Construction of a Morris

[Dave Wermuth]

I've heard of prices from $50 to $1000. Mostly $700 - $1000. Maybe more. A good question, and I'd be curious to know the answers too. Especially those forms that were sold by manufacturers in Canada vs. the U. S.

 

[yeolwoodsman]

Picked up the lumber.

Another step on the project. We drove to Connecticut today to get the lumber for the canoe. Closest place I could find that carried Northern White Cedar was a two and a half hour ride...one way. Digging through stacks of lumber in the pouring rain. Not high on the fun list but it had to get done.

As I do some reading I see that Atlantic White Cedar is also listed as a boat building material. Would Atlantic White Cedar be worth considering for canoe building?

 

[yeolwoodsman]

More progress

Some more updates for those that are interested. We are almost done with the form. Only need to add the rail backer and the strongback. Finished up the metal bands this week, completed a new steam box for bending, and set up a steamer from a turkey fryer. Ribs have all been cut to shape and routed now Steven gets to sand them...better him than me.

I thought the form would just be utilitarian in nature (which I know it is) but it really has a beauty all its own.

I've added a few pictures and would appreciate any feedback.

 

[Dave Wermuth]

Looks good. Alot of work ain't it? The canoe will be easy.

 

[Greg Nolan]

Very impressive.

 

[chris pearson]

Very nice job!!!!

 

[jdm6593]

Beautiful work! Steven is taking impressive care with fastener placement. The overall effect is a beautiful piece of work that does indeed approach the canoe itself for aesthetic appeal. An old quote in my mind goes something like "the real craftsman (or was it artist?) puts the most work where it cannot be seen".

 

[yeolwoodsman]

Fire up the steamer!

Got a chance to do some steaming in the new steam box with the new turkey fryer set up. Worked like a charm! We fired up the steamer with the turkey fryer just outside the back door and the steam box in the lumber storage room. We were bending the rail backers for the form. 1"X3/4" red oak. Managed to get everything done and didn't set off the schools fire alarms Next in line to be bent will be the splayed stems...Monday.

Photo 1 Steam set up.
Photo 2 Good heat...212 degrees!
Photo 3 Pulling the lumber from the steamer.
Photo 4 5 pieces of oak at once. No sweat.
Photo 5 After the wedges are in place. It's all good!

 

[yeolwoodsman]

Stems bent and notched.

Bent the stems last week. Never imagined that bending anything 7/8" thick and 3-1/4" wide would go so well, but it did. We shaped the first stem together and then Steven shaped the second one on his own while I worked out the notches for the ribs. He will get to do the second set of notches on his own. I included a few pics of the progress. Left the third notch a little shallow at Rollins suggestion. Hope I've done it right. The square blocks will get trimmed down to the ribs once they are in place as will the rest of the stem.

 

[yeolwoodsman]

More progress

Finally a little more progress. The inwhales are clamped to the form. We got the 2X4 for the strong back and got it attached. We did some test fitting and layout on the ribs. We should be ready to get the ribs into the steam box on Wednesday. I'm hoping to have our video students put together a steam bending video of the process. I've attached a few photos of our progress.

 

[Benson Gray]

As I do some reading I see that Atlantic White Cedar is also listed as a boat building material. Would Atlantic White Cedar be worth considering for canoe building?

Yes, see http://forums.wcha.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=18732&d=1322443967 for information about how much of this the Old Town Canoe Company used in the late 1920s.

Benson

 

[yeolwoodsman]

A very interesting read. In the brief Mr. Grey only makes reference to Eastern White Cedar and Western Red Cedar. He does not refer specifically to Northern White Cedar. Is the "Eastern White" that he refers to in the brief inclusive of what we refer to as Northern White cedar as well as Atlantic White Cedar? Are they interchangeable? Would their working properties be similar enough to make them interchangeable?

On the project front we have gotten all the ribs bent and started re-sawing the planking. Next up is fairing the ribs and planing the planking. Things should begin to move along a little faster now. It seems so slow when you only get about an hour and a half a day in on the project. I hope to get some new photos up tomorrow.

 

[Jan Bloom]

Northern White Cedar aka Eastern White Cedar or Arborvitae, Latin name is Thuja occidentalis L.

 

[yeolwoodsman]

Jan, Thanks for the quick response. What I'm actually trying to get a handle on is weather or not Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) is also suitable as a material for canoes. Any insights and thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!

 

[Benson Gray]

Is the "Eastern White" that he refers to in the brief inclusive of what we refer to as Northern White cedar as well as Atlantic White Cedar? Are they interchangeable? Would their working properties be similar enough to make them interchangeable?

I don't know if Sam Gray considered them interchangeable but the site at http://www.cabinetmakerfdm.com/Northern_white-cedar_and_Atlantic_white-cedar.html says that both types grow in Maine and "The two separate species are not closely related, but sometimes are grouped together, as the properties are almost identical." It would be interesting to hear if anyone else has noticed a difference.

Benson

 

[yeolwoodsman]

The ribs are bent!

Just adding a few progress photos. The ribs are on and ready for fairing. The planking is next!

 

[Ed Moses]

Over the years, I have sawed quite a few thousand board feet of both Atlantic white cedar and northern white cedar on my portable saw mill and have used both species in canoe restoration ansd other projects. I found Atlantic white to be darker in color, a tad more brittle than Northern white and a little less flexible. We have swampy areas that have isolated , almost pure stands of Atlantic white cedar in southern NH, many of which have been given special protection as "unique ecosystems".

 

[Steve Ambrose]

I picked up some Atlantic cedar from a guy in PA that had it left over after building a couple of boats. He reported that it seemed a bit more brittle and said he usually snapped several ribs during the process of building. I haven't attempted to use any yet so I can't compare it to my normal rate of snappage with Northern cedar.

 

[yeolwoodsman]

A canoe is born!

One of the teachers I work with said it's like a canoe was born. I thought it fit the excitement of the moment. Steven was able to finish up the planking early enough during class that we had time to take it off the mold so we did. Here are some update photos for your enjoyment and critique. How are we doing?

 

[Mark Adams]

VERY cool!