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A Beaver Boarding Tutorial (hvy picture) #4387401
03/19/14 03:54 PM
03/19/14 03:54 PM
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,997
Kelowna BC Canada
trapper ron Offline OP
trapper
trapper ron  Offline OP
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,997
Kelowna BC Canada
This is what works for me. First off pelt your beaver clean skinned or rough skinned. If rough skinned, flesh on your beam or whatever works for you. For me I clean skin. At one time my pelting was really clean, now with the hand fleshing tools I use it is very easy to remove a bit of meat and fat. I use a beaver/fur handling table that is the size of a beaver board, 32" x 48".

I determine what size oval it is going to be by turning the beaver sideways on the board and pulling the center on each size tightly out to the top and bottom of the oval patterns. The oval it comes to will be very close to the size ring to use. Next I turn it back to the way it is going to go on the board. Place the eyes just below the ring you are going to nail to. Nail the lips and nose out beyond the oval. Nail the two corners of the tail out past the oval. nail at center of each side, between the center and head , and between the center and tail on the oval you are going to use.



Use your hand small hand flesher to go all around the outside edge of the pelt to make sure it is clean. I then nail up one side to just about the head, then the same on the other side. Then down to just about the where the corner nails are at the tail.





You can now use your larger hand fleshing tool and remove any meat or fat left on the pelt. Lift the legs and trim them, and cut the ears out. Continue nailing around the head just ahead of the eyes.



Nail around the bottom edge, leaving those two tail corners out past your oval.



Trim the nose, lips and whiskers off just ahead of the nails. Cut the two corners off at the tail.





You can leave the ear holes open or close them with one nail. The front leg holes are nailed with two nails. do not overlap more than about 1/8 inch, or just enough for the nail to catch. Close the holes by nailing from the outside toward the center. If nailed from center to outside you will catch the skin flap when you use your beaver comb to comb the fur later.



Repeat with the rear leg holes using three nails.



The last step is to raise the pelt on the nails about 1/2 inch so there is air circulation behind the pelt and also as it dries the nails will tip in avoiding tearing. My nails are never in very tight, just tight enough to hold.


This is your finished product.



These are my tools for boarding a beaver.



Drill a hole in the top center and bottom center of your boards to hang them up. I also drill a hole each end of the beaver table and use a large spike dropped through. Then the board stays in place as you are nailing and fleshing you beaver.





So if you really want to get anal about your put up.




Last edited by tmrschessie; 04/15/15 06:51 PM.

Member BCTA
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"It's what you learn after you know it all that really counts."
Re: Beaver Boarding Tutorial (hvy picture) [Re: trapper ron] #4387410
03/19/14 03:57 PM
03/19/14 03:57 PM
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 50
north jersey
newjerseytrapper Offline
trapper
newjerseytrapper  Offline
trapper

Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 50
north jersey
Thanks!



Re: Beaver Boarding Tutorial (hvy picture) [Re: trapper ron] #4387422
03/19/14 04:04 PM
03/19/14 04:04 PM
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 34
Ely, MN
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bobcoz Offline
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Ely, MN
Thank you for taking the time to put this up. I've used a lot of your tips in the past for my beaver put up and learned a few more today.

Re: Beaver Boarding Tutorial (hvy picture) [Re: trapper ron] #4387444
03/19/14 04:14 PM
03/19/14 04:14 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 15,586
MN, Land of 10,000 Lakes
T
Trapper7 Offline
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Posts: 15,586
MN, Land of 10,000 Lakes
You did an excellent job in illustrating this. Unfortunately, I tried your nail and hammer method for about 5 minutes. In that time, I think I hit my thumb 3 times! Do you know how long it took for my thumb to stop throbbing? Days!! laugh

Nice job, thanks for putting it on here, way cool! cool


I don't care how nice the hand soap smells, you should never walk out of the restroom sniffing your fingers.
Re: Beaver Boarding Tutorial (hvy picture) [Re: trapper ron] #4387478
03/19/14 04:36 PM
03/19/14 04:36 PM
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 3,561
Northern MN
Dale Torma Offline
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Dale Torma  Offline
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Posts: 3,561
Northern MN
Don't use finishing nails, then you will hit your thumb less. Also if you grind a slight concave area in your hammer face, it helps. At least rough up the hammer face with a grinder a bit.

