Images

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...

Each new plank for a Viking ship was not fastened permanently at once but was first tested and clamped in place. Fresh oak was bent when necessary and allowed to settle. If the curve proved wrong, the piece was re-hewn and fitted again...

The Viking ship builders did not wait for the wood to dry, as other timber for other purposes was left. Rather, shipbuilders worked most pieces while still fresh and moist. This made the boards softer, easier to bend, and more adaptable to...

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 Viking building tradition relied more on the shipbuilder’s eye than on an obsession with rulers. Correct proportions were established through memory and experience carried into the hand. Charcoal illustration by Selim Rumi Civralı.

The split pieces were roughly shaped in the Viking timber yard, and the sapwood and pith were removed. The remaining core became stronger and more reliable timber for the clinker overlap. Charcoal illustration by Selim Rumi Civralı.

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...

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 the Viking timber yard, large logs were split from the root end. Small wedges first opened a line, then larger wedges and mallet blows drove the split deeper, and the wood followed its natural grain as it opened. Charcoal illustration...

When the logs for a Viking ship reached the shipyard or timber yard, they were sorted by quality and intended use. At this early stage, builders had already decided which trunks would serve for the keel, the planking, or the interior parts...