Friday, December 30, 2016

Miscellaneous projects using up scrap paddle wood

I've been using up the many scrap cutoffs from paddle making for a variety of projects.

Came across a neat idea for a sanding tool which seemed useful for handling the contours of a paddle, especially the shaft and throat area. It is my version of a "MacFarlane Bow Sander". I ended up purchasing a set of three 1" by 30" strips meant for a belt sander and used some walnut scraps along with a flexible strip of sassafras for the crosspiece. Also shaped some sassafras pieces into squarish dowel square to wedge and hold the sanding strip in place. Here are the pieces laid out for a visual.


The springy sassafras cross bar provides enough flex to bend and hold the sander under tension. While cutting out the slots in one of the walnut handles for the cross bar, a chunk chipped off so the slot became slightly too large. A thin wedge of sassafras must be jammed in to prevent any wiggling but the whole tool is pretty solid. It'll get some usage in the spring when I can start sanding outside again.



Also decided to use additional scraps to make some camping tools for my boys. Rather than learning proper technique with sharp tools, thought it would be proper to make some wooden toys so they could play and practice safely first. A piece of sassafras looked like an axe head to me and a cutoff of cherry had the contours of a handle. So they were put together but I couldn't find the camera to take pics at the time.

Then I read about a way to artificially accelerate the oxidizing process to turn the wood into a dark grey colour. It involves a mixture of rusty nails, vinegar and black tea.  Found the camera for this step and took pics of the natural sassafras turning into a dark black stain using this natural method. Might be a neat trick to artificially age some future paddles as well.

 Side of wooden axe head before staining


Surface oxidized with vinegar and tea mixture 


Also used some more sassafras bits to make a toy bucksaw and decided to stain "the blade" in a similar manner to look like metal. A canvas and leather case was also stitched up with some scraps.

Sassafras bucksaw

Disassembled  with case

Also still had various handle blanks cut back in '08 when making some custom carving tools. Just couldn't bring myself to burning these bits of hardwood. So these were used to make some toy tools similar to my own set for making the birchbark canoe. There's a basic belt knife with walnut handle and sassafras blade as well as a crooked knife with the same blade / handle combination


Belt Knife


Crooked Knife



Used up more bits to make a chisel, a triangular awl and even a little firesteel rod replica.



Here are all the goodies spread out on the table. Planning on making a kid's sized pack basket to put them all in so we can have some camping / bushcraft fun next season.


Camping & Bushcraft Tools



Thursday, December 22, 2016

Red Pine Paddle and Canoe Cups from Luc Poitras

Paddle maker Luc Poitras has submitted more photos of his work, including this paddle made from Red Pine:



Here are some of Luc's canoe cups made from various woods...





A crooked knife with etched handle and copper wire wrapping.






Monday, December 19, 2016

Canoe Winter Blues? Give this a try...

With most of Canada now frozen under a "Polar Vortex",  paddling season is very much done. Here's a wacky idea for canoeing freaks that want to continue their addiction through the winter. Brought to you by the folks at Historic Images.

Historic Images


The back of the photo contains a caption describing the scene:
MARINETTE - WIS. "Dare Devil" Jack Boyle guides his snow-going canoe to a landing after making hair-raising slide down Marinette ski slide. Mr. Boyle doesn't recommend it as a winter sport for novices, but claims it's easy if you know how. 1-18-41



Friday, December 16, 2016

New Tom Thomson Canoe Photo: Pre Fire Chestnut Cruiser

2017 will mark the 100th anniversary of the death of Canadian Artist, Tom Thomson. Probably every Canadian in the art & canoeing world knows of Thomson's mysterious death on Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park. Many books have been written, documentary films have been made, statues adorn town halls and local artists have added their own touch to Thomson's artistic legacy. 

Wood Canvas canoe enthusiasts have often wondered about Thomson's personal canoe, said to be purchased in 1915 from Chestnut Canoe Co. It has assumed to be a Chestnut Cruiser dating from before the 1921 Chestnut Factory fire and was distinctive in its colour - a slate grey colour mixed with one tube of the artists cobalt blue paint. Up until now, the only photo showing the canoe's graceful lines has been this one below, mistakenly dated to 1912 by some books.




However, a new website (TomThomsonArt.ca) has put up a few newly discovered photos which includes a clear view of this canoe resting on a dock. The provided caption is below.

Thomson painted his canoe a distinctive dove grey, so it is easy to spot on the dock in front of Mowat Lodge. Proprietor of the lodge, Shannon Fraser is in suit. Across Canoe Lake, on the left, is Hayhurst Point, a favourite campsite of Thomson. The canoe disappeared after Thomson died. What happened to it is another mystery.


