| WEAVING YOUR OWN WEBS
Tips from an instructor on
building a pair of snowshoes
By Jerry Kiesow
It was a perfect day for it. A fresh cover of snow, clear skies, no wind. I pulled the truck into the parking lot, parked and walked to the back. I opened the cap door and there they were – shiny new, with little dark brown burned etchings decorating the top edges; the deep rust bindings adding a splash of color to the pale tan lacings. They were ready to be used. Stepped on, if you please. 
| The kit (above), the 'shoe before varnishing (mid-die) and the finished product
(bottom). | 
|
|
I reached in and lifted the Ojibwas, and brought them out into the early morning light. They looked a little whiter than I had hoped for but maybe in time they'd darken. (I have since learned that the patina becomes much
more golden, rawhide-like looking, as the sun and age work their magic.)
"If I do say so myself, they are beautiful. Not perfect, but certainly attractive. Now let's see how they work!," I said to myself.
To you in the know, I am, of course, speaking about a pair of snowshoes – Ojibwa style. Why I am rather enthralled with them, and yet apprehensive about them, is because I built them myself, from a very basic kit. They look great, but was I able to weave them tight enough to
hold my weight? Would the flaw, discovered too late in the weave of the one 'shoe, cause a problem? I would soon know.
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
It began two years ago with a phone call from one of the naturalists at a local nature center where my wife and I are members. I'd been working with the naturalist on a series of programs over the past year, and it was time to plan about the next few month's of activities. In addition to
the standard skiing and snowshoe outings, we talked about the possibility of a workshop teaching students how to build their own snowshoes.
"That would be great," she said, "Do you think you could do that?"
 "Me? I'm just the helper, remember? You are the lead person here," I
responded, then added, "I don't know ... probably. Let me dig into it a bit more."
And so it was that after searching a few websites I found a firm in Minnesota, Wilcox and Williams, that had kits. (Since then I have also found that Iverson has kits as well.) The Ojibwa looked like the kind of snowshoe I would like,
with upswept pointed toes and tails. (A friend had a pair a few years ago when we went pheasant hunting and they worked much better than my Alaskans.) The photo looked great! I got back to "my leader."
KITS AVAILABLE FROM Country Ways (Wilcox and Williams), 6001 Lyndale Ave. S. Suite A, Minneapolis, MN 55419; 612/861-2262; e-mail: HYPERLINK mailto:countryways@snowshoe.com; countryways@snowshoe.com.
Kit prices: $119
Iverson Snowshoe Company, P.O. Box 85, Maple Street, Shingleton, MI 49884; 906/452-6370; e-mail: HYPERLINK mailto:snowshoe@up.net; snowshoe@up.net; website: www.snowshoe.com; website: www.iversonsnowshoes.com.
Kit prices: To quote their e-mail, "The price of kits depends on the style you want, the lacing material, and the amount of finish work you want us to do."
I have no doubt that other kits
are available, but I have not found them. MATERIALS, TOOLS NOT
INCLUDED IN KIT Sandpaper; matches or lighter; square; ruler; pencil; scissors; knife; varnish - Mautz V-200 - and brushes. |
|
"Hey, I found a kit. Looks like a really neat pair of webs. If you spring for the first kit, I'll build it and teach the class. If we can get more than six students, we get a good discount." She agreed, and I ordered the kit.
And that is how I got my pair of Ojibwas.
But you do not have to teach a class to get yours. You can make your own snowshoes, just like I did, and if you don't like the Ojib style, there are other options – Alaskans and Green Mountain Bear Paws.
Since that phone call, I have taught and/or assisted in teaching two dozen adults, both male and female, how to weave their own webs. From this experience as well as my own, I can tell you the task is not for everyone, but the majority who try accomplish it very well. Here are things I have learned that may be a help if you decide to give it a try.
THINGS LEARNED The instructions furnished with the kit are very good, but, as they say, "It is important to read the instructions thoroughly ..." until you understand them. Do not just plunge into the project!
The W&W kits come with ash frames shaped but not finished. The first thing to check are the two short, wood cross braces. Sometimes they are loose, but we have never had one so bad
that they would fall out, and all of them pulled in snug when the weaving was done. If you worry about it, a spot of glue ahead of time, with a bit of rope or a clamp to hold it in position while the glue dries, should hold everything until the weaving is done.
As I said, the frames are not finished; they require sanding before any weaving begins. Do not sand the bottoms! This is one time when you do not want smooth bottoms.
