Snowshoes

[Joe Hillmann]

After making a bunch of toboggans yesterday (see post about oak turning black) I had enough straight grain material left over to make a set of snowshoes and tow bow staves. Before I bend the shoe frames tomorrow, has anyone here ever made a set of snowshoes and have any suggestion on the best way to go about making them or things to avoid or watch out for when I am making them?

[Richard Wolf]

I have this book; http://www.amazon.com/Building-Woode...pd_sim_sbs_b_1, which is well worth it if you plan on building shoes. He includes jigs for building many styles and sizes of snow shoes. He is pretty clear about using ash.

[Paul M Miller]

A friend who has made quite a few snowshoes years ago told me he used quartersawn ash, and instead of just ripping strips on the tablesaw, he would make his first rip cut on the bandsaw, following the grain. Seccessive strips were then ripped parallel to the previous cut. This would make for crooked strips, but there would be minimum cross grain. The crook would disappear after steaming and clamping in the bending jig. The middle of the strip (toe) was thinned with a spokeshave.

Paul

[Joe Hillmann]

I hadn't thought of thinning the area of the bend. I may have to think about that. As far as ash being the best, the only ash I have access to at the moment is kiln dried and I know from experience it doesn't work nearly as well as freshly cut wood. And since this is just playing with left over wood, oak will either be good enough or break and I will have learned something either way.