steam bending snowshoes

[DIY_guy]

Ive wanted to learn to make snowshoes for some time but never got around to it. Now is the time I guess. Before I make actual sized and wearable shoes I will start by making half scale versions. Here is the process Im using as I learn about steam bending wood. Im using oak since Ash is hard to come by. I shape and thin the oak stick in the areas where the bends are otherwise it will break and I have broken many until I got a pattern that works.



The form I made.



The high tech steam creator (since one cant buy steam, premade)



The steam chamber is PVC



After a hour of steam It can be coaxed around the form.



and the nose bent



After a day or two its dry enough to hold the shape and crossbars are added and its sanded because the steam raises hell with the wood



Then I lace the heel and toe with deer skin and varnish everything.

 

[DIY_guy]

Since the prototypes are half scale and cant be worn I will turn them into art pieces. The first batch will have deerskin leather enters with artwork.







Again, these are half scale.



Then I thought, since this is the 21st century I would make electric snowshoes so I bought a small light and cordset and fashioned up a lamp but I wanted a lamp that I could customize or change with the seasons. For the lampshade I printed oak and birch skin on legal sized paper on my printer. For the frame I steam bent small strips of oak.





Then I thought about adding a background that appears only when the light is on. (with oak)



Then birch



Then I went kind of nuts because its easy to change the skins.





The sky is the limit for options in regards to silhouettes but then I had another thought on how to customize behind the bark only when the light is on.





Then I went kind of nuts.





Now Im thinking 2 snowshoes side by side to create a shelf or other ideas for how to use these half sized shoes.

 

[DDeegs]

Very Cool !

Good luck with the full sized ones

Dan

 

[ChefJeff1]

You have amazing talent! Beautiful!

 

[rcmodel]

Well, I thought I had a few artistic talents for making things?

But I was wrong!!!

That is something to behold!!!!

Beautiful work!!!!

rc

 

[Blue68f100]

Very nicely done.

You could probably sell them on flee-bay and make some pretty good money at it.

 

[oneounceload]

You just found a new career - very nice stuff!

Set up a factory making those and I bet Cabela's would buy them for their catalog

 

[IWAC]

WOW!

 

[scythefwd]

One tip I read about, but it taakes forever is to build your steam box where you can fit your form into it.. then as you steam, slowly bend around the form.. can take days to actually get the bend done.. but may negate the needing to thin the strips.. MAY.

Those are Beautiful, and if you ever think of selling any in pairs, with or without lamp fixins in them.. I might know someone who would appreciate a pair for Christmas. Beautiful work.. dont think I can say that enough..

 

[DIY_guy]

I plan to list them on etsy in both the lamp version and leather backed version.

 

[Parman]

Those are nice. Very nice job.

 

[d2wing]

Very nice.

 

[Ranger Roberts]

Wow!! That came out awesome! Can't wait to see the full sized ones!

 

[Garrobo]

Moose and bear

When hunting moose or bear, NEVER wear snow shoes as you can't get up a tree fast enough with them on.

 

[caribou]

Nice!
I know that work well,
I used to make pairs and use/sell them, and as well, Thats basically the same set up to build Hickory or Birch basket sleds, just different forms.

Hand made works of art!

 

[Walkalong]

Those are seriously cool and very well done.

 

[Lloyd Smale]

I live a few miles from iversons snow shoe. Probably the oldest still operating snowshoe factory. They make some cool stuff. Camp furniture ect that id love to have but cant afford. Your snowshoes look real nice by the way. Im impressed.

 

[DIY_guy]

Each time I cut a piece of wood to make a snowshoe I have a piece of drop/scrap that I had been setting aside. Then I had a thought and placed the drop in the steamer box with the snowshoe wood and bent that piece of drop around a 25 pound plate from my weight set to form a wooden hoop. Since I am filling the center section of some of the snowshoes with leather and artwork I ink onto the leather (like this)



I thought, why not cut some tanned deerskin leather into circles and lace them onto the wooden hoops. So I did.



Then while attending one of the many gun shows I attend each year, I ran into a NA businessman who had a booth where he was selling all manner of native crafts. We spoke and I told him about the snowshoe wall art and lamps and the hoops. He was interested. He said he was also in the market for scale versions of birchbark canoes and stone point arrows so I spent last week in the shop and yesterday made my initial delivery of 2 lamps, 2 snowshoes and leather wall art,, a bunch of leather hoops, arrows and canoes.

 

[tomturkey]

You are making some unique things. There should be a good market for all of it.

I had a friend that raised buffalo. Some where he found a beaver hide tied on a hoop that had the fur cut different lengths giving it different colors and some completely removed to the leather. It was a picture of a buffalo on the prairie.

A fantastic piece.