Making a canoe...by hand...for the first time...

[fergal]

I have been inspired by Silent Invader and want to try my hand at creating something of my own.

Here's my first crack at a handmade canoe.


More can be found on my blog
http://syw6mm.com/2011/01/make-my-own-canoe-sure/

[6milPhil]

Sounds quite difficult to me... 

Which scale is this?

[fergal]

Souds difficult to me as well! But that's half the fun.

It will be for 28mm figs when finished. The next set of photos will show the canoe shaped quite a bit more, and I'll throw in a fig for reference.

[6milPhil]

Just wanted to check seeing as we both have a taste for 6mm, in which case I'd have questioned your sanity albeit briefly seeing as I scratchbuilt a 6mm piano. 

[fergal]

Made some progess yesterday.



http://syw6mm.com/2011/01/a-few-minutes-work/

[fergal]

Although there doesn't seem to be a great deal of interest, here is where I'm at with the canoe.



More detail can be found here

http://syw6mm.com/2011/01/further-canoe-progress/

[Braz]

Coming along nicely. A dust hood would be a good idea for all that sanding.

[Froggy the Great]

Ooh.  What sort of canoe will this be?

[Mancha]

Lookin' good so far.  Please keep the pics coming.

[fergal]

It'll be an indian war canoe.  We know canoes as a pretty standard size, but they were all sizes of canoe at the time.  I've sat in a 25 foot canoe oared by 10 people before, pretty awesome experience actually.

Although I didn't plan on this one being so big, it's really all about the learning experience really.  The next ones will undoubtedly be smaller.

[Silent Invader]

Nice progress Fergal and thanks for the mention.   

Try to carve as much as possible to keep sanding to a minimum.  I learned to carve with greenwood - spoons, bowls, stuff like that -and pretty much the same philosophy applies, sharp knife, away from the body, lots of small shavings, etc.

BTW, my first canoe came out much, much bigger than I expected.  Eventually, I squared off one end and it became a small sail boat! 

[Galloping Major]

Really bold project to take on Fergal. I expect keeping the symetry will be the hardest part. Really interesting to follow progress, looking good.  

Being in a 25 foot canoe sounds quite an experience, you're right, most of the ones we see are the smaller 2 - 4 man ones.


www.gallopingmajorwargames.com

[fergal]

Thanks for the input SI, I never really thought about carving it, hmmm...I might see how it goes for me, but I've much more experience grinding shapes.  Always up for something new!  

GallopingMajor,

I worked at a camp in upstate Minnesota for little rich kids for four summers in college (met my wife there while she was on BUNAC).  I worked on the waterfront and when the coureurs des bois, not sure if he would have called himself reenactor or living historian, showed up all the waterfront guys launched and paddled the thing across  Lake Plantagenet , quite a neat experience.  He was in full outfit, complete with pipe and corny French accent.