New curved canoe decks Howto
- Thread starter German_canoe
- Start date
I am not a wood expert but the information at http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?12011 and http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?7063 should show you how steam and pressure can help you make curved ash decks. Good luck,
Benson
MGC
Scrapmaker
The deck that is included as an example of one needing replacement actually looks very reusable. What is the reason for replacing it? It's normally prefered to try and retain as many origianl parts as possible/practical.
If you do choose to go ahead with steaming and forming, a small house or railroad jack provides more preasure than clamps.
If you do choose to go ahead with steaming and forming, a small house or railroad jack provides more preasure than clamps.
Paul Miller
Canoe Nut
If you do steam them, remember to cut the piece bigger than necessary as the edge may crack and need to be cut off.
PM
PM
Larry Meyer
Wooden Canoes are in the Blood
Steam bending decks is not my area of expertise. However, seeing as how that deck has a very deep cut-out, and thus very long thin “prongs,” I would fear the long narrow prongs would break off when bent under pressure.
A safer, easier approach would be start with an oversize (thicker) blank and replicate the curve by shaping it by hand, with rasp, plane or whatever.
Making the jig (form) needed to steam bend the deck would likely take much more time than just starting with an oversized blank.
A safer, easier approach would be start with an oversize (thicker) blank and replicate the curve by shaping it by hand, with rasp, plane or whatever.
Making the jig (form) needed to steam bend the deck would likely take much more time than just starting with an oversized blank.
JClearwater
Wooden Canoes are in the Blood
I'm with MGC on this one. The decks pictured look like they could be re-used. They appear to be cut from crotch wood with the grain pattern curving around the prongs. Making new ones matching the old ones is going to be a lot of work assuming you can find suitable stock to begin with.
JCC
JCC
Dave Wermuth
Who hid my paddle?
Consider making the bending form in both male/female and bending the board after soaking, and then cut out the deck after bending. Steam for an hour per inch.
H.E. Pennypacker
LOVES Wooden Canoes
I agree with others - your decks look fine, so why replace them? But if you do, then yes, bend them. If you carve from a single block of wood, the grain run-out will produce a grain pattern that looks terribly different from normal decks.
If you bend, do as Dave suggests - bandsaw a male-female jig out of a large block of wood that can be made by gluing up a stack of heavy lumber. Once bandsawn to the curve you wish your new decks to be (or a slightly stronger curve in case of spring-back), cut your bending stock over-sized as Paul said, and don't yet cut the curve of the decks. I've never had the edges crack off (not exactly sure what that means); I make mine over-sized because the three points of a deck triangle would take a tremendous amount of force during bending - not good on those narrow areas relative to the full width at the center. That is, the bending jig contacts a triangular blank at these three points and along a line at the middle of the deck. (Maybe Paul means that the two inboard corners are most likely to fracture in bending... agreed, along with the tip). So anyway, I make a trapezoid for a blank so there is no pointy tip and the angles of the sides are significantly less acute.
Soak the stock in water for a few days, then steam for an hour per inch of thickness, after which they can be bent using either some large, heavy-duty clamps or a frame and bottle jack. Leave the decks in the jig(s) for as long as possible to thoroughly dry (I have pairs of identical jigs for each shape desired, so both decks can be bent at once). After thorough drying (weeks if possible, depending upon wood species), remove the bent deck blanks, shape to fit the gunwales, and use a bandsaw to make the cutout in the amidships face. Do any final shaping and sanding before installing with bedding compound aong the edges that mate with the gunwales. All done!
If you bend, do as Dave suggests - bandsaw a male-female jig out of a large block of wood that can be made by gluing up a stack of heavy lumber. Once bandsawn to the curve you wish your new decks to be (or a slightly stronger curve in case of spring-back), cut your bending stock over-sized as Paul said, and don't yet cut the curve of the decks. I've never had the edges crack off (not exactly sure what that means); I make mine over-sized because the three points of a deck triangle would take a tremendous amount of force during bending - not good on those narrow areas relative to the full width at the center. That is, the bending jig contacts a triangular blank at these three points and along a line at the middle of the deck. (Maybe Paul means that the two inboard corners are most likely to fracture in bending... agreed, along with the tip). So anyway, I make a trapezoid for a blank so there is no pointy tip and the angles of the sides are significantly less acute.
Soak the stock in water for a few days, then steam for an hour per inch of thickness, after which they can be bent using either some large, heavy-duty clamps or a frame and bottle jack. Leave the decks in the jig(s) for as long as possible to thoroughly dry (I have pairs of identical jigs for each shape desired, so both decks can be bent at once). After thorough drying (weeks if possible, depending upon wood species), remove the bent deck blanks, shape to fit the gunwales, and use a bandsaw to make the cutout in the amidships face. Do any final shaping and sanding before installing with bedding compound aong the edges that mate with the gunwales. All done!
Kathryn Klos
squirrel whisperer
I vote for keeping the originals too-- for poetic reasons. The deck is a defining part of a canoe. And, as a bow-paddler, my eyes often rest upon the deck. When I take photos, the deck is often central to the picture, with the lake beyond. Perhaps two or three generations of people looked at the deck as they paddled.
