doweling to build a collapsible canoe?

[damson]

any help much appreciated ...

(very old) plans for a collapsible canoe call for a plank of white ash to be effectively whittled into doweling rods 12 feet long and 1 inch in diamater. I wondered whether the normal dowelling rods (eg sold for wardrobe poles) would work as well - and whether it is possible to buy dowelling that long? Is white ash a much stronger/more flexible kind of wood?

thanks for any thoughts!

 

[Scrit]

In my area you are normally pushed to get dowelling rod more than 6 to 8 ft long, and then it's either beech or pine. The beech is not suitable for exterior use whilst the pine isn't very strong. Ash is a much more robust timber although black (European) poplar is probably about the lightest timber you could get for the job (da Vinci used it for lightness with strength)

Scrit

 

[Jasonb]

You could always buy a dowel cutter and make it yourself. They usually deliver to the UK in 3-5days.

The other alternative is to rough the blank into an octagon shape then drive it through a dowel plate which is basically a 1" hole in a piece of steel plate. Or if you have a router table then four passes over a 1/2" roundover bit will also do the job.

I would suggest that the 1"x1" blank is cleft (split) from a wider board rather than saws as this will ensure that the grain follows along the whole length of the dowel.

As Scrit says the ash is a lot stronger and flexible than other woods

Jason

 

[damson]

thanks scrit and jasonb - that's really helpful advice. Next step is to find the ash, I think!

Can you recommend anywhere that does decent wood by mail order - I'm doubting that my local builder's merchants will carry ash/poplar which I could visually check before I bought it - and I'm wary of buying site unseen from just any old place .....

Also, any good links on how to cleft wood (which sounds sensible)? I'm assuming it's the same principle as splitting firewood with an axe but a lot more delicately done?

thanks for any further thoughts

 

[Scrit]

It might help if we knew where you are in the UK, you never know one of us might be able to point you at a good merchant just down the road, especially as the Post Office won't normally deliver 12ft long anything

I'd also suggest that if you are making bent structures and cleaving your own stuff you might be better off starting with green or semi-green wood. Perhaps if you were to have a word with a local tree surgeon he'd put you some ash or poplar small stuff aside for you to try it (just remember than green wood shrinks especially in cross section as it dries). I believe that native North Americans used green (i.e unseasoned) cedar to make their canoes.

To cleave timbers you normally use a froe or something similar:

in conjunction with a mallet or big lump of wood

Scrit

 

[Jasonb]

These people will wrap it up and send via courier but if you let us know what area you are in then we may be able to help more.

http://www.slhardwoods.co.uk/looseboards.asp

Jason

 

[damson]

hi guys - sorry, I'm based in Brighton on the south coast but go to london quite regularly - does that help?

thanks for both bits of info ....

 

[oilman]

You should be able to find quite a few sources down your way. There was a guy on Grand Designs a while back who built his house in the woods. He would be able to help. The Weald and Downland Museum could probably help with giving you some addresses. The wood will be green, but this is easier to work, and once you reduce the size, it will dry quite quickly. Make sure you leave it a bit oversize until it's dry, as it will dry oval if it was made round when green. Try a search for coppice workers on the web.

Cleaving a 12 foot length is a bit of an art, and you will probably have a few failures along the way.

 

[Jasonb]

Here's a site that will give you plenty of sources for green wood in the south east

http://www.woodlots.org.uk/

Jason

 

[damson]

Thanks everyone - will let you know how I get on!