canoe maker: Sassafras

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Jumaat, 1 Ogos 2014

Craig Johnson Sassafras Paddles

Even though I missed the 2014 WCHA assembly again this year, some of the attendees have shared wonderful photos of all the canoeing fun. Jim Wilson recently uploaded a Flickr album of much of the action, including one of the long-standing traditions at the Assembly...the Paddle-by. Participants cruise by one-by-one showcasing their wooden boats.

I recognized a few paddling friends, most notably Pam Wedd of Bearwood Canoes. Pam was the wonderful instructor for my own build course way back in '08! She brought along a new 14' Gerrish Replica in a pretty turquoise colour.

Photo Courtesy of Jim Wilson

Original Link

Equally stunning was Craig Johnson paddling his 15' canoe (also built at Pam's shop in Parry Sound, ON). Craig makes gorgeous paddles as well (see previous posts here and here). This particular one is sassafras Northwoods style with an indented grip, distinct blade spine and a unique copper tip.

Photo Courtesy of Jim Wilson

Original Link

Craig had posted more of his beautiful sassafras creations on the WCHA forums a while back.

Craig Johnson's Sassafras Paddles

He's also come up with a pretty innovative way of mounting copper tips onto the blade end. A photo sequence of the basic process is found is this thread here.

Craig's Copper Tips

After having some serious sassafras envy, Craig was kind enough to mill some 5/4 Sassafras boards and sent them along with paddling friend Rob Stevens back home to me. Very much appreciated!

new 5/4 stock

Between this haul and Graham Warren's new paddle design book, I'm getting all sorts of ideas for some new creations.

Rabu, 29 Ogos 2012

Penobscot Paddle Test Run

Got a chance to take the c1900 Penobscot replica out for a test run on the cottage lake....

Original Paddles; Replica; Grip Closeup

Very likely that the original paddle was carved for ceremonial purposes or the tourist souvenir trade. The unique grip pattern with its slender curved and sharpened tip really isn't that practical for serious paddling and not intended to be held in the usual way.

Grip in "action"

It was reasonably comfortable held with the middle & ring fingers resting in the carved grooves at the top, but any other positions and the nubby tip would dig into the palm (as expected)...

Much more comfortable to hold it on its side near the bottom of the grip...

Despite the ornamental appearance of the grip, I really enjoyed this paddle. The Sassafras is so flexible and light and the blade design has just enough surface area to be an acceptable solo blade for my needs. This paddle has a twin blank that was cut from the same thick Sassafras stock so I'll be carving another one, albeit with a more comfortable grip design.

Sabtu, 21 Julai 2012

Sassafras Northwoods Part 2

Here's an update on the next paddle I was working on - the sassafras Northwoods style paddle modelled after the one in the Hudson Museum in Maine...

Hudson Museum Paddles (Credit: Bob Holtzman)

Took advantage of the cool down in the weather to finally get some carving done in the backyard. It's been scorching here in Toronto for what feels like forever! Progress on the blade was moving along nicely. Love the smell of those Sassafras shavings while you work...

For the handle, a few stop cuts with a saw and then some work with the axe and crooked knife to clean up a bit.

Everything was going well, the grip was being rasped down to shape and then I had the urge to check the flex...SNAP!

I suppose this could've been avoided by using precision power tools but it just isn't my thing. Still want to salvage what I can from this project. Thought of continuing to work on the blade and rounding off the remaining shaft. Maybe my 4 yr old can use it like a wooden tennis racket with a beach ball or something. Was thinking of carving some old school wooden tent stakes from the left over handle part.

Any readers have some creative ideas of what to do with these pieces? ~~I've already posted a thread~~ ~~on BushcraftUSA asking folks the same question and some ideas are flowing in~~. Apparently my thread got removed because the mods think I'm a vendor trying to sell "a product". Oh well. In the meantime, if any readers here have suggestions of what to do with busted pieces, then feel free to leave a comment.

Ahad, 10 Jun 2012

Sassafras Northwoods

Begun another paddle today in the backyard "workshop". This one is from a thick board of Sassafras. A paddle in the collection of the Hudson Museum in Maine (see original post ) was the inspiration. It featured a segmented grip with graceful curves and a stretched out beavertail blade.

Hudson Museum Paddles (Credit: Bob Holtzman)

My version was shortened to 58" long and the blade design was the large Passamaquoddy blade used before on this paddle and its twin here. Sassafras is so flexible and lightweight this design has potential to be my go-to tripping blade. Unfortunately, the only Sassafras I could source out was a thick 8/4 thick board, which meant a lot of chopping was needed to thin the blade down to size. This turned out to be a slow process...mostly because of the heat in the city and the inviting Muskoka lounge chair set up in the shade. Think I spent too much time relaxing with a coffee and got distracted enjoying a fantastic Cuban robusto cigar (Partagas Series D4). Eventually the blade got thinned down enough to start using the spokeshave and in the next couple of days I'll start finishing off the rest.

...Continue to Part 2 Update HERE