Re-stringing traditional snowshoes

[wildWoman]

Does anyone know what the best way is to cut long strips of rawhide for re-stringing snowshoes? I have a major repair job to do on mine; I have a big piece of moose rawhide but am not sure how to go about cutting the necessary long strips out of it. How do you keep from wobbling with the knife, so that you have a uniform width?

[Sourdough]

WildWomen, One of the problems with Moose hide is the thickness is variable.

To make one long strip. Make a compass and draw a huge circle. trim the edges to make a large flat round. Take a sheet of plywood or any flat surface, put a block on one edge and stick a very sharp knife 1/4 away from the block and start pulling the outer edge between the knife and block. think like a apple peal.

Note: work slow, and the distance between the block and the knife is the width of the rawhide strip. You can use a utility knife, or just a single edge razorblades.:)

[Rick]

I don't know about snowshoes but they do make leather working tools for cutting long strips. The first one acts just as Hopeak describes. It's called a strap cutter or plough guage. The second one works around the leather and is called a lace maker (not lace like a doily but lace like in shoe laces).

I did a search and found a site that sells both:

http://www.eleatherworks.com/home.php?cat=408&sort=orderby&sort_direction=0&page=3

you might be able to find them cheaper. I was just trying to locate a source.

Here is a video of how the lace maker works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ0zkddmM1I

[trax]

Those lacemakers take a little getting used to, but they really work well once you get the hang of them. I used to watch the old ladies up north just keep cutting a piece of hide in an ongoing spiral with scissors. Of course, after how many years of practice, they'd get it dead on.

[Rick]

What do you wanna bet those old ladies used lace makers until they saw Trax (with an X) come in then they grabbed the scissors. Just messin' with him. Old ladies are cool like that.

[trax]

Actually, Mister SmartyPants Twinkie, surferboy....the old ladies did better with scissors than they did with the lacemaker cuz they'd been using the scissors all their lives and the lace maker was a new thing to them, so blah...

[Rick]

Mister...thanks. A nice sign of respect. SmartyPants....well, I try to be. I read a lot you know. Twinkie....God's gift to the world...that would be me...Surferboy....conjures up visions of a blond haired blue eyed god.....Okay, if you insist.

[trax]

I thought it conjured up images of an obese (twinkie) mouthy (smartypants) unemployed layabout deadbeat (surferboy) but you go ahead with your little fantasies.:D

[Rick]

Okay. That's works, too. Sheeeesh.

[wildWoman]

Thanks hopeak, I'll give that a try....wish I could round up one of those little old ladies, though.

[Sourdough]

Thanks hopeak, I'll give that a try....wish I could round up one of those little old ladies, though.

Me too. :):):):)

[Sourdough]

WildWomen, just a thought, but you might practice with some old cardboard, just to get the hang of it. And if you find the motherlode of "little old Ladies" garb one for me.

We are gett'ing a lot of wahoo's snooping around here looking for "Gold" now that the price is up. They sure do make good Grizz'Bait.

[wildWoman]

Yeah we're swamped with exploration companies here, keep waiting for the metal prices to go down again but I guess it'll be a few more years...listening to a diamond drill 24/7 is exteremely aggravating. Don't see any point in wrecking this place for more throw-away consumer goods and lining corporate pockets. Only hook with the grizzbait is that they always end up shooting the bear after one of those guys gets eaten!!

[trax]

Working on them 12/7 got pretty annoying a few years ago wildwoman, so I don't do that some more, lol

[RBB]

Take your hide, cut it in circles about the size of the bottom of a tin garbage can. This will give you enough babiche to lace the largest area on a shoe with one piece of lace. Place circles in a plastic garbage bag - with a little water - until hair sloughs. Scrape flesh side.

Best way I've found to make strips is with a large leather-working scissors (and believe me I've tried a lot of different ways). Those "L" shaped wood strap cutters are worthless for this. They are best used on a straight piece of leather for cutting a wider strap. For babiche - it goes fine for a little ways - then cuts off your lace. My grandfather would use a sharp knife set in a table, but he had years of experience - and a lot more hides to practice on than I've ever had.

Be sure your rawhide is wet when cutting.