Ultimate do-it-yourself

[Ferd47]

This may not be the right place for this but the Rochester, NY Canoeing group recently posted this link to a video of César Newashish building a birchbark canoe.
http://www.nfb.ca/film/Cesars_Bark_Canoe/
It 's pretty impressive. I'm new to the group, so forgive me if it was posted previously.

[BearLeeAlive]

I first saw that video a couple years back. It really is an impressive job he does with very simple tools. Makes me wonder why I need all the tools I do have in my workshop.

[Kanoo]

Really interesting video. I find myself lusting after the quality of the wood.

[Chuck D]

If I'm in that good of shape at 67 I think I'll build one myself! Until then I think I'll stick with a cedar strip canoe.

[Kanoo]

I've watched the video a few times now.

I've never really seen real birchbark canoe construction before. What is neat is that it's kind of 'frame on skin' rather than skin on frame, as the first thing that's laid out is the bark.

Is all the wood green? How do birchbark canoes age, and what is the working life expectancy of one? So many questions.

And I *love* roughing out a paddle using an axe, and using the crooked knife so adeptly to fashion the paddles.

[Gambit]

Couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to attend a workshop held by a traditional Native birch bark canoe builder. Basically went though the whole process from start to finish, it was something else.

So much nuance to it - selecting the right tree and right bark, spruce roots to tie and hold everything together, natural sap mixture as a sealant, rough cedar carved paddles, and whole lot more I've got written down which I'm forgetting atm.

And, as to how long they last? I asked the same question, and the old Native canoe builder looked at me and said, "longer then you."