Last year I built a new Cross Lake Racing Canoe which competed in the 49th annual Douglas Monias Canvas Canoe race in Cross Lake Manitoba.  The canoe performed well and was well received, as a result I have five orders for new canoes this year!  This is the first of five just about to receive its first coat of varnish.  The completed canoe is the one from last year in action.

For details, please see the Canoe Models and Pricing page.

A few photos of what I've been up to lately. 

As noted in the header, most of my update activity is happening on my Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/groups/55012226107/

What I do like about using Facebook for updates is the ability to receive and exchange comments.  While this Blog does allow you to post comments, I usually don't get to see them making it difficult to respond.

I just completed two new canoes: an 18' NRC for the canvas canoe races in Cross Lake, and a 14' Red Fox going to Calgary. I've included a few construction photos, too.

I have begun to participate in a new marketing opportunity.  The Winnipeg Art Gallery has begun a craft exhibition called CRAFTED.  I don't go into many shows as I am usually too busy working.  The WAG show seems to be attracting a nice crowd and I do need to keep my name in the public view.

OK, time to get back at updating this website!  Its funny, but once I started to feel that I got behind in my posting, the total of the story activities that I had to catch up on started to feel overwhelming, so I just couldn't get it together to sit down and get it all done.  

I was still posting to my Red River Canoe & Paddle Facebook page

Last November I had an opportunity to drive to north west Ontario to pick up a load of White Cedar.  For canoe builders, clear White Cedar is like Gold, and when you can get some, you go get it!

I just returned from a three week work session in Fort Severn Ontario.  This is my second session there this fall, so I've only been home for three of the last nine weeks!  It already feels like a dream, real while you're in it, unreal after.

I've been posting updates of our activities on my Red River Canoe & Paddle Facebook page.  I have some catching up to do in posting that work here.  I'll get around to it!  But please be patient.  If you want to get ahead of me go over to the Facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/55012226107/

I was working in northern Ontario this fall, spending three weeks on a canoe restoration project in Fort Severn.

We got one canoe, which has in canvas when I arrived, nearly finished, needing only fnal paint and varnish.  One canoe has all of its structural repairs completed, gunnels and keels for several canoes are made and ready to go, as well as planking for all remaining repairs.

Herman Miles, the young fellow that was working with me in the canoe shop in Fort Severn. He's done a lot of work overcoming personal adversity towards living better and being a better person, husband, and father this past year. I wanted to recognize his efforts and show appreciation for the improvement in our working relationship this year. I taught him paddle making last year, So I made a paddle for him.

I'll be back up through the end of October/early November.  My friend and fellow canoe guy is John Hupfield of Lost In The Woods Boatworks.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sometime during the summer, well mid July, actually, the humidity in my shop experienced overnight spikes and caused traumatic glue failure to the viola da gamba that I am making for my wife. 

 The instrument can be fixed, even though its a PITA to do, the trauma was to me. 

 Anyway, I've been spending a lot of time this past week getting my shop cleaned and organized for winter and I finally was able to start addressing this situation.  I think that it may have actually taken this long just to face the task, not just to make the time.

 

 

 

Dorge's Field.

October 12, 2013.

 

I've been spending WAY too much time this past week cleaning and organizing the shop. Winter is coming and I need to wind the toy back up again. Should be able to keep it up for about a week or so!

Part of this cleaning is finally getting my DIY thickness sander painted, using Chestnut Green, of course!  Yes, this an old Delt radial arm saw re-purposed. I picked it up at the municipal dump, the motor was toast and I already repaired another radial arm saw that I picked up at the dump, so this was surplus.  Works great as a thickness sander!

 

The Kildonan "Timber Cruiser" is all done and ready for her annual October canoe trip. This is the same canoe that graces the banner of My Canadian Canoe Routes website, just in case you should think to yourself "My, why does that canoe look so familiar?".  You can see the screen capture of the banner on the Sept 1 post.

 

Progress on the DIY Clairtone Project G is inching along.  First, my friend Eric made up these ferrules for the end of the speaker support arm.  Eric is an accomplished woodworker and has been doing some volunteer work at the Western Canadian Aviation Museum where he has access to a metal lathe.

On top the ferrules the Project G had a 10" aluminium disc that acted as a support to stabilize the speaker globe.  I don't have any facility to make such a disc from metal though I do have facility to make it from fibreglass and make it look like aluminium.  I used the shell that I had made up for determining the holes patterns as a mold.  Once the pieces were cleaned up and sanded I was able to paint them with aluminium  spray paint.  In order to get the tool marks that would have come from spinning the metal, I secured the parts to a pottery wheel and applied 100 grit paper to create the circular texture.  Once painted again, the effect is quite convincing, especially as this will be underneath the globes and you will have to kneel down on the floor to even see them!

I also treated the back shells of the globes the same way.