Traditional Snowshoes

[Dave]

Just got some of these off ebay. Gonna refurbish them. Theres some wear, but nothing serious. Just sand them all down and use marine spar varnish. Got some used leather bindings and some lampwick.

 

[Stevie777]

Excellent. Did you buy them to use or for to hang in the man cave. Always wanted a crack at making a working set.

 

[Dave]

Excellent. Did you buy them to use or for to hang in the man cave. Always wanted a crack at making a working set.

Thanks. To use of course!

 

[Tom Gold]

Those look great! Is that sinew they are strung with?

 

[Dave]

Thanks! I think the rawhide is the full grain of the cows skin. I dont know if its sinew or just thinner cut rawhide. I'll find out when I sand it.
With care a good pair of wooden/rawhide snowshoes should last a lifetime.

[video=youtube;cHcLDpg0M4U]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHcLDpg0M4U[/video]


This is a good winter trekking article.

 

[Stevie777]

If anyone is looking on Ebay to buy a pair, you need to type in Wooden snow shoes otherwise you get taken to a page full of Uggs, The Devils footwear. Even sheep are not stupid enough to wear sheepskin feet.

 

[Joe tahkahikew]

Nice snowshoes Dave

They are beaver tail used by eastern woods indians and most white folk.

We use similar 'asam' (snowshoe) but when we are up in the open country with deep soft snow we use ones with pointed toes and pointed heels, (asamlikii) big long, (always from ground to arm pit), maybe and faster for moving quick. Pointed toes also means don't catch in trees when you are moving quick hunting and tracking in snow. I make ours but my wife puts strings in/ We always use hide, moose hide normally and never sinew.

We don't use varnish

 

[Dave]

Nice snowshoes Dave

They are beaver tail used by eastern woods indians and most white folk.

We use similar 'asam' (snowshoe) but when we are up in the open country with deep soft snow we use ones with pointed toes and pointed heels, (asamlikii) big long, (always from ground to arm pit), maybe and faster for moving quick. Pointed toes also means don't catch in trees when you are moving quick hunting and tracking in snow. I make ours but my wife puts strings in/ We always use hide, moose hide normally and never sinew.

We don't use varnish

Thats very cool Joe. Ive got a book, by gilpatrick which should help me figure out how to repair them, with babiche, if I need to do. But It looks a bit complicated!

How would you repair yours if you were out in a remote spot and they broke?

Ive started to sand all the varnish off the ash frame , and the rawhide, and ordered some epifanes marine spar tung oil varnish. Its an enoyable little project with a little hand held belt sander, and vibrating detail sander..

So do yours hold up ok without varnish?

 

[Joe tahkahikew]

The hide string is very strong and long lasting. If good quality and cut with no thin bits it will last longer than the wood. But sometimes there's a flaw in the hide or when cut into strips too thin. To repair these we simple cut new hide and when wet and flexible we trace the new hide in the same way the broken hide went and tie to sides in same way as old. If we have old hide strips and they are dry they need wetting to bend.

I've had one or two start to crack around the spreaders or where they are bent a lot but that was probably when I was inexperienced making them - too big hole!

Simple repair to get you home I normally cut & split some green timber, whatever I can find, put them on or over the crack and tightly lash them together. If I have a hide I'll use fresh cut skin and lash that on, it soon shrinks and will not undo which things like 'para cord' made of man made stuff will come undone.

If the frame breaks there I know of no way of making a permanant repair. I simply make another pair. Unless you go crazy on them they'll last many miles. I've used the same pair for the last four years and that included a sledge/hunting trip of over five five months and maybe three hundred miles.

L.L.Bean are still in business!

 

[Dave]

Excellent stuff. Thankyou.

 

[Dave]

Im having some problems removing the layers of varnish from the rawhide, Its bloody stubborn stuff.

 

[Robson Valley]

Those are LLBean! Top quality retailer.

I have 60" Trailbreakers with pointed, upswept front tips. Just 12" wide. Like Joe says, they work well in the forest.
5+ years of weekly winter use and only one thong broke.
Also a pair of old Sherpa with metal frames and ice claws that I rebuilt from 2 pairs of junk and some new parts.
Good for stop-and-go, I don't need to travel much anymore.

 

[Dave]

The rawhide has got old tough layers of varnish on it, which is almost impossible to remove. Some of it, flakes off. Would you say I should just flake off what I can, and then varnich over the top of the old varnish, [after roughing it a bit with some fine sandpaper for adhesion] and that will be ok?
Because I think thats all Im going to be able to do.

 

[johntarmac]

Is a wirebrush to harsh for rawhide? Maybe a softer suede brush to remove the loose bits.

 

[Dave]

Mmm, thats an idea. I'll see what Ive got. Thanks.

 

[Robson Valley]

Not a wire brush = the fibers will cut into the hide thong.
Gently take off what you can and refinish.