For another writeup of a pre-fire Chestnut Cruiser find, be sure to check out Andre Cloutier's post here.



Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Fixing an old failure - scarfing a grip onto a sassafras northwoods - Part 2

When working on the old busted sassafras tripper, a scarf repair was attempted on the shaft so that the paddle could be salvaged into a user again. 



A joint  was cut and a sassafras cutoff was successfully glued up.


A new centre line was drawn on the upper portion and a squarish grip similar to a design at the Maine Hudson Museum was sketched out. After cutting out the profile, the grip was worked on vigorously with a crooked knife and rasp to get the desired  "grip bumps" and angled edges.

The new grip


The blade had weathered after being exposed untreated to the elements for years. It had been positioned upside down in the garden along the east fence line. The back of the blade facing the yard hard had weathered to a light brown colour while the more exposed face weathered into a greyish black patina. 

Different sides of the weathered blade

After the successful glue repair, the shoulder and shaft area of the original blade revealed that the underlying sassafras has turned its golden brown. Between the blade weathering, the darkened sassafras and the light creamy new sassafras grip, the paddle now has 3 distinct colour tones. Not sure at this stage if I'll leave the paddle as is or attempt to lightly stain the new sassafras to at least darken it a bit. 

March 25, 2017 Update: Paddle shaft has been wrapped with leather and is now complete. See the final post HERE.



Sunday, December 11, 2016

Circa 1890 Bark Canoe photo: Five Canoes Starting from Island Portage

An now expired Ebay ad featured  a circa 1890 albumen stereoview image. Captioned  as "...Five canoes Starting from Island Portage", it shows a group of men with their bark canoes loaded with gear. Publisher T.W. Ingersoll was located in St. Paul, Minnesota but there is no additional information on the specific location of the shot. There must be thousands of Island Portages out there.



Unfortunately, no clear views of the paddles being used are visible (unlike a similar scene from an 1895 Canadian Geological survey photo - post here). But a guide in the foreground is tumping a large pack cloth roll along with sacs of supplies thrown on for good measure...

Pack Cloth Roll closeup



Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Celebrity Paddles: Sigurd Olson's Canoe Paddle

Most wilderness canoeists certainly know about the paddling exploits, wilderness writings and environmental advocacy  of Sigurd Olson (April 4, 1899 – January 13, 1982).

1942 photo of Sigurd Olson in a Border Lakes Outfitting Company Canoe

Well known on both sides of the U.S. / Canada border, he was instrumental in the establishment of today's Boundary Waters wilderness parks as well as being the most famous member of the "Voyageurs", a group of hardy canoeists that retraced historical Canadian trade routes in the 1950s & 1960s.

There is a quaint 2 part wilderness film on Vimeo entitled "Wilderness Canoe Country" featuring Olson in some beautiful vintage footage.








Turns out the online collections of the  Minnesota Historical Society has a paddle belonging to Olson. It's a graceful hardwood paddle but unfortunately cannot be specifically dated. Here is a pic with details below.

Hardwood stern paddle is long and made of single piece of wood. Belonged to Minnesota Nature writer Sigurd Olson. Date unknown.
Length: 71-1/2 inches 
Blade Width: 6 inches 
Shaft diameter: 1 1/2 inches 
Dates Creation: 1900 - Not later than 1978
ID Number 1978.81.3


As an aside, there are some more posts on the site about other "Celebrity Paddles" like Bill Mason's Clement paddle sold at auction or this writeup of Archie "Grey Owl" Belaney's paddles.



Saturday, December 3, 2016

c1880 "G.W." Etched Maliseet Paddle

The good folks at The Cherry Gallery have once again posted another vintage paddle find.  I always look forward to a new month in order to check out their lovely current selections postings. This one is utilitarian birch paddle with a simple flattened grip. Photos and their detailed description below...

Maliseet Canoe Paddle
Circa 1880
6" w, 66.75” h

This birch canoe paddle has the characteristic details of Native paddles including a wide, flat handle, chamfering along the edges of the neck, a square-to-round profile transition at the throat of the shaft, a center ridge extending from the lower shaft to the upper blade, and a graceful beavertail-shaped blade. It also has two incised lines on each side of the handle which is a minimalist decoration seen on other Maliseet paddles. It retains its original dark, worn surface. The blade is chipped along one edge. There are incised initials “G.W.” on the back side of the handle.



Grip closeups



Blade closeup including chipped side

The Cherry Gallery's new find reminded me of another "user" paddle that was also authenticated to be a utilitarian Maliseet item. Back in 2011, I was contacted by someone wanting to post about a circa 1900 paddle for sale in their collection (read full original post here).