After the sanding, follow the instructions for marking the frames and follow the written instructions, along with the color-coded diagrams, for weaving. Use a pencil for marking the loop and tie locations, and keep the markings as light as possible. They should all get covered by the lacing, but anything showing will be accented. Do not use a ball point pen; it might bleed through the tubular nylon when the varnish is applied.
Even with the color-coded pattern sheets, I found the weaving patterns of the tails and tips took some time to understand (I'm not a fast learner), but once I understood, it went quite well. The center section, however, took longer to grasp, simply because it takes half the nylon before the pattern of the weave and interlacing are obvious.
It is very important to start slowly in any section. I had to back up once in the toe section, and also in the
center. The backup and rewind of the center was quite time consuming, but it had to be done to maintain the strength of the weave.
Speaking of strength, you will need to have reasonably strong hands. This is why I stated earlier that not everyone can make their own 'shoes from this kit. The tying of the knots require pulling the material tight, then forming the knot while maintaining a snug hold on the material, then pulling and working the knot
against the frame as tight as possible before continuing the weave. It is imperative that the weave or knot not be loose. The varnish helps to shrink the lacing to a degree, but the tighter the weave, the better the shoe will keep you "floating" over the snow.
Patience and concentration are also required. Depending on the section to be woven, you will be working continuous strands of 14 feet, 22 feet and either 26 or 50 feet of 3/8- or 1/2-inch webbing material. This is
quite bulky in the beginning. The good news is that it gets easier as you progress with the project, and the cord keeps getting shorter.
Once the weaving is finished, it is time to varnish, or you can add your own personal decorations. I chose to draw outdoor animals and their tracks with a wood burning pen to add the personal touch to my webs. Paint can be used also or the shoe can be left just plain. If you do use paint, I suggest you varnish the 'shoes
one coat before painting, otherwise the paint will bleed into the wood and your design will become abstract. (Of course, that may be you - abstract!) Do not add the designs until the weaving is finished so you know where the open spaces are.
At least for the first coat, where the object is to really soak the lacing through and through, varnishing takes some patience. The instructions mention placing the shoe on wax paper on a flat surface. I found that if I
hang the 'shoe and apply the varnish slowly and generously with a foam brush, the soaking process worked and I could easily monitor for runs on both sides of the snowshoe. After spreading the varnish to a new section, I could return and check out the already soaked portion. No flipping or gripping of the snowshoes (no sticky fingers!). Often I found not only runs but areas that still needed additional treatment. The way you
know if there has been enough liquid applied is by the change in color – from the original white before varnish to progressively darker tans as the varnish soaks into the fiber. The darker the nylon the better the soak. It took me an hour and a half to finish the first coat on both webs. Ideally an immersing tank would be best, but not very practical at $13.00 to $15.00 a quart for the special non-cracking, UV-protecting
varnish. The second coat too should be done slowly, as some additional soaking does take place.
DID THEY WORK? I walked down the trail for about 100 yards, then, where it continued on to the little lake, I stopped and
stepped into the harnesses. After making the final adjustments to both the top and side buckles, I left the trail into the open woods heading for the grassy prairie. The snow cover was about a foot deep, with a new two inches. I floated with ease through the mature birch, beach and maple. Once in the weed filled prairie, I continued with little trouble. The high rising pointed toes did their job, parting the tall grass and old Queen
Ann's Lace instead of catching or pushing it down. Indeed, they did work!
NEED MORE? If you do weave your own webs, and when you are finished like what you have done but have no use for another pair, do not despair as manufactures have a whole bunch of other kits of things you can build -
lamps, chairs, tables and benches, to mention a few. All in snowshoe patterns and designs.
Or you can build your next pair from scratch. I have a book, "Building Snowshoes," by Gil Gilpatrick that is just excellent, beginning with selecting the right tree.
As for me, right now, I don't have time for either of those additional chores, I have to get ready for another class. IF YOU WANT TO TEACH
If you enjoy dong this and decide to teach a class, as I did, I also have a suggestion or two.
Preregistration is a must. Not only to order the kits but also if you are only going to run a one-day class; the participants in the workshop can pick up their kits early, study the instructions, and do some preliminary sanding.
The class could be a one-day class, six to eight hours, but then, as I said, it would be best if the sanding would be done before coming to class. The workshop would then be, on the average, for the weaving of one shoe only. Varnishing would be demonstrated.
A two-day event, as we do – 9 a.m.-3 p.m. the first day, 9 a.m. to noon the second – is best. This gets everyone through the majority of the weaving, and all of it for some. Then they can take them home to do
the decorating and varnishing.
Do not advertise that students will have a completed set of snowshoes at the end of the class. Even with two days they will not be able to do the varnishing. The varnish requires four coats with a minimum of 24 hours between coats.
|
