Building a canoe with a tomahawk/axe

B

Brody R.

Joined
Jan 27, 2005
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So i've been reading Allan Eckert's book the frontiersmen (ordered the ATC hawk so I decided to pick up the book) and in it he talks about how they would build canoes using nothing but a double-bit axe and a tomahawk. Unless I read it wrong it seems they basically cut down/limb a beech tree with the axe and holow it out with a tomahawk. Sounds like a lot of work but fun, I wanted to try to go about this w/ my ATC frontiermen and a gransfors double bit and wanted to know if anyone has any experience with the topic or knows about hwat kind of wood would be good or bad. I cant seem to find any websites on it. If anyone has any info on how to build a basic canoe w/o the use of a lot of tools id be interested. Thanks.
 
I figure dugout canoes are more of a west coast thing - where huge cedars were available. They'd use spot fire to burn out the wood and then chop away at the softer charred wood. I love canoeing and think an authentic birch bark canoe would be far more appealing. People are still making birch bark canoes and there seems to be lots of reference - just googling "birch bark canoe" turns up several construction articles on the first page. No reason you can't use your axes and hawks in additional to the other tradional skills and tools you might need.
 
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?DeptID=2049&FamilyID=251

Defintely go with an adze for that project (as much as I'd like to tell you to use a tomahawk). Remember, though, Allan's books were based in the Great Lakes/Ohio River Valley area. You defintely have the right trees in your neck of the woods - well maybe not in the city but a good hike will find you one and then you can float the Delaware or the Hudson.

Get started now and you might be ready by summer! :D

BTW, we're working on tomahawks for the rest of Allan's books - the whole series including the Tecumseh pipe hawk. The first Frontiersman hawk with Allan's signature engraved on the handle is here: http://www.jsfbooks.com/BooksByAuthor.asp?AuthorID=93 in their museum. Allan donated a LOT of his personal collection to them and we donated #001 of the original signature series to them. There are 250 of the signature hawks - http://www.newgraham.com/american_tomahawk.htm has some in stock.

Suzanne Settle
Owner
Bear Mountain Tomahawks
www.bmtomahawks.com
 
Thanks for the link Suzanne, and yea definitly a Bear Mountain I was just under the misunderstanding (before you cleared it up) that ATC owned you since you were making the rangers. By the way the more I throw the Frontiersmen the more I love it and Eckert's book is a damn fine read as well so i'm very happy with both those purchases. To everyone else I can't reccomned Bear Mountain enough, the hawks great and their good people to deal with... i'll post some pictures soon. The only other company i've been this satisfied with is Gransfors Bruks, I used their double bit felling axe on the tree i'm ognna use for the canoe(although now the wedge in my bearded axe is coming loose and the heads moving about which i'll have to try to fix).

Anyway I started cutting into a large cedar tree today with a couple of buddies in a forest by the Rancocas Creek (which empties into the Delaware) a few miles from my house, it's about ready to fall gonna finish the job tomorrow. So ss the pipe hawk that you were telling me about before the same one from Tecumseh?
 
LOL - that reminder was for the other guys new to the thread.

Good for you on working with the felling axe and the hawk - back in the "day" they maybe wouldn't have had access to an adze, just the tools on hand.

The Rainier or Rainier Scout would also work well in this situation and since it has a hammer-type head instead of a spike you could also use a chisel with a wide bit.

Defintely take pictures!
 
I don,t want to be a damper on a fine idea . I just want to make sure you know a dug out canoe is not going to approach the idea of a traditionally made birch bark canoe . It sounds like you have researched this and it would be an excellent way to learn how to work with wood . For a dug out canoe to be robust it must retain too much wood for it to navigate particularly well . In comparison to a birch bark it will not carry that much or be as stable . If you are willing to work within these principal limitations there is an excellent site called Paleo-planet that would be invaluable for support and appreciation of your idea . There is a forum called camp and shelter that may be perfect for you . I do not mean to disuade you and am actually interested in your project .
 
You want to dig it ???

Well, I suggest you choose a not too hard wood...

Another suggestion by the way, many primitives, in Amazonia, Africa, Pacific, used fire to dig their boats. Might be easier.
 
The dugout idea seems more simplistic then the birch bark style (which I may not be able to pull off). With the dugout after I fell and cut down/bark the tree my plans basically to get a few guys and a few axes/tomahawks/hatchets/and maybe an adze and cut into the thing figureing things out as we go along. I don't expect the canoe to be an amazing boat and i'm not 100% sure it will work out but it seems like a good learning project and something fun to do in my free time. I've considered the fire idea but i'm not sure how to do it properly and i'm afraid of messing up the canoe.
 
Ravaillac's comment on burning it out is also a good one - it'll help get the wood out of there easier.
 
"I just want to make sure you know a dug out canoe is not going to approach the idea of a traditionally made birch bark canoe." ...without question. I'd be worried about getting aboard a dugout. But, the tree is cut, hope you make good use of it. good luck!
 
I fished in a dugout for a week in Venezuela it was very stable.
 
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