Shoe Keel

[dboles]

Hello,
I just removed a shoe keel off a Chestnut Deer.It is in real good shape except that it has quite a sideways curve to it. I would like to reuse the keel on this restoration It is made of Oak and as it is in good shape and oak is harder to find out west here in longer lengths.
If the canoe has a keel on it then it gets a keel back on when restoring
Any ideas on how a person could go about straightening it.Im thinking about soaking it then clamping between two pieces of longer stock.Trouble is that the edges are bevelled.It is 2 1/4 wide and 3/8ths thick
Do not think it could be straightened when refastening.
Any ideas or suggestions
Dan'l

 

[Ron Carter]

Fasten it to a wide plank?

If you have a wide plank as long as the keel you might soak or steam it and then screw it to the plank through the existing holes either straight or slightly over bent in the opposite direction. Leave it until you are ready to reinstall and it should be straight enough.

 

[Douglas Ingram]

Dan, I've seen this often enough. It'll probably straighten out better than you expect. It does make for a more challenging job. Those old keels almost always go kind of wonky when they come off. If you're in no rush, you could try suspending the ends and hang a weight from the center, just enough to counter the curve. Held there long enough, it should help. What Ron says will help, too.

Good luck