Birch Bark Canoes

I am interested in making functional things with my hands and I enjoy kayaking/canoeing so, a birch bark canoe is right up my alley. I have always wanted to make one of these!





A basic birch canoe is beautiful but when some artistic styling and art is applied to the hull, it really pops.

The construction of the canoe is quite interesting. The main hull of the craft is traditionally made from one sheet of birch bark. The bark is saturated with water and bent around a frame to create the initial shape.

Here the bark is removed from the tree. It appears that this tree has already been felled but bark can also be taken from standing trees; careful removal of the bark will not damage the tree.

Also a video of harvesting the bark can be found here: http://youtu.be/FEVEXC5xQAA

Here is a drawing of the frame, held down by rocks, that is used to shape the bark.

Here is a video showing the main steps in the construction: http://youtu.be/6qTDNjhv84U