Gibban

My pieces of bark were of insufficient quality and width to form a complete one piece hull, so additional pieces of secondary bark needed to be stitched into place forming long side panels. After examining the bark pieces, I used a block of wood (left-over laminate piece from paddlemaking) to draw a horizontal line between intermediate thwarts. The damaged bark above this line was cut with a razor knife and the panel bark properly placed into position to match the intended depth of the boat. These pieces were a bit lighter than darkened winter bark of the main hull which I'm hoping will give the canoe a nice aesthetic look when completed. Marking out the panel cut To form the stitch, a old Phillips head screwdriver was filed down to form a sharpened triangular point to serve as an awl. The wetted bark was carefully pierced in 3/4" intervals and the hole temporarily pegged with cedar bits until lashing with root. After about 5-7 pegs, I'd take them out and begin the saddle ...