MORE ON MAKING SNOWSHOES
Additional tips for those inspired by a previous Mother article, including more Naive American bindings and splitting bows.
Additional tips for those who were inspired by the article
in MOTHER NO. 72:
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Anyone who's read Carl Heilman's article in the last issue
of MOTHER ("Make Your Own Snowshoes", page 138) already has
a good grounding in the art of fashioning the
practical—and fun-to-use—winter footwear.
However, after going over the finished piece, Carl has
kindly provided us with some additional information (and a
few points of clarification) that should help anyone who's
tackling the project.
First of all, Carl points out, it's
possible to split two bows from each quarter-log if you lay
them out as in the accompanying illustration. After a bow
is split off (either by using a circular saw to rip the
length of the log at a point 1 inch from the hand-split
edge, or by gradually tapping an axe along a line parallel
to the hand-split edge), excess wood can be removed from
the heartwood side with a power saw . . . to produce the
roughly 1 " X 1-1/8" X 8' bow, which is then shaved into
shape. (If you don't have access to a shaving bench, the
bow can be clamped to a solid surface while you work it
with a drawknife.)
Carl also cautions snowshoe builders who
choose copper nails to connect the two halves of a shoe's
tail not to drive the fasteners through the wood.
Instead, drill the bow first, then cut the nail to a bit
longer than the width of the tail and washer, slip it
through, and gradually peen the end of the nail over the
washer with many light taps from a ball-peen hammer. (By
the way, the tail of the snowshoe aids in "tracking" . . .
that is, it helps keep the shoes pointed straight ahead as
you walk through the woods.)
