I think it was) a flurry (2" in half an hour).

I think that in late January we should get some decent snow.

I had been thinking about making a rucksack, and it occurred to me that by making a wood frame so which I could strap a canvas bag, I could design the frame so that it could become a small togobban for when walking with a pack on my back would make me unstable or too heavy.

Then, looking at your pics, I thought that the long narrow toboggan looked a lot like a wide ski. Maybe a pair of wooden skis could be made with an attachment to join them together so that they become a toboggan. Would this be any use?


Keith.

 

[pierre girard]

Hi mate,
I understand the wirred feeling buying a new one if you are used to build your own.
I saw a very nice toboggan in the book from Garrett Conover.
Its a high-density plastic toboggan which can be rolled up for transport in a small space such as a car without roof racks or a small plane, you can transport a hell of a lot gear on them and they are light too.

here is a picture from the book:

I think that you could build that quite easily or get it fast build in time. Later you could build your own wood toboggan again.

If you want to get in contact with the Conovers and ask them a little about toboggans or winter stuff, they are wonderfull people. Their book Winter Wilderness Companion is the best I have read on the subject Winter Bushcraft.
There is a forum they run while being on the newest Trail, they are going 400 miles through the wilderness. One can write a question to them and after a week they will answer via Satelit phone and a helper who runs the forum for them.

Here is the link: the Conovers

cheers
Abbe

Empire Canvas Works, where I got my winter tent, has some of that style toboggan. Guess I'm just too reactionary for a plastic sled. I like haveing a bigger curl too. The wooden ones you see in the backround of the photo are more to my taste. The last wood traine I had lasted 35 years - and would have lasted longer if my nephews hadn't used it for downhill sledding.

PG

 

[pierre girard]

I've been thinking about toboggans for the last couple of days... We had a snowfall in early December (5" between 05h30 and 07h30) that lasted a couple of weeks, then on 2 January (I think it was) a flurry (2" in half an hour).

I think that in late January we should get some decent snow.

I had been thinking about making a rucksack, and it occurred to me that by making a wood frame so which I could strap a canvas bag, I could design the frame so that it could become a small togobban for when walking with a pack on my back would make me unstable or too heavy.

Then, looking at your pics, I thought that the long narrow toboggan looked a lot like a wide ski. Maybe a pair of wooden skis could be made with an attachment to join them together so that they become a toboggan. Would this be any use?


Keith.

Our firewood hauling sleds are made from two downhill skis with a sled body attached. Use CC skis and make the sled narrow enough to follow your ski or snowshoe tracks -and light enough so it isn't hard to haul - and you may have something.

PG

 

[Keith_Beef]

Is ordinary plywood OK for bending to make a traine?

Of course, I could make up some curved inside strngtheners, but how do I make the plywood flexible?

Is it just a matter of soaking in water for a couple of days, or is steam bending better?


Keith.

 

[Nemisis]

Could you not get a couple of sheets of say three ply which is flexible anyway bend one over a frame and glue other sheets onto it to build it up then fix in a frame to retain the curve?
Dave.

 

[pierre girard]

I think you'd have to have a very good quality marine plywood - very thin - 1/4 inch probably - to make this work. I don't know anything about bending plywood - I've never done it - except onto a framework.

Bending regular wood, you can torch it after you make the bend and the bend will "set." Not sure with plywood.

PG

 

[Keith_Beef]

I think you'd have to have a very good quality marine plywood - very thin - 1/4 inch probably - to make this work. I don't know anything about bending plywood - I've never done it - except onto a framework.

Bending regular wood, you can torch it after you make the bend and the bend will "set." Not sure with plywood.

PG

I was thinking about ordinary plywood, then treating it with linseed oil and then wax.
I wouldn't expect marine plywood to soften in water, though heat might do it, perhaps?

Keith.

 

[Nemisis]

I can't see ply holding the bend without a frame remember each "ply layer" is cross grained to the ones above and below, but i'm not experienced enough to be sure. Any carpenters know?
Dave.

 

[Keith_Beef]

I can't see ply holding the bend without a frame remember each "ply layer" is cross grained to the ones above and below, but i'm not experienced enough to be sure. Any carpenters know?
Dave.

If you look at the links in Pierre's original post that strated the thread, you'll see what look like two tension cables, that seem to be pulling the end of the board to make the curl.

I could do that, or make a rigid wooded curve to hold the board in shape. But I want to make sure the board is supple enough to stand being formed to the curve without cracking. Afterwards, it can be held to this shape by tension cables or bars, or by being glued and nailed to a frame.

We bought a $6 plastic toboggan yesterday, and the snow came overnight. Only about an inch, but enough to take the kids out on it. It's about a mile from our house to the town library, that has a short slope gentle enough for small kids.
I walked there, pulling the kids on the toboggan.

It's -8°C as I type, and I doubt we'll have any more snow in the next few days.

Keith.

 

[Nemisis]

Thats why I said in original post a couple of layers of three ply which is about 1/8" thick on its own but 2,3 or even 4 layers glued with a good marine adesive should allow the depth of curve you need.
Dave

 

[Keith_Beef]

Thats why I said in original post a couple of layers of three ply which is about 1/8" thick on its own but 2,3 or even 4 layers glued with a good marine adesive should allow the depth of curve you need.
Dave

Right. You reckon that the thin stuff should be flexible enough to withstand bending without cracking, without me needing to soften it?

I'll have a look in the offcuts, to see what I can find. Thanks.


Keith.

 

[JimH]

Of course, I could make up some curved inside strngtheners, but how do I make the plywood flexible?

Is it just a matter of soaking in water for a couple of days, or is steam bending better?

When I was a reenactor I used to make curved kite shields (see Bayeux for details ;-))...

3 layers of 4 mil marine 3-ply glued together over a former with waterproof woodglue WILL retain its shape when dry, even under extreme loading/impacts.

The thin ply is flexible enough as is, until the glue sets.

HTH,

Jim.