Circa 1900 Maliseet Paddle


Diamond shaped secondary grip


This paddle had been appraised in 2007 by Donald Ellis, one of Canada's renowned experts on native art. It had also been identified as a Maliseet paddle by the Curator of Cultural History and Art at the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John. At one time someone painted it white, then green which the curator mentioned likely preserved the piece. Not sure about the fate of this one, but hopefully both paddles have gone to a good home.



Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Historic Paddle Photo: Admiral Digby Museum Collection

A photograph in the graphic collections of the Admiral Digby Museum in Nova Scotia features a paddler about to embark in his canoe. The closed gunnel canvas canoe is a real beauty. Likewise, the paddle has pretty shape with a simple flattened grip.

Title: Man standing by boat looking at it. 
Admiral Digby Museum
Accession number: 1980.25.59
As per their Educational Usage Policy



Friday, November 25, 2016

Book Review - Canoes: A Natural History in North America

I was fortunate to receive a review copy of a highly anticipated book set for release in November 2016.  Canoes: A Natural History in North America by Mark Neuzil and Norman Sims is a richly illustrated hardcover containing a whopping 416 pages of content to satisfy the interest of canoe lovers everywhere.


Canoes
A Natural History in North America

Mark Neuzil and Norman Sims
Foreword by John McPhee
$39.95 cloth/jacket ISBN 978-0-8166-8117-4
416 pages, 95 b&w plates, 228 color plates, 10 x 8, November 2016


The style of the book takes one on a formal history lesson of the canoe in the Americas. Beginning with the story of various dugout forms, the book continues with the evolution of the birchbark and the subsequent transition to all wood canoes of the late 1800s. The natural progression to wood canvas canoes sets the stage for the era of aluminum craft and today's modern marvels engineered with industrial chemical synthetics. At each stage, one begins to realize that the basic form of the canoe has remained timeless but generational "improvements" in materials have been the defining feature of the craft.

Hardcore canoeists often view the world in paddling metaphors. Reading through each chapter felt like an adventurous backcountry journey, sometime through familiar territory, but with pleasant surprises along the way. The over 300 illustrative plates (some never before published) offered plenty of visual diversions, not unlike the excitement of spotting elusive wildlife on a trip. Historical maps, classic artworks and rare photographs had this reader frequently pausing  to take in the visual feast. Interspersed amongst the general text are short 2-3 page essays on various satellite topics such as "Canoe Sails", "Canoe Patents", "Canoes in Wartime" . These breaks felt like literary portages, a chance to get off the main route a bit and stretch your legs on the trail.

Published by the University of Minnesota Press, the book does have the obvious feel of being heavily American influenced to this Canadian observer. Of course, we Canadians have often arrogantly hijacked the canoe as our own national symbol but the book does the craft justice in representing the canoe as having a truly North American story.

Of particular interest to this reader was the writeup on the world's oldest known bark canoe, now at the Canadian Canoe Museum. Previous posts on the topic have been featured on the site here and here. The most detailed description of this vessel was written by  legendary bark canoe builder, Henri Vaillancourt and appeared in Wooden Boat Magazine (Sept/Oct 2011 - Issue 222 - Page 72). A bit of a shame that more detailed photographs of this historic craft were not included in the brief excerpt of the book.  

As a bit of consolation however, a beautiful colour photo of another aged birchbark canoe (rarely available for public view) has been reproduced in its full glory. The famed "1826 Penobscot Canoe" in the collection of The Peabody Essex Museum, Massachusetts was the subject of a restoration and construction analysis in 1947. The resulting article published in  The American Neptune (Vol VIII, No. 4, 1948) has been graciously reprinted with permission online by the WCHA. It was a real treat to see this elegant craft in full colour after being exposed to only grainy black and white photos from the past. 

When I first read the table of contents on the book's press release page, I was ecstatic that Chapter 7: Canoes and the Human-Powered Movement contained a subtitle for "Paddles". Working under the assumption that a detailed discussion of paddle forms with perhaps photos of historically significant paddles would be on display, the teasingly short, 2 page write-up contained few photos or satisfactory information on this rich topic. Granted, the focus of the book is obviously the watercraft, but just as canoes have evolved over the centuries, the paddles that have propelled them have as well. To this obviously biased paddlemaker, it was akin to seeing a bunch of meticulously restored vintage cars without their engines on display.  

These very minor short-comings aside, this new publication adds fresh perspectives and novel content to the topic. Given that paddling season is now over for most of us in North America, the timely release of the book will allow us to go on a very satisfying literary expedition over the winter. No matter what era of the canoe story you might have a special spot for, this book will certainly take a cherished place in your library collection.


