Building Snowshoes and Snowshoe Furniture [Paperback]

Gil Gilpatrick (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Part one of this book is an updated version of Gil’s classic book on building snowshoes. New in this new work is the lacing section which has all new and very clear step-by-step photos and descriptions of the lacing, or filling, process. All phases of snowshoe building are covered in detail including steam bending, shaping and assembly. There is also a chapter dealing with the special problems associated with making bearpaws. Instructions for making two different types of harnesses are also included.

Part two contains detailed instructions on building snowshoe furniture. Included are two wood bending methods along with implicit instructions for constructing five diffferent pieces of snowshoe furntiure: Two sizes of snowshoe rocking chairs, a coffee table, an end table, a footstool, and a wood holder. Gil has included ideas for several other pieces that are possible using existing forms. Detailed plans and patterns are included.

With 165 photos and 27 detailed drawings, 8 1/2" X 11"

About the Author

Gil Gilpatrick has spent his life in outdoor Maine. For 26 years he was an instructor of Outdoor Resources in a Maine vocational center. His other major occupations are writing and guiding canoe trips in northern Maine.

When Gil decided in the early 1970’s that snowshoe making would be a good project for his Outdoor Resources classes, he searched the libraries for literature on the subject. Only the scantiest of material could be found, most of it tucked away in a few books on outdoor lore; none in sufficient detail to actually teach someone to produce a pair of snowshoes.

Deciding that no help would be forthcoming except from himself, Gil set about the task of teaching himself to make snowshoes. As he worked, he made notes so as to pass on what he had learned to his students. Eventually these notes were sorted and emerged in book form in the original Building Snowshoes.

From building snowshoes to building snowshoe furniture was a natural step and served to broaden the interest of Gil’s outdoor oriented students. After retirement from teaching the plans for the furniture peices were brought together and combined to produce Building Snowshoes and Snowshoe Furniture

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Product Details

• Paperback: 146 pages
• Publisher: G. Gilpatrick (May 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965050734
• ISBN-13: 978-0965050739
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #187,022 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Quite Arts & Crafts era, but great ideas on technique.., October 30, 2007

By	Laird T. Wayman (Wyoming) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Building Snowshoes and Snowshoe Furniture (Paperback)

I was actually looking for a nativist type manual on snowshoes, so I was not too taken with the idea of using nylon cord instead of rawhide for the webbing, but the illustrations are superb. If you are perplexed on how to "weave" snowshoes, this book is great. Also the author recommends boiling wood to soften it for shaping, instead of the more conventional steaming approach, and seems to not notice that boiling changes the structure of wood much more than steam. Good/Great descriptions of the various styles of snowshoes, furniture ideas are OK but not innovative. A good resource for starting out, not as much "needed" for experienced woodworkers.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what I was looking for..., February 11, 2007

By	Charles Long "Whittler" (Northern Maine United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Building Snowshoes and Snowshoe Furniture (Paperback)

Great detailed information on a nearly dead art form, making snowshoes. The sections on snowshoe furniture are terrific, tons of example and ideas. Detailed, concise information on the best wood, drawing and plans for the molds and information on "How To" do instead of just pictures of completed product. The most complete resource I've found anywhere!

5.0 out of 5 stars Building Snowshoes and Snowshoe Furniture, March 20, 2009

By	Elwood Reaney (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Building Snowshoes and Snowshoe Furniture (Paperback)

Found the book very helpful. We are repairing old wooden snowshoes and
required instructions on lacing. The book both illustrates and tells you
how to go about it and also makes suggestions as to what to use. We had
found a supplier of rawhide, but nylon rope would have been easier to get.
Recommend the book for anyone interested in repair work or in building
snowshoes themselves.