Re: Beaver Boarding Tutorial (hvy picture) [Re: trapper ron] #4387481
03/19/14 04:37 PM
03/19/14 04:37 PM
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 44
Alabama
Roll Tide Offline
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Roll Tide  Offline
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Posts: 44
Alabama
Thanks for posting that.


When Christ died, he died for you individually just as much as if you had been the only person in the world.
Re: Beaver Boarding Tutorial (hvy picture) [Re: trapper ron] #4387597
03/19/14 06:29 PM
03/19/14 06:29 PM
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 103
Maine
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cmbb Offline
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Posts: 103
Maine
Very nice concise explanation.

That otter, next to beaver, was a fast mover when caught in the body grip!

Re: Beaver Boarding Tutorial (hvy picture) [Re: trapper ron] #4387626
03/19/14 06:55 PM
03/19/14 06:55 PM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 494
virginia
K
kwtrapper Offline
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kwtrapper  Offline
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K

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Posts: 494
virginia
Trapper Ron, thanks for the pictures. I have always taken time and worked around the eyes, never thought about cutting them all the way out, will tomorrow, I know that the head is not used but did not want to make more holes in the pelt,cutting out takes less time. thanks.


Iam older then Buzzard 6/18/46
Re: Beaver Boarding Tutorial (hvy picture) [Re: trapper ron] #4387640
03/19/14 07:05 PM
03/19/14 07:05 PM
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 335
Northern Minnesota
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webfootwhacker Offline
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webfootwhacker  Offline
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Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 335
Northern Minnesota
Trapper Ron,

Does that lighter-colored leather area behind the front legs that looks "overstretched" have any effect on value? Mine almost always end up that way because I believe in pulling them with all you got....beaver leather is thick and I disagree with the notion that you can actually thin the fur by pulling it. I was just wondering if the lighter leather there was cause for detraction by the grader. I don't like the way it looks, but size pays more than fur density (in general) for beaver. My guess is those marks will show up behind the other leg on your demo pelt as it continues to dry, correct?

Re: Beaver Boarding Tutorial (hvy picture) [Re: trapper ron] #4387642
03/19/14 07:07 PM
03/19/14 07:07 PM
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,177
Albany, NY
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bobsheedy Offline
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Albany, NY

Thanks Ron.

Re: Beaver Boarding Tutorial (hvy picture) [Re: trapper ron] #4387648
03/19/14 07:12 PM
03/19/14 07:12 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 8,720
South Central Nebraska age 71
tmrschessie Offline
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Posts: 8,720
South Central Nebraska age 71
Thank you for the post Ron. If you could have used the in house (the fifth icon from the left) I would have archived this for all the folks who need help. We don't put large pictorial posts there now because some many users add or delete them and the post is of almost no value for many users. Tom

Re: Beaver Boarding Tutorial (hvy picture) [Re: trapper ron] #4387654
03/19/14 07:16 PM
03/19/14 07:16 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 7,628
evansville Indiana age72
don Wolf Offline
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don Wolf  Offline
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evansville Indiana age72
Kwtrapper, Maybe I read your post wrong, but, do not cut the eyes out of the pelt, you cut towards the nose of the pelt past the eyes about a 1/2 inch. No use making your pelt shorter than it needs to be. you already loose a good 1/2 to 3/4 on an inch cutting the nose and whiskers off the pelt. I know that part isn't used in the garment making process, but why cut more than you need to.

Re: Beaver Boarding Tutorial (hvy picture) [Re: trapper ron] #4387660
03/19/14 07:20 PM
03/19/14 07:20 PM
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 335
Northern Minnesota
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webfootwhacker Offline
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Northern Minnesota
Don,

My old buyer told me you paid for an inch in front of the eyes...is that true? I'd say by the time I'm done trimming I probably have just a bit under an inch in front of the eyes left, but it makes them look nicer.

Re: Beaver Boarding Tutorial (hvy picture) [Re: trapper ron] #4387674
03/19/14 07:31 PM
03/19/14 07:31 PM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 840
Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin
trapper234 Offline
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Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin
Very Nice...Thanks Ron!


