Seat structure

C

cwf

Enthusiastic about Wooden Canoes
I'm nearing the end of a Strickland restoration and was thinking I'd be kneeling or perhaps sitting with a second paddler, when I found two bits like this at the bottom of the box and realised there must have been a seat once.

I found some oak, 20mm square, which seems strong enough. The wider piece is 18", the narrower 15", the two fore and aft pieces 9", the same as the cutout. The actual seat will be 12" wide and I'll use 5mm leather thong at 1" spacing, 6mm drill through the oak, fore and aft one piece and side to side one piece, knotted at each end so I can tighten when necessary.

Does that seem adequate or too much?

Thanks, Charlie.
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Well, this is what has happened.

Some people have wondered if 20mm x 20mm oak is strong enough, particularly with all these holes. We'll see. Mortice and tenon joints (that took me back to schoolboy carpentry).

I'm wondering if holes at 1" centres is close enough. I can always use a cushion or foam.

3m of thong is enough for the side-to-side, another 3m for the fore-and-aft. Nominally 5mm, I've drilled 7/32" (5.5mm). All edges rounded.
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I predict you are OK with the 20mm oak. But just to be sure (if you have an extra piece) you could try a test. The aft cross member of the front seat would be the longest one, perhaps 28 or 30 inches. Take a piece of the same oak, that length, support it on both ends, and sit on it. If it passes the test, you will have full confidence in your seats!
 
So you're suggesting there was a second seat? (this one is at the stern). I think there was only one set of seat supports like this. When I started taking the canoe apart 35 years ago, there were no digital cameras and I took no photos.

There are four small pieces of wood still in the box, which I don't recognise and can't find screw holes for in a seat position. I think they were on the coaming, which seems to suggest a fitting for lee boards, what do you think? That would fit with a canoe built for sailing, inwales and coaming.
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I'm a skinny 160 lbs, from a family of tall, thin types. As to oak, I think in the UK it's all white oak? (native)
 
You're probably ok then. Being a big guy, I'd break that quick. the last frames I made were not only thicker then the 20mm (3/4") but more then twice as wide.
 
The commercial seats from Essex Industries are ash, they use frames of 3/4 by 1-1/2 inches (20 by 40 mm), and are up to 40 inches (100 mm) wide.
Obviously, their seats are overbuilt because the company does not want to be blamed if they fail!
And no, I wasn't suggested there had been a second seat. I was only try to consider all the variables, with span being one.
I personally think your 20 by 20 mm oak seats, over the shorter span of the rear seat, will probably be fine.
And if I haven't mentioned it yet, your project looks great!
 
Thanks Worth, ash was certainly most used recently in the UK for all sorts of seating. I might have to arrange a second seat, depending on feedback.

It's the last few problems that are providing the headache - sorting out floorboards and seating the stem and stern bands. I think traditionally some sort of putty was used that stayed soft for a long time. The floorboards originally were 10'6" long but 8' is all that is reasonably available now. Birch ply seems suitable but the supply of birch has been disrupted by Putin's shenanigans in Ukraine and the price has shot up. £100 for one 8'x4' sheet!
 
Well, here it is. Here's hoping it does the job.

I'd be interested to know how you get 10 meters of 5mm rawhide out of a cow skin.

Charlie.
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Very neat, but... what I have is not a flat strip, it's circular section, consistently 5mm.

Is a raw cowhide at least 5mm thick? It's natural, so aren't there inconsistencies, weaknesses? So is mine cut as a strip and then machined/cut to circular section?
 
Trying to get thick rawhide lace in the UK is almost as difficult as trying to get white cedar in my experience.
 
And there I was thinking a canoe seat was a fairly simple item. After a few hours spent reviewing past WCHA correspondence, I'm afraid I still have a few questions :

Babiche/rawhide, are they the same?

Does all leather seating, rawhide or tanned, need varnishing?

Any difference between fore-and-aft weaving pattern and diagonal?

Does anyone know what seats Strickland used?

Atthis, your link just gave me a general view of what leather strips are available., although I now know Singer treadle sewing machines use it.

And Dan Miller, the rein rounder looks like a wire drawer. Presumably it cuts square section leather to round?

Lift any stone and there's a whole world beneath.
 
désolé, nous n'avons pas de babiche et d'autres arbres typiques dans nos terres comme le dit Samb, pour le mien, je coupe avec un cutter fait maison (diy) comme vu dans la vidéo du tube sur un canapé en cuir de buffle sauvage trouvé la nuit dans la rue, je mets les ceintures dans un mélange de lessive à base de soude, je rince et je tisse sur le siège quand il est mouillé
 

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I'll hazard a guess that wild buffalo couches are even harder to come by than moosehide.
Any wild game processor has beau coup skins, salted and stacked for sale/pickup.
Bead Canada was a go to for this stuff. The site link I have saved is 404ing.
There are other options if you don't want to make your own. https://www.chichesterinc.com/SnowshoeWebbing.htm
You can buy premade seats, https://muskokacanoeworks.ca/product/babiche-traditional-rawhide-seat/
And Mike Elliot gives thorough instructions. https://canoeguybc.wordpress.com/tag/babiche/
 
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