Freydis Joanna
Hanus Jensen presents the Gokstad boat and the preliminary work of building the Viking Ship Museum’s eighth reconstruction of this beautiful craft. At the Viking Ship Museum. Worth a visit. (be sure to check out the shape of the shear plank in the video.)
Thank you, Giacomo!
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3 comments:
Another heart-stopping vision.
It looks like a practiced crew could get the boats cranked out as fast as the loggers could get the trees to the shipyard! everything about the process suggests mass production.
I would love to know more about the riving procedure. Do they start the wedges in a natural check? Do they rive green or wait for the wood to dry out? If you were riving spruce you absolutely would have to split green trees. Dry spruce splits like it's made of iron, the fibers interlock as it shrinks.
It is the opposite with Douglas Fir. Fir splits easily when dry but green fir is tough as dry spruce, or worse.
It might be so with oak, but whether green is best, or dry, I don't know. Anyone have that memo?
Best
Michael
My best guess is all the wood is milled and shaped green, which would make use of the tree's natural suppleness. (But make sealing the drying boat harder).
At least that appears to be the case with the Oseberg replica now under construction:
http://traditionalcraftsblog.blogspot.com/search?q=building+the+world%27s+most+iconic+viking+ship
Beautiful post, Michael. I think your assessment is correct: the logs were split while they were green. When I saw a wedge at a garage sale I would pick it up. I also have a froe. We could take down an oak and give it a try.
Brandon
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