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Re: Beaver Boarding Tutorial (hvy picture) [Re: trapper234] #4387724
03/19/14 08:00 PM
03/19/14 08:00 PM
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,997
Kelowna BC Canada
trapper ron Offline OP
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trapper ron  Offline OP
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Kelowna BC Canada
We always measured just ahead of the eyes even when the nose was left on so your are not really loosing anything by cutting it off. With the new sizing machine the square centimeters of the nose is so minimal it does not make a difference in the size.

The light leather patch behind the legs is leather priming marks to the leather. Just like you have the blotched markings on a muskrat leather is the best way to describe it. Neither of those pelts is tightly stretched. When just finished and I stand the board up I shake it back and forth and the center moves in and out at least and inch on the smaller ones and more on the larger ones.


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"It's what you learn after you know it all that really counts."
Re: Beaver Boarding Tutorial (hvy picture) [Re: trapper ron] #4387812
03/19/14 08:51 PM
03/19/14 08:51 PM
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 335
Northern Minnesota
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webfootwhacker Offline
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Northern Minnesota
Thanks for answering my question!

Re: Beaver Boarding Tutorial (hvy picture) [Re: trapper ron] #4387911
03/19/14 09:28 PM
03/19/14 09:28 PM
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 502
Illinois USA
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Lou Strozza Offline
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Illinois USA
Great post


GOOD JUDGEMENT COMES FROM EXPERIENCE, AND EXPERIENCE COMES FROM BAD JUDGEMENT!
Re: Beaver Boarding Tutorial (hvy picture) [Re: webfootwhacker] #4388256
03/20/14 01:46 AM
03/20/14 01:46 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 7,628
evansville Indiana age72
don Wolf Offline
trapper
don Wolf  Offline
trapper

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 7,628
evansville Indiana age72
Originally Posted By: webfootwhacker
Don,

My old buyer told me you paid for an inch in front of the eyes...is that true? I'd say by the time I'm done trimming I probably have just a bit under an inch in front of the eyes left, but it makes them look nicer.
I measure around an inch or a bit less in front of the eyes. Most of my trappers cut the nose and whiskers and part of the cheek off the pelt. Those that do, I measure to the end of the pelt.
the fellas that loose the most money are the fellas that put nails about every 1 1/2 to 2 inches in the pelt. I measure all the beaver to the smallest point when a guy gets lazy nailing. If they cheat and make pointy ends, I measure where I think the pelt rounds out.

Re: Beaver Boarding Tutorial (hvy picture) [Re: don Wolf] #4390084
03/21/14 01:53 AM
03/21/14 01:53 AM
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,997
Kelowna BC Canada
trapper ron Offline OP
trapper
trapper ron  Offline OP
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Posts: 1,997
Kelowna BC Canada
Originally Posted By: don Wolf
I measure around an inch or a bit less in front of the eyes. Most of my trappers cut the nose and whiskers and part of the cheek off the pelt. Those that do, I measure to the end of the pelt.
the fellas that loose the most money are the fellas that put nails about every 1 1/2 to 2 inches in the pelt. I measure all the beaver to the smallest point when a guy gets lazy nailing. If they cheat and make pointy ends, I measure where I think the pelt rounds out.


With the new sizing machine you loose also when the nails are too far apart. Consider how many square centimeters loss between the nails as the skin dips in, then multiply that by the number of nails ... considerable loss. Even back in the tape measuring days, like Don, you had to figure out exactly what the size of the beaver was and measure accordingly.

When you are grading all one size of beaver and you come across one that is too small you know right away it does not fit. Conversely sometimes one will be too big and has to go up a size.


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Re: Beaver Boarding Tutorial (hvy picture) [Re: trapper ron] #4390329
03/21/14 09:05 AM
03/21/14 09:05 AM
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 6
ME
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crowley Offline
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ME
Ron do you drum your beaver before skinning? I saw demo last summer where a beaver (that looked clean to me) was drummed and was amazed how much better it looked. I just wonder if I'm loosing money by not drumming my beaver.

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