Birchbark Canoe Build

[MountainWood]

If you're looking for something to watch tonight. I find this fascinating.


web page

[tshiker]

Thanks for posting this, it's amazing what knowledge and talent people have. I would love to be able to do a class like that!

[barryvabeach]

Watched the whole thing, very neat.

[Scoony]

I have not watched this video, but there was one of an old man up in Canada building one. The canoe was looking pretty rough while he was building it, but it turned out really nice with some very fancy designs stitched into with with natural materials. Think he only used a few old hand tools.

[Alan S]

Thanks, the whole process is quite interesting. Among other things, it shows some details of stitching with spruce roots that I've not seen before.

Here is a link to the 1971 video of the old timer building a birchbark canoe. He presumably learned by continuous tradition rather than archaeology. One of the many things I like about this video is the way he works amid a lot of background action involving children and animals.

[Herebrooks]

A1, thanks

[Martin S.]

Bump

[Cliff Ober]

A guy close by to me up here in Maine builds authentic birch bark canoes that are stunning in the quality of the work ( Here... ). He's done restorations and reproductions for a several well known museums. A few close-ups from a couple of his canoes can also be found here (scattered among a whole bunch of other wooden canoe stuff).

Cliff

[Bill_Houghton]

An older but still good book on the subject is John McPhee's "Survival of the Bark Canoe." Your library may have it.

[Phil S.]

My dad, brother and I stopped by Bill Hafeman's shop and talked with him about the birch bark canoes he made, must have been back in the 60's. Dad asked him if he ever used his canoes or if they were just for display. He said he used them for fishing walleyes in the Bigfork River. Dad being a fisherman of course had to ask if he caught any fish. and Bill said he didn't have any luck, but next time he'd take his 5 tine Finish hook and then he'd get them. Apparently Hafeman's granddaughter's husband is still building bark canoes at his old shop. I haven't been by there in decades.