The old fashioned way

[Odds]

of Building a boat

From finding the perfect tree to the final varnish, this video from the Hardanger Maritime Centre museum in Norheimsund, Norway shows two craftspeople assembling a boat using 19th-century methods and tools. Scene by scene, the eight-oared rowing boat is stripped, chopped and assembled to life through a combination of physical exertion, careful collaboration and deep-rooted knowledge of its builders. Offering a deeply satisfying display of skill and process, the film provides a small yet meaningful glimpse into how human ingenuity is shaped by local resources, and vice versa.

 

[Notch7]

Making the twisted piece of wood is fascinating.

Axe split wood is strong because it follows the grain

 

[motorbiking]

Still plenty of wooden boat builders around today. https://spirityachts.com/ It's the main method of construction for fishing trawlers in the carabean.

 

[Odds]

Watching him cut the log lengthways was interesting as it seemed he'd gone wrong in making the cut unstraight, til you saw what he had in mind for that piece all along. Fascinating to see how they can discern the shape within the wood before they make the split. Do they still grow trees to shape for certain parts of a boat, i wonder?

 

[Brigadier]

it seemed he'd gone wrong in making the cut unstraight, til you saw what he had in mind for that piece all along

Along the lines of what Michelangelo is supposed to have said, when asked about "David" :

"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free".