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Lets make some paddles

Patrick Corry

Patrick Corry

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Since my Atkinson Traveler build is in the filler curing stage;
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I thought I would make a couple of paddles for fun. I have some scant 3/4" thick Western Red Cedar, and a couple of Sycamore offcuts (the material cut off from the shaft of a single board paddle). I have wanted to make an all cedar paddle for some time, and my wife suggested a paddle with a dark 'spine' and light glue-on blades for the other one, so those are the starting points. Maybe the one with contrasting wood can have the cedar spine tapered from full width at the top of the blade to a point at the bottom of the blade, provided that allows enough width at the bottom?

For fun, how about some suggestions for blade and grip styles for the paddles? The all cedar one can be about 7" wide at the blade, the one with Sycamore about 5 1/2" wide. I won't be able to accommodate everyone's opinion but I'll choose a few that I can!

So far, the two options; all cedar:
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Cedar/Sycamore:
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Shaft/grip glue-up:
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Well, you got farther than I did today. I got the idea while eating lunch that I'd try making a paddle for the first time. I milled all the wood and got it set up in the clamps then realized I don't have any waterproof glue on hand. I'll run out in the morning and get some. I'm a little concerned about weight since I'm using ash and walnut. If it turns out too heavy I have some quartersawn sycamore I can try for the next one.PXL_20241123_222728807.jpg
 
People worry too much about weight. Mahogany, walnut and ash are strong and can take it. I made a paddle out of those exact materials and used it for 35 years.
 
Okay, no significant suggestions from the crowd so here goes with some decisions.

I tapered the shaft on the cedar/sycamore paddle and chose the blade shape- my interpretation of a Voyageur blade, but essentially limited by the size of the glued-on scraps I had; about 4" at bottom and 5.25"at it's widest. Hard corners will be softened with rounded off bottle cap tracings:
IMG_1555.jpeg
My favorite drafting template for paddle curves:
IMG_1553.jpeg

I was looking at the Fishell Paddles site, and their Ray Special has a 50/50 blade/shaft ratio. That's what I'll do with this relatively narrow paddle as well.

I created a new-to-me grip on the 'voyageur' paddle; top grip arc drawn with a very technical drafting tool:
IMG_1549.jpeg
And bottle cap radii with K&E template for the rest of the grip:
IMG_1552.jpeg

The all cedar paddle grip; pretty conventional. In the upper left corner, note the red gas funnel I used to trace the greater diameter arc of the top of the trip. The rest is a pretty gentle arc.
IMG_1554.jpeg

The all cedar paddle blade shape? Not decided yet... but probably a conventional Beaver tail or something like it. Still time to make suggestions for that one!
 
I'm curious how thick you're planning to make the blade? I'm thinking I'll do 3/8" or maybe a bit less. I plan to fiberglass mine since I mostly run shallow, rocky rivers and creeks (unless someone convinces me not to). I also see you're going for a more traditional handle shape. I've never used one of those so if my first paddle comes out alright I might try making one with that style handle to see if I like it.

I didn't do myself any favors when I did the glue up. I planed the pieces for the blade to 5/8". An old machinist once told me "you make your money at the saw". Meaning use the crude machines for bulk material removal to save time with the more accurate tools. I'm spending a lot more time with hand planes than I'd have needed to if I'd have planed the material thinner before glue up.


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My blades are probably about 3/8” to 7/16” at the center, tapering to maybe 1/8” or 3/16” at the edges & bottom. I’m almost exclusively a lake paddler and only use the paddle to push off in soft terrain. When tripping I bring one “dainty” paddle for easy paddling and a spare that I can really pull on in the event of desperation paddling into the wind.

I’ve made a lot of different grips, and frankly they all work and I adjust to them quickly, though I do prefer a grip which allows sort of curling my thumb around and under.

With regard to the planing… I enjoy as much hand tool work as possible. The plus side of that is that with power tools you can easily get carried away and catastrophically damage the work-especially disconcerting when that occurs farther along in the process!

Good luck with yours.
 
I really like using hand tools for paddles. They have to be sharp to handle some difficult wood. Elm is terrible.
One of the best things about making your own paddles is they can be specialized for their intended purpose. Patrick's thickness specs might be just dandy for lake paddling. I build river paddles that are much thicker, but they stand up to the rocks.
 
ppine said:
I really like using hand tools for paddles. They have to be sharp to handle some difficult wood. Elm is terrible.
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Fortunately the ash and walnut are pretty straight grained and plane nicely. I have a pile of curly maple I picked up 15 or so years ago. I made one table out of it and really struggled with tear out. I ended up finishing it with scrapers. I'm starting to think curly maple and quartersawn sycamore will be my next paddle attempt but I'm not looking forward to planing the maple.

I got the grip mostly shaped this afternoon. I'm still not completely happy with it because I feel a bit of a hot spot on my thumb that may lead to a blister. I decided to quit for the day and attack it again in the morning.

PXL_20241125_210238736.jpg
 
I was at an outfitter today and while contemplating whether I was going to drop the coin on a new boat (I caved and bought it) I wandered over to the paddle area. The grip in the rear of this picture is similar to what I made a few days ago and is what I'm used to. The one in front is one I found particularly comfortable. I didn't think I'd care for a t- handle but it really felt natural. I'm not sure if I'd still like it out on the water but it felt good in the store. I may end up reshaping the grip on the paddle I just made.

I also decided not to fiberglass the blade. I figure if it gets beat up I can just sand/plane out the damage and fiberglass it or just make a new one so I'll just try it without and see how it goes.
 

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I stopped fiberglassing blades a long time ago. Usually the blades don't fail catastrophically, but in increments. Splits of dings, warning signs that they might be on their way out. I just generally build a new paddle at that point and give the gimp to a pal with an outboard boat who needs a paddle in the boat to satisfy the marine laws.
 
A little paddle progress:

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Yesterday I salvaged a piece of Osage Orange,
en.wikipedia.org

Maclura pomifera - Wikipedia

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from a downed roadside tree. My brother thought it might make interesting canoe gunwales from the remaining 18' log off the road, but I thought I might experiment first by making a paddle using the chunk I picked up along with an Ash shaft. We'll see once I've split it into manageable bandsaw pieces! Dried pieces have a bright yellow/orange color.
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Wow. Osage Orange is a beautiful wood but you'll want to have sharp tools and be ready to sharpen frequently as it's notorious for dulling out tools. A hardwood floor or cabinet doors?... Absolutely! A paddle or gunwales will be interesting for sure. I'll be interested to see how this works for you but I'm certain that it'll be easy on the eyes.
 
Really nice craftsmanship Patrick. Those paddles look like they would be a treat to use. I’m just blown away by that quarter sawn sycamore. So gorgeous. Such a privilege to live in the eastern hardwood region. We have so many species available to work with.
Rob
 
Glenn MacGrady said:
Pat, I guess it's too late to suggest the (scroll down) Bruce Smith Morning Mist shape.
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Yes, I've already committed to a beavertail blade on that one. I've only made one other beavertail- the cherry one shown in this picture:
IMG_1570.jpeg

The white blade pattern in the same picture is one I contemplated using. It's a shameless copy of a Turtle Paddleworks blade I once had, though I 'slenderized' it a bit where it joins the shaft and tightened the radius at bottom a little. I think that shape is pretty close to the paddle you referenced. I used the pattern on my single-board Sycamore paddle:
IMG_9896.jpegIMG_9748.jpeg

It's a really nice blade shape, smooth in underwater recovery strokes.
 
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