Eskimo Sunglasses from Wood: DIY Tutorial

While choosing equipment for snowboarding, I came across an article on the internet about Eskimos. More precisely, about how representatives of this people of the far north protected their eyes from sunburn. This problem is known to winter sports enthusiasts – skiers, snowkiters, mountaineers, snowmobilers – everyone who spends a long time on white snow under bright sun. Today, masks with various visor-light filters are used to protect the eyes from “snow blindness”. The Eskimos, however, have long used special glasses with narrow slits that limit the light flux for this purpose. Put on such “pince-nez” and it’s as if you squinted.

As a material, I used a spruce board with a cross-section of 25x100 mm. Due to improper storage, it was slightly bent. I used the defect to advantage - cut out a blank 150 mm long with a small (about 2-3 mm) bend in the middle — As a material, I used a spruce board with a cross-section of 25×100 mm. Due to improper storage, it was slightly bent. I used the defect to advantage – cut out a blank 150 mm long with a small (about 2-3 mm) bend in the middle

**I marked the centerline and made the first cut with a rasp**

**I applied approximate contours of the glasses (so far one half) and removed excess wood**

**I copied the resulting outlines onto paper and, using a template, transferred the contour to the other side of the glasses**

I started processing the inner side. It's simple here - we remove excess layers of wood with a chisel — **I started processing the inner side. It’s simple here – we remove excess layers of wood with a chisel**

**The outer side is processed similarly to the inner one. We monitor the symmetry of the left and right halves**

**The blank needs to be carefully sanded**

Using painter's tape, I marked where the slits- — **Using painter’s tape, I marked where the slits-“eyepieces” will be. There’s no need to rush here, otherwise you can ruin all the previous work**

I drill holes and saw the slits with a needle file to a size of 2.5x30 mm. The wall thickness in these places turned out to be 5-7 mm — **I drill holes and saw the slits with a needle file to a size of 2.5×30 mm. The wall thickness in these places turned out to be 5-7 mm**

**Installing the headband from a leather strip**

The Eskimos made sunglasses from bone or leather strips. I decided to make them from wood. They are functional, but for utilitarian use, of course, they are not intended. I just wanted to practice working with hand tools: chisels, gouges, files, etc. Nothing from machine equipment, except for an electric drill, was fundamentally used. It took a whole day to make the craft.

**I tinted the glasses with acrylic paint (rubbed it with a soft cloth), and after drying, covered them with a layer of varnish**

I offer the readers of the magazine a small photo report with explanatory captions.

«Modelist-Konstruktor» No. 4’2025, Denis SAMARIN

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