Selim I: Did you mean...?

Viking shipbuilders strengthened knot-related weak points in the oak planks with patches fastened from the outside. This management of defects was aimed at minimising the structural risks created by knots that remained within the plank plane...

The broad-bladed axe was the Viking shipbuilder’s most important tool, and had been designed to turn oak logs into thin boards. Using these axes instead of a saw preserved the grain structure of the wood and allowed clinker hulls to remain...

In the end, the Viking ship was born through the successive joining of wood, iron, wool, tar, oil, and human labour. The trunk in the forest had become timber in the timber yard, a shell in the shipyard, and finally, an elegant vessel was...

Before the overlap surfaces were closed on a Viking ship, a tarred three-ply wool cord was placed between them. Once compressed, this fibrous filler both closed the gap and made the entry of water more difficult, and the first and most elegant...

In the Viking timber yard, the logs were divided into halves, then quarters, then eighths, and then into even smaller sections. The goal was to cut fibres with a saw, but to open the wood along its natural direction and obtain a plank core...

In clinker Viking ships, branches and trunk junctions with natural curves were vital for making frames without cutting the fibres. This search for curved timber required extensive scanning within the forest and directly affected the durability...

Even a small Viking boat required hundreds of rivets, while a large Viking longship needed thousands. Shipbuilding, therefore, depended not only on carpentry but also on important iron production and an active forge. Charcoal illustration...

As the rough boards were prepared, it became clear which pieces would serve for the Viking ship's keel, the strakes, and the internal frame. The timber yard was not only a storage area but also the first place where the ship’s wooden parts...

The tree for a Viking ship was felled with long-handled axes rather than saws, and the fall was carefully directed. After it fell, the trunk was roughly cleaned, and useful curved branches and forked sections were set aside. Charcoal illustration...

At this stage, the saw had almost disappeared from the process of Viking shipbuilding, and production relied mainly on cleaving and axe hewing. Ship planks were made by opening the log along the grain and then shaping it with an axe. Charcoal...