I told myself I wouldn't...




....but I did...


....again... and the 12-footer is waiting in the wings, which I'll keep. (As if I need more. )

This 8-footer will take a plane ride shortly.

Nice! So what's the 'holic part. Gotta vice for building sleds? Long as its not interfering with work or family you could do worse.

I love seeing the traditional gear that Alaskans still craft by hand. When I was working up there, I was told that to live there year round you needed to really like winter sports or have an engrossing hobby. That looks like a winter project that would keep one anchored firmly in the present.

Nice work.

I'm assuming that's a dogsled but having zero knowledge of the actual workings I have to ask....does the musher just stand on the end of the rails and how do you hook the dogs to the sled?

Bet that sled weighs a lot less and handles a lot better than the otter sled I bought for ice fishing. But also curious, only dog sledded once...the runners are not built for standing on. Would it be a tow along sled...or for behind a snowmobile?

I'd proudly pull that with a bucket of tip-ups out on the ice under my own power, regardless.

She's a beauty for sure.

When I moved with my family to 'urban' Alaska (Fairbanks) a couple of years ago, I though there would be a market for sleds such as these where there is a large popluation of people (who also have decent jobs). Such has not been the case and most of the interest in sleds has been from the rural areas where shipping adds $400 or more to the cost. So this winter I told myself 'no sleds' (except for a couple kid's type at Christmas). Well, I got weak and couldn't help myself...my hands were feeling soft anyway and needed to be toughened up some, so.....


And I sold this one without being finished (with plastic or steel runners) and with no hitch parts (in case someone wanted it for a 'touristy/display' deal. Well, a trapper wanted it, so it gets some hardware and 'shoes' before it takes a plane ride. (Yeah, not a dogsled design as it's too low and lacks runner tails...although old-time dog sleds weren't always ridden as today's racing sleds are.)

It's 8 feet long, 28" wide, 64 pounds as she sits in the pic, but yes, a very nice handling sled, and much tougher than Otter sleds are (which shatter in the cold).

Klik, think I've said this before, but if not, you do nice work.

I'm sorry to hear about the bad case of college-boy hands having settled upon you. Them slivers seem to bury so much deeper.

Beautiful work sir.

Really nice, Klik...

What are the lashings?

Thanks.

I use braided nylon twine...comes from Redding Net and Twine in the PNW. I happen to prefer #36 round braid in the tarred version.

+1

Thank you kindly for the nice comments.

As soon as I can run these things out of a 3-D printer, I'll sell 'em for $395/copy and make $20 on each of them

Beauty,
do you soak and jig those boards to form the rails and bottom? Looks like they would be fun to build.

Klik, you don't use UHMW on the runners? I used to sell a lot of that up in Barrow. They also didn't use a hitch. They used a rope for towing. They would tow with a snow machine. Their sleds were a LOT heavier 2X8 runners. Taking their life in their hands when they stopped their sleds. I went back and saw you said you didn't finish it off with out runners and hitch. Is your sled mostly for dogs? I think there was only one team in Barrow, and didn't see them out up close. Nice looking sled.

Beautiful work there! I'm just a wood aholic. Have about 6 years of firewood accumulated. Have not been to meetings, but I've been chain saw free now since early November.

I have to soak them and then steam them the kiln dried hickory they have locally. If you can get fresh "air-dry" hickory which still holds plenty of moisture, then you can simply steam it and get some nice bends. The runners which are thicker won't simply bend by soaking and steaming so I use laminations cut about 3/8" thick and glue them while bending them over a form.

This one is too low to control with dogs unless a person installed a gee-pole and used it with adequately heavy loads so the team wouldn't run off with it, but I don't think anyone controls a sled that way anymore.

I posted this sled on Facebook where trappers might see it, and someone decided they were going to have it. Anyway, it's headed to Kodiak on Monday.

Might I has what the lashing are and ones technique for their application?

See this post, above: #11907400