Skill •
DIY CANOE PADDLES
HOW TO CARVE YOU OWN BEAUTIFUL BLADES
While the idea of carving your own paddle may be intimidating, it’s an attainable project for anyone with the right tools and willingness to learn. Follow this step-by- step approach to produce paddles you can be proud to use and show off.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
• WOOD PLANK OR PADDLE BLANK PENCIL
• BAND SAW OR JIGSAW • SANDPAPER (VARIOUS GRITS)
• HONED SPOKESHAVE • •
EPOXY, VARNISH OR OIL 8 TO 16 HOURS
GET STARTED After determining paddle length, choose an appropriate one-and-a-quarter-inch by six-inch plank. Pencil in a centerline on both faces. Draw your paddle profile, including blade, shaft and grip—tracing a favored paddle is fair game. Cut the pro- file on a bandsaw to create the blank, then draw a centerline along this new edge, bisecting the width of the paddle.
THE BLADE Shape your blade by beveling with a spokeshave from the centerline of each face to the edge. Work to achieve a thickness of three-eigths-of-an-inch on the lower third of the blade, tapered from a thickness of five-eigths in the middle third. The upper third of the blade should taper to the width of the shaft. Leave a spine on the centerline in the upper third of the blade face. When the blade is the desired thickness, round the edges.
Tip: The sharper the edges the easier the blade enters the water. However, they are more easily damaged.
GRIP AND SHAFT Use the spokeshave to shape the grip. Pencil in lines along the lengths of all four sides of the shaft, halfway between the centerlines and the shaft edges. Using these guide lines, use a spokeshave to remove the four edg- es of your square shaft, creating an new octagonal shaft. Now remove those eight edges and continue shaping the shaft to a soft oval that fits your hand comfortably.
FINISHING Use a piece of 80 grit sanding cloth to remove tool marks and give an even shape. Sand again with 120-150 grit paper to remove the 80 grit marks, then 220 grit sandpaper to finish. Consider a light stain on white woods, such as ash. Finally, finish with an exterior grade polyurethane/spar varnish or marine oil. Follow manu- facturer directions.—Russ Parker
DIGITAL EXTRA:: For more detailed instructions and photos, go to
www.rapidmedia.com/0321.
This article first appeared in the 2015 Spring issue of Canoeroots.
38 PADDLING MAGAZINE
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