We are thrilled to have a new source for some of the best quality bending oak I’ve ever seen at a ridiculously fair price!
Quality bending oak can be hard to find which is why I was blown away when a student sent me a picture of some White Oak they purchased from J. W. Swan & Sons, a local sawyer/boatbuilder in northern Wisconsin.
Josh Swan is a true jack of all trades. He builds and teaches new wooden boat building construction, wooden boat restoration, custom mills a wide variety of marine timber, and donates a percentage of profits to conservation funds.
In addition to his incredible quality bending oak lumber Josh has also partnered with us to offer pre-cut kayak and canoe ribs at a price that I could never match. For roughly 65 bucks you can get a set of pre-milled kayak ribs sent to your doorstep, or about double that for a mid size canoe. Cut ribs are more expensive than raw lumber but you save a ton of money on shipping, and you also don’t have to murder your planer or tablesaw with this super tough highly acidic wood.
This is a game changer for us because sourcing high quality Bending Oak is typically the biggest hurdle that most people have for building my boats, and the quality is never certain until you get it. Until now Zena Forest Products was our only source for guaranteed perfect bending Oak. Now we can add J. W. Swan & Sons to that short list.
If you’ve watched any of my bending videos and wondered how I get those shapes without using any forms or jigs? This is exactly how that’s done. It’s not magic, skill or experience. Just really good bending oak. Check out J. W. Swan & Sons Boatbuilding, or Zena Forest Products if you need some.
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This post was originally featured on our Instagram feed.
See the original post and discussion here.
