Oars have been around and helping propel all manner of watercraft since about 5,000 B.C. Though most oars today are still crafted from wood, they are often made in large-scale production facilities that churn out hundreds if not thousands of them each day.

Thanks to our friends at the Hardänger Maritime Museum in Norheimsund, Norway, you can see how a pair of oars is hewn from a single block of wood using patterns, a ship saw, hand planers and saws, axes, pocket knives and all other manner of woodworking tools.

This video shows how it’s done and then demonstrates them being used on a traditional wooden rowboat.