What type of plywood do you use skullman?

Prune, your beavers look great.The only thing I can see is to put your hog rings a little closer.

Beav.The hoops are expandable. After the beaver are on the hoop and some what tight you can take a wood clamp to finish the stretch.Drying time in my shop is 3 days also and putting the boards in for the leg holes only takes minutes.I use wire hoops for all my beaver and they look as good as wood.I'm sure it depends on the person putting them up though.

Skullman, the smaller beaver on hoops will tend to be round but the larger sizes will naturally stretch oval.

I found a deal on 3/4 inch birch vener 2nd's. It was cheaper than regular plywood. You get 3 boards out of one sheet. North Bay, did you make it to the convention?

"If mountain men had plywood, they woulda used it!"

A quote from my mentor, one of the greatest beaver trappers ever.
He started out nearly 70 years ago, on wooden hoops, and would never even consider not using plywood anymore.

I like 6d box nails, these are strong enough that once pinned, the hide can be lifted away from the board, to allow air to flow over both sides of a hide.

I clean skin. I (clean up) scrape on the plywood, before I lift the hide, and I sew the leg holes after.

Krusty

I can close a leg hole on a hooped beaver faster than one could dream of doing so with nails....and it doesn't involve blocks of wood, or sewing needles.

If you all wanna see some DANG good looking beaver on hoops, as KRE to post his pics. He does a DANG fine job.

Personally, I am QUITE happy with the speed, ease, and grades I get on my hooped beaver.

All too often, I think we make some poor generalizations about what is best....including stretchers, knives, traps, even types of sets and set locations. A fictional example being...if you CARE about your fur...you'll do it this way. Or the "best of the best" do it this way. There's a lot of factors in a descision to go with hoops or boards, or wire stretchers or wood boards. What's best for one guy, might not be best for the next guy. It's a personal descision, and if you're GOOD at the way you already know how....no reason to start over.

When folks say that "all the best guys use this type of stretcher"....they are WRONG. Fox go on what? Ask here, and most everyone will tell you wood boards. Then ask which of them caught more fox than Phil Brown? When he posted pics of his catch....1002 red fox if I recall....the ones I saw were one WIRE stretchers. Same deal...I've got a pretty good idea how many beaver Prune puts up....and I'll bet there's VERY few here that put up 1/4 of what he does in a year.

It's a personal choice. I use some wood, and I use some wire. So long as I am happy with the results....who cares? We all have different priorites.

Never seen a trapper from this part use hoops. Not saying that its any better than plywood but dont the fur houses want oval beavers. I was taught to use plywood thats all. I also sew my beaver legs.

Daniel,

Are you hog ringing the leg holes?

Krusty

Krusty,

Front legs get a clothespin, back legs get one hog ring and two clothespins each.

With boards you will keep to the oval stretch. If you are using hoops make sure your stretch is oval. Cut of the nose and whiskers.
Cheers Jim

[quote=skullman]I prefer plywood. Hay Prune, when you use those hoops are your beaver round or oval?


Thye are modified hoops.After a little tweaking and squeeezing they take on and hold there semi-oval shape.The main reason for hoops for me is.Space,weight,and a little quicker drying time.when you are trying to get thru 80-100 a week hoops to me a easier.All i do is scrape and toss the pelt to my son who can hoop them faster than i can scrape them.

As far as price for hooped too boarded beaver it seems to be only a couple of bucks.Time is worth more than that to me.

It works for me.Other's have there way.More ways to skin a cat.Is there an easy way.Anything to do with beaver is work no matter how ya cut it

As far as using more hooks,yep i get after him a time or too.But on a friday night and being 21 he has other things on his mind :).I would be the same way.Most of the time he has to have everything just right...

Never had the chance to see one put up on a hoop. How do you flesh your Beavers prune? I use a beam

Actually have 3 beams set-up now.6",8", 10".Have carpet and foam pad around the fleshing area.When thet get looking bad just go to the carpet mill and get a hunk of throw away.

Ya my beam is different, much larger. Plastic pipe 24 inch cut in half. Try to post a picture later.