Birth of a Canoe

From a felled log through a lengthy process of hand shaping, Latvian craftsman Rihards Vidzickis uses drawknives, axes, scorps, chisels and various other tools to create a beautiful canoe. In the final stages the canoe is dried and hardened by charring in fire.

Rihards belongs to Northmen, a guild of northern master craftsmen who draw on their heritage of craftsmanship to design and create woodworking tools, knives, weapons – bows and swords and as you can see in the video, much more. In so doing, the group aims to preserve and pass these traditions and crafts on to future generations.