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SNOWSHOE PROJECT
(or How to make snowshoes in four years)

Check out Yuba Snow Shoes for the real thing.  They are GREAT people!
 

We started on these snow shoes a few years ago.  The basic construction was accomplished the first year and later tested.  We learned that we had a problem with the foot support and boot binding. The binding swivels on an axle which runs across the shoe below the ball of the foot.  We originally started with a 1/4 inch steel rod.  After the first outing, it looked more like a paper clip.  The upgrade for this was to use 3/8 inch steel automotive brake line and sleeve over the 1/4 inch rod.  I guess some engineer out there could have told us we might have this problem.  The second problem was proper support of the boot.  We used some nylon straps and buckles which were alright as long as you did not side hill.  We had constructed about 22 pairs of the shoes.  Come the second winter, I came up with another idea to use a bicycle toe clip and parts from an old pair of ski boots.  You can see a photo of this below.  It worked very well but I could not find enough of the old (cheep) ski boots to get the part from.  So now I decided to turn to the professional and the Internet.  I sent out a few E-mails to the snowshoe companies in hopes that some one would have a binding for the right price for a Boy Scout project.  I tested out a pair of bindings at the end of last year from Yuba Snow Shoes* in Sacramento, California.  They worked great; then the snow melted, and the snowshoes were put away for another year.  I contacted them this year and they were able to help me out to complete the project.  The material cost of the shoe is about $25 and a lot of labor.  Here are pictures of the process.  Click on the picture to see a large image. I have also provided drawings for the frame, the foot pad, the front cap & cleat, and the material list.

Click on picture to enlarge.
frame.JPG (70517 bytes) parts.JPG (57073 bytes) complete.JPG (75650 bytes) topbinding.JPG (51058 bytes)
Frames bent on custom jig, ready to be joined together.  a 1/2 in copper sleeve slips inside the 1/2 in electrical conduit and is pop riveted in place.  The are 34 in long and 9 in wide.  See Frame Plans. On the far left is the template to cut out the herculite cloth used for the base.  The pads are punched for grommets with a wire run along the outside for added strength.  See Footpad Plans. The finished shoe shows two colors of herculite obtained from a swimming pool cover manufacturer scrap bin.  Base is laced on with clothesline. Here is the Yuba Snow Shoe binding mounted. The pivot goes into a 1/4 in hole on the inside of the frame.
undercleat.JPG (48542 bytes) front.JPG (73152 bytes) bottom.JPG (76925 bytes) bindinghm2.JPG (72366 bytes)
Here is the cleat made from aluminum, cut, and the bent on a brake. The clamp holding it to the axle in 1x1 aluminum angle properly bent.  See Cleat Plans The toe cap piece of Herculite is folded doubled at the tab, drilled and pop riveted in place.  See Toe Cap Plans Underside of snowshoes shoe the simple lacing used. Here is the the Mod 2 snowshoe binding made from bicycle toe clip and ski boot parts and nylon strap.  It worked but hard to find the right ski boot to cannibalize. You might try older snowboard bindings also.
snowshoeworkshop01.JPG (62715 bytes) snowshoebindattach01.jpg (83381 bytes) snowshoetable01.jpg (110635 bytes) Winter Campout planned for February 10 & 11, 2001 at Sugar Pine Point State Part in the Lake Tahoe basin.  See the snow camp story 2001.  
Snowshoe work shop at Bill's house January 01. Phil and Wil working on the Mk3 Mod3 updated axle and binding. Axle now has a 3/8" brake tubing over the 1/4" axle rod for strength.  Do not re-drill the hole to 3/8". The brake tube is the inside dimension of the shoe. Project line-up awaiting axle/binding assembly to be installed  

 

*I just learned this year that their parent industry, Pride Industries is a non-profit organization whose mission is to train and employ people with disabilities.  So you know their heart is in the right place.