Honestly people, this is going to be one of those weeks where I tell you to get inspired by Work, and then go learn the technique elsewhere.
I like canoes. I used to canoe the lake near home with my dad when I was just old enough to hang onto the paddle. My first merit badge was for canoeing. I've never built one though. It seems inevitable that one day I will try. Will I consult Work when I do? Helpful as it has been in the past, I think not. The article reads like the crib notes for open-heart surgery.
It's likely the case that the contributor, "An Old Oarsman," is so entrenched in his subject that a naif like me can't follow. Still, this issue devotes just a bit more than a single page to the task. By the end he's already seating the step of the mast. Oh I forgot to mention that this canoe has a mast.
Nope, this time I'm going to smile and nod and then go get a copy of "Building the Maine Guide Canoe". Chances are I'll be better equipped to parse frenzied Oarsman after that.
The nuclear option, of course, would be to take a class. Thankfully, these modern times have not left us entirely bereft of such instruction. Build Your Own Sassafras Canoe looks like a pretty serious class that gains you a fairly nimble craft, if you'll permit the double entendre.
Disclaimer: Articles in Work: The Illustrated Weekly Journal for Mechanics describe materials and methods that would not be considered safe or advisable today. We are not responsible for the content of these magazines, and cannot take any responsibility for anyone attempting projects or procedures described therein.
The first issue of Work was published on March 23rd, 1889. The goal of this project is to release digital copies of the individual issues starting on the same date in 2012, effectively republishing the materials 123 years to the day from their original release.
The original printing was on thin, inexpensive paper. There are many cases of uneven inking and bleed-through from the page behind. Our copies of Work come from bound library volumes of these issues and are subject to unfavorable trimming, missing covers, etc. To minimize harm to these fragile volumes, we've undertaken the task of scanning the books ourselves. We do considerable post processing of the scans to make them clear but please bear with us if a margin is clipped too close, or a few words are unreadable. We would like to thank James Vasile and Karl Fogel for their help in supplying us with a book scanner and generally enabling this project to get off the ground.
You are welcome to download, print, and pretty much do what you want with the scan for your own personal purposes. Feel free to post a link or a copy on your blog or website. All we ask is a link back to the original project and this blog. We are not answering requests for commercial downloads or reprinting at this time.
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