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Post by Beavers on May 20, 2006 22:39:48 GMT -5
I had some left over cedar from the canoe I'm building. I figured making a paddle was a good way to put the leftovers to a good use. ;D The first thing I needed to do was to build a shavehorse. I found the plans on Green Woodworking.com The shavehorse worked great for holding the paddle during carving.  I'm going to fiberglass the blade and coat the whole paddle in epoxy, so I used regular Elmers glue since it didn't need to be waterproof. It was fun matching up all the different shades of cedar to give some nice color to the paddle.  The paddle blank all glued up and ready for carving. I traced the blade from one of my other paddles onto cardboard for a pattern. I got the paddle making book from Graham Warren and used one of the patterns from the book for the grip.  Using a jigsaw I cutout the rough shape of the grip and the blade.   |
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Post by Beavers on May 20, 2006 22:40:41 GMT -5
The soft cedar was very easy to shape using a rasp, spokeshave, and a blockplane.  I ended up using a plane for most of the blade shaping. Some areas the spokeshave came in handy but the plane was easier to use without getting "chatter marks".  The paddle is ready for the fiberglass and epoxy.  |
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Post by woodbark on May 21, 2006 8:18:29 GMT -5
Very interesting, I did'nt think cedar was strong enough for a paddle, must be incredibly light. What weight cloth do you plan on using and how will you work it around the edges of the blade? Do you think cedar is strong enough for the shaft?
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Post by Beavers on May 21, 2006 16:19:13 GMT -5
Yeah the paddle is VERY, VERY light. ;D
I'm going to use 4 oz. cloth on the blade. I'm not sure if bias cut strips of cloth will wrap around the edge of the blade. Going to try it out on some scrap wood first. I might try making a rock guard tip by making a dam out of play dough and pouring epoxy around the edge of the blade.
This is my first attempt at paddle making so I used cedar since it is easy to carve, plus I had extra cedar to use up. I have a Peter Puddicombe bent shaft that is all cedar so I think it should be strong enough for deep water use.
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Post by Woods Walker on May 30, 2006 20:25:58 GMT -5
Beavers,
When my canoe is done I think I might try to make a few paddles myself....yours looks great. I just got back from a Boundary Waters trip & used a Bending Branches Viper, man that is a sweet paddle. I might try to make one.
BTW... On the Viper, the glass is not wrapped around the ends or sides of the blade. The glass is trimmed overlapping there epoxy rock guards.... so the blade is sandwiched between layers of glass, just like the hull of a canoe.
Troy
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Post by Eagleson on May 31, 2006 20:26:32 GMT -5
Beavers,
I'm very new to canoe building, but have carved quite a few paddles. I was curious what kind of cedar was being used? We have numerous varieties of cedar in my area (eastern red, western red, white, etc).
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Post by Beavers on Jun 1, 2006 0:02:38 GMT -5
Beavers,
When my canoe is done I think I might try to make a few paddles myself....yours looks great. I just got back from a Boundary Waters trip & used a Bending Branches Viper, man that is a sweet paddle. I might try to make one.
BTW... On the Viper, the glass is not wrapped around the ends or sides of the blade. The glass is trimmed overlapping there epoxy rock guards.... so the blade is sandwiched between layers of glass, just like the hull of a canoe.
Troy That's the one with the double bend shaft right? IMHO paddle making has been much harder that canoe building. With a canoe you are working from plans and things either fit together or they don't. Paddle making seems to be much more of an art form..."eyeballing it" and working by "feel" a lot more. |
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Post by Beavers on Jun 1, 2006 0:11:27 GMT -5
Beavers, I'm very new to canoe building, but have carved quite a few paddles. I was curious what kind of cedar was being used? We have numerous varieties of cedar in my area (eastern red, western red, white, etc). I live in Nebraska and the Lumber Yard only called it "cedar." I'm assuming it's WRC? Is there any way you can tell from the photo's what kind of cedar it is? If you can carve paddles your first canoe should turn out great! ;D Have any photo's of your paddles you could post? |
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Post by Beavers on Jun 1, 2006 0:16:45 GMT -5
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Post by Beavers on Jun 3, 2006 20:15:00 GMT -5
Wetting out the 4 oz. fiberglass. This is my first time working with epoxy so I decided it would be best to try doing the paddle before the canoe.  Two coats of epoxy and the weave was starting to disappear. I think one more coat will do it.   |
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Post by Eagleson on Jun 12, 2006 13:44:35 GMT -5
The paddle looks great. Can you explain your epoxy process? I've only used a marine spar varnish. I'm carving a one-piece rewood padlle now and am concerned with strength and durability. Will the epoxy help? I'll post some pics soon.
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Post by Beavers on Jun 12, 2006 22:09:00 GMT -5
The fiberglass really strengthened the blade. The cedar is only about a 1/4 in. thick on the blade. Before the glass it was very flexible, now it is much stiffer and looks like it will be able to take a good beating. I'm not sure how much strength the epoxy adds to the shaft and the grip. It will sure help with impact resistance though. The fiberglassing process is pretty easy. It sounds a lot harder than it really is. ;D The epoxy is a two part that you mix together. I got mine from US Composites its a lot cheaper than some of the other brands and it has worked great for me. I also got 4 oz. fiberglass from them. I started out with brushing on a sealer coat of epoxy onto the whole paddle. Let it dry overnight or until it is not tacky anymore. Lay the fiberglass on the blade and brush on epoxy to wet out the glass. You want enough epoxy to completely wet out the glass but not too much that the glass floats on top of the epoxy. A foam roller worked good to squeegee off the excess. After it cures some you use a utility knife to trim the fiberglass around the paddle blade. When the epoxy is no longer tacky you bush on another coat or two to fill the weave. Let the epoxy cure for a couple of days and then sand it smooth (make sure you don't sand into the cloth) and then varnish. |
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Post by Beavers on Jun 12, 2006 22:14:52 GMT -5
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Post by Eagleson on Jun 30, 2006 7:36:54 GMT -5
Thanks for the info. I think I may try that process. Right now it has at least 1" of deflection. It wouldn't last the day in canoe country and I would hate to hang it on the wall for decoration. You know what they say - If you hang a paddle on the wall, it has no soul - or some crap like that.
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Post by softsurfboards on Aug 2, 2012 6:07:34 GMT -5
The soft cedar was very easy to shape using a rasp, spokeshave, and a blockplane. I ended up using a plane for most of the blade shaping. Some areas the spokeshave came in handy but the plane was easier to use without getting "chatter marks". The paddle is ready for the fiberglass and epoxy. Looking nice after completion, size of the paddle is little small. Is this perfect Stand up paddle board for use? In how many days you completely prepare the paddle board? |
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When you go through deep waters, I will be with you... Isaiah 43:2[/color]
