Chestnut Ribs

[Blue Viking]

OK!.........I SURRENDER .....After making 5 replacement ribs for my 16 Chestnut Deer to replace the 3 that are broken and cracking them in the exact same spot as the original broken ones....I GIVE UP! I have even made a form and used a piece of metal to keep the grain compressed at that crucial spot where they will crack...and they still did!....these ribs are only 1 1/2" wide by 3/8" thick and rounded at the sides...I have duplicated this and soaked the cedar and then steamed them for at least 2 hours or more and they still crack at the blankety-blank spot....Does anyone have a solution or advice as to what I am doing wrong?.............ALSO....Is there a source where I can buy these 3 ribs already pre-bent and ready to install?
I thought I was getting pretty good at this restoration stuff but this one has me stumped...Even my Old swedish lutherer grandfather who made concert violins did not have this kind of a problem...He could bend wood into a figure eight!!!!...Wish he was still around to scold me in swedish for being dumb!
suggestions or solutions will be MOST gratefully accepted.
There is no JOY in the journey today and I have taken too many strokes of the paddle attempting to arrive at my destination....Thanks
The VERY Blue Viking

 

[knubud]

Cooked toooo long!!

In steaming the general rule is one hour of steaming for 3/4 inch of thickness.

At 3/8 inch, they'd need about 1/2 hour. If you cooked them two hours or more they were cooked dry.

Later-Bud

 

[Dave Wermuth]

My thoughts on it

Are you sure the ribs are 3/8" thick? That sounds like a rowboat or heavy duty canoe. I soak overnight and boil for just a few minutes. Five minutes maybe. You can tell when they are done cause they get noodlie, or is it noodally. Is the bend paticularly sharp? I too would guess you are steaming them too much.
Einstein said, to paraphrase. "Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity" -But I can't even spell Einstein. I outta know. I broke a number of stems in close succession. So go back at it and if you soak overnight try just a few minutes. It will work out. Maybe practise in Pine?

 

[davelanthier]

Your rib size is correct. I just replaced 12 ribs in a 15' Chestnut Doe [ same as a 16' Deer ] without breaking a single one. Not bragging but you are doing something wrong. As soon as I fabricated the ribs they were placed in the steamer for 30 min. No soaking required. Do not use kiln dried wood, make sure the wood grain is true with no flaws, make sure your steam is as hot as possible, do not over steam. Should work, good luck.

 

[zutefisk]

Hang in there

Which ribs are you replacing?

I replaced 28 ribs in my Pal/Deer. But did not replace any in the stems. Started out with some beautiful, clear, air dried yellow cedar. Broke the first 2 and every 3rd or 4th after. Drafting some extra hands helped reduce breakage.

Got some clear, air dried northern white cedar when I ran out of yellow. Paid close attention to the grain while I milled out the ribs. Soaked while I ate dinner, then steamed 30 minutes or so they bent so easy it felt like cheating.

 

[Blue Viking]

Thanks for the replies.....Will make some more and give it another try. It seems that there is a critical point at just about where the water line would be that they seem to have separation of the grain in the flat side.. I can hear the old Swede grandfather scolding me in "Svenska" right now

 

[davelanthier]

Other notes. 1-The wood will probably have a natural bend to it. Sight down each rib to choose the face and back [then mark the back] before the face edges are rounded over. 2- When bending the rib on the canoe, if resistance is felt, flex the rib back and forth slightly to make it more pliable.

 

[Dan Lindberg]

A silly question but, you are using WHITE cedar for the ribs?
and be sure to match the grain of the originals, older canoes often are "face" grain, newer "edge" grain.

Dan

 

[DGuertin]

Zero Experience Poster

As the title says, I've no personal experience with this but I've read that in bending the ribs for a traditional birchbark canoe, the builder usually bent two ribs together at a time. The inside one was then moved one station nearer the end.

They also seem to imply, if not state (the books are back at the library!) they'd break fewer ribs doing this.

Good luck!