About the authors:
• Mark Neuzil is professor of communication and journalism at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is the author, coauthor, or editor of seven books and a frequent writer and speaker on environmental themes. A former wilderness guide and summer park ranger, Neuzil is an avid outdoorsman who began canoeing in the 1960s with his family. He is a past board member of the Society of Environmental Journalists and Friends of the Mississippi River.

 • Norman Sims is a retired honors professor from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a past president of the International Association for Literary Journalism Studies. This is his sixth book. A longtime whitewater canoeist and an active member of both the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association, Sims has a small collection of antique Morris wood-and-canvas canoes. 

• John McPhee is the author of more than thirty books, including Encounters with the Archdruid (1971), The Survival of the Bark Canoe (1975), and Coming into the Country (1977). Since 1963, his articles and all of his books have appeared in The New Yorker magazine. He received the Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1977, and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Annals of the Former World in 1999. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.



Tuesday, November 22, 2016

William Armstrong Inspired Ash Paddle

It's been an enjoyable fall working on some more paddles in the backyard workshop. This next one was carved out of narrow plank of ash. The limitations of the board meant that this design would have a slender 4-1/4" blade. Had a chance to test this one out on the earlier Toronto Islands Daytrip to get a feel for it. The shaft felt a little too bulky so it was worked down a bit more.


Also finally purchased a cabinet scraper to help with the finishing stages. After multiple wettings it was scraped downed and then sanded with 320. Never really liked the open grain feel of ash but with this extra work, it is much smoother.

As for decoration, I felt like doing something simple and once again looked back into history for some inspiration.  A common theme seen in many historic paintings is a red checkered pattern on the paddle blade.

Paddle image from A View near Point Levy opposite Quebec with an Indian Encampment, Taken in 1788 
Thomas Davies (1737 - 1812)



Decorated Paddles from Indian Encampment near Amherstburg, c. 1819-1830
William Bent Berczy
Original Post Link



This paddle pattern is most apparent in multiple artworks by William Armstrong (1822–1914) that have been posted about many times on the site.



Paddle image from The Distribution of the Government Bounty on Great Manitouling Island 1856
William Armstrong



Paddle image from Indians Completing a Portage
William Armstrong
1873 watercolor



Paddle from Hudson's Bay Store, Fort William
William Armstrong
c. 1860-1870


Anyway, I had some left over Regal Red Tremclad rust paint left over from repainting the 14' Chestnut / Peterborough earlier in the summer so thought I would put it to use here. This oil-based waterproof paint doesn't need a topcoat of varnish which works well given that I prefer to oil all my paddles.

My older son was interested in helping so he assisted in laying out some tape. Painting has never been my strong suite or favoured medium and there's no way I could replicate the clean lines otherwise .





As an extra bit of decoration, I also painted part of the elongated grip...



It still needs to be oiled which will turn the plain ash into a much more golden hue but the weather outside has turned.




Thursday, November 17, 2016

Historic Paddle Illustration: Cockburn's Mi'kmaq Encampment at Point Levis

Here's another illustration of a Mi'kmaq paddle from a painting by James Pattison Cockburn. Mi'kmaq encampment at Point Levis, Quebec dates to around 1840. The foreground features a paddle leaning against a birchbark wigwam.

Painting | Mi'kmaq encampment at Point Levis, Quebec | M1821
Mi'kmaq encampment at Point Levis, Quebec
James Pattison Cockburn (1779-1847)
About 1840, 19th century
30.5 x 51.5 cm
Gift of Mr. David Ross McCord
M1821
© McCord Museum

It seems many artists chose to paint this location and made note of the Mi'kmaq encampments in the area. You can contrast Cockburn's rendition to two other artists by viewing this previous post.  In my opinion, Cockburn represented the paddle shape much more accurately.

Paddle Closeup

Tappan Adney illustrated what a typical Mi'kmaq paddle looked like in the mid-to-late 19th century after noting that earlier paddles seem to lack handles and just had a pole-style grip. Here's a Mi'kmaq paddle from Figure 59 in Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America.
Paddle from Figure 59
Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America  




Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Late 19th century unfinished Birch Penobscot

Traditional paddle maker Luc Poitras has come across a fine looking antique paddle for sale on Ebay and sent the info to post on the blog. The seller claims it is a 19th century Penobscot paddle carved in birch. Below is the seller's description:
A Penobscot Native American (Indian) canoe paddle carved in birch. It is a classic form, but more elegant and graceful than usual. The handsome surface is untouched, and some of the tool marks from its construction are still on the blade. It is 63-1/4" long by 4-7/8" wide. There is a bit of wear and roughness at the bottom of the blade, but no other condition issues.



The seller has also postings for a variety of other ethnographic items worth looking at, including many crooked knives and birchbark baskets with porcupine quill decoration.




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