It snowed last night!
A lot! That makes me think of
snowshoes
So today, we are going to talk about snowshoe
bindings.
These are an older pair of snowshoes that I bought at
an estate sale. Originally, they came
with snowshoe boots, which are period correct for the late 19th and
20th centuries.
They came with a snowshoe boot, which would have been
correct for the late 19th and 20th centuries,
particularly on the east coast of North America.
However, I wanted them to have an earlier look,
something that you might have seen in the late 18th to early 19th
centuries.
So, I researched and then based my design on what
Elmer H. Kreps, described as the “Indian Method” in his book Woodcraft,
published in 1919, on pages 86 to 88.
All of the straps are made of jute twine that I
braided in a 3-strand pattern.
The toe straps are about 3-1/2 feet long and after a
loop has been made for the toes over the toe hole of the snowshoe by going
through the rawhide of the toe hole, the tail ends are woven into the rawhide lattice
of the snowshoe to secure them.
The tie straps are about 4-1/2 feet long and a loop is
created over the toe hole by going through the rawhide of the toe hole.
18th and 19th century explained |
I found the method illustrated on page 86 of Woodcraft
difficult, and came up with a different but similar method that is close to the
Indian Method illustrated by E. H. Kreps: in any case, my method has worked
well for me over the years.
First, you put them on your feet by sliding your foot
under both the toe strap and the toe loop in the tie strap. Second, you pull the tie strap tight and wrap
it around behind your heel, bringing the ends of the tie straps toward your
toes. Third, you wrap the ends of the
tie straps over and then under the toe strap, pulling tight and snugging the
toe strap tightly down over the top of your foot. Finally, you knot the ends of the tie straps
with a shoelace knot, sometimes also called a bow knot.
18th and 19th century binding side view |
Recently I found this illustration from Emergency
Uses of the Parachute.
Please check out a video on this topic [HERE] or for
other videos, follow me on Bandanaman Productions [HERE].
I hope that you enjoy
learning from this resource! To help me
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Thank you and Happy Trails!
Now it is time to go out and make some tracks in the
snow. Until next time, Happy Trails!
Sources:
Headquarters Army Air Force, AAF Manual No. 60-1, Emergency
Uses of the Parachute, [Washington D.C., Feb 1945] p 22-23
Elmer H. Kreps, Woodcraft, p 86-88
Wow! Interesting article. It would be fun to try and make snow shoes like the 1945 article recommends.
ReplyDeleteThank you, I am glad that you liked it. Please come back again I will have more soon. I am planning on doing an article on how to recreate the neolithic snowshoe which was found in the Gurgler Eisjoch glacier before next winter
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