See how a dugout canoe is made by a master craftsman (watch)

Whether you live or plan to live near water, you need to have some kind of a boat. Living near water means that you should be escaping from the land and enjoying a peaceful alone time. All you need is a small canoe that will take you and your equipment far enough over the water.

Have you ever wondered how people manage to make a canoe? Well, to build a canoe or any small boat is something that not many folks will experience in their lifetime. The process of making a canoe is long and hard, requiring months of hard work, patience, and dedication.

Once I had a chance to visit a local workshop and see how the canoe building process works. I was amazed by the dedication and precision of the craftsman who was making a wooden sculpture. It was awesome to see how he created a beautiful piece of art from a simple piece of wood.

The Northmen guild

This January, a group of the best northern European craftsmen, united in a guild, called Northmen. Carpenters, bladesmiths, woodworkers, wood carvers, leather workers, silversmiths, are working together to take their craftsmanship to the next level.

Their idea is to create everything by hand and put their heart and energy into every product they make. They have a variety of goods they are producing, such as woodworking tools, knives, leather goods, swords, bowls, etc.

“We are a guild of northern master craftsmen who use our heritage of craftsmanship handed down through many generations to design and create woodworking tools, knives, weapons – bows and swords, leather goods and watches. Our process, our method, and mission is to keep these traditions and crafts alive and well. In this high-tech age, our own traditional craftsmanship is flourishing.”

The dugout canoe

One of the Northmen guilds successful products is a dugout canoe, which was made as a passion project by the master woodworker, Richard Vidzickis. His passion for woodworking goes way back to his childhood when he worked alongside with his father, who was also a master woodworker. From being just an apprentice to receiving a Master degree in the Latvian chamber of crafts, Richard became a master woodworker himself.

In his career, he has created many beautiful products, such as boats, wooden bowls and plates, art installations and sculptures, and even furniture. You can see some of his works in his workshop, where Richard lives and works. He regularly accepts visitor to share his lifestyle and work.

In the video bellow, you can see the long and hard process of making a dugout canoe. Richard, with the help of his fellow craftsmen, spend months carving a big tree trunk, to create a beautiful, functional canoe. He made the canoe using only traditional techniques and hand tools.

Unlike most of the craftsmen these days, who use many pieces of wood and tools to assemble the canoe, Richard makes a dugout canoe, which is made only by carving from one big log. This technique is the oldest one for building boats, dating way back 8,000 years to the Neolithic Stone Age.

Watch this amazing video, and enjoy Richards hard work in making the canoe. See how he created a fully functional canoe, just by using his hands, hand tools, and natural materials.

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We live in a beautiful world, get out there and enjoy it.

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