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Carving a Yoke (23/03/01)
The carrying thwart, or yoke, was cut from a
solid piece of Sitka Spruce measuring 3"X6"X36" (parts for the
seats were also cut from the same block of wood).
I began with a yoke pattern
posted on the web (can't find it anymore). But it didn't seem to suit my body shape so I used the
pattern as a template for drawing a modified pattern. It did help because
I am terrible at drawing freehand. I changed the size and shape of the
shoulder dish and neck hollow for a custom fit. 
The
adjacent picture shows the dish
being carved out. I didn't use a pattern for this part. Instead, I
shaped it by eye and for feel on my shoulders. I would carve a bit then
check it out on my shoulders, then carve a bit more, and so on.
There was big knot on one end but if the
canoe comes out a
ccording to plan, then the yoke will be cut just short of the
knot. You can see the knot and the pencil line representing the beam at
the gunnels in this frontal view of the completed yoke.
These side views
show the shape of the
dish which corresponds to the shape of my back, neck and shoulders. Of
course, it hasn't been tested on portages yet but I can always refine it after
it has been used in practice.
Unfortunately, I didn't keep a record of the time I spent making it. I couldn't even begin to guess! I am meticulous and maybe take longer than most people would. It wasn't all that difficult but patience certainly helped.
I bought two blocks of Sitka Spruce for about $20.00. The longer bloc gave me this yoke and all the pieces for two seats. The second smaller bloc will be used for the decks.
In order to maximise my weight savings I am using Sitka Spruce for all the trim: gunwhales, decks, seats, yoke, and stems (except for White Cedar inner stems - and that only because I don't have enough long pieces of Sitka Spruce).
Postscript (Oct. 2004):
The yoke was originally joined to the
gunwhales by a small mortise and tenon joint but a small 
crack began to appear in
one of the gunwhales.