Paddle Building first try.

[wysedav]

This is really a pretty easy and quick build especially compared to a canoe! So far i have about 3-4 hours into it. The shaft is hollow, made up of 8 staves which you cut a birdsmouth in to aid in alignment and glue up. I tried the birdsmouth thing and didn't like it, although it seems like a good idea it didn't really help with the assembly and I don't think it really adds any strength. So I just cut the staves with 22.5 degree bevels so when it's rolled up it makes a complete shaft. If you make the staves 0.5" wide you should end up with very close to a 1 1/8" diameter shaft. I'll mock up some pictures to show how I assembled the shaft if anyone is interested.

Next I glued up the blade blank using whatever I could find for pretty scrap pieces. The center piece is about 1/2" thick and the other pieces stair step down to about 1/4" thick at the outer edge. After the glue dries trace out the blade shape you want and clean up the surface of the blade. The stair stepped lamination makes it easy to make a dihedral on the powerface of the blade which supposedly helps reduce flutter.

Next I cut the end of the shaft at 12 degrees so I could glue up the blade.

Today I finish sanded the blade and the shaft and coated with epoxy. My next step is to but a black epoxy fillet at the shaft joint and add some fiberglass to the blade and shaft joint.

Here are the pictures.. sorry I'm not very descriptive, if I build another one I'll do more of a step by step.

 

[sailsman63]

Looking pretty. I would never have thought to try for a hollow shaft at this scale, but I get why the birdsmouth would be... a challenge. I've only seen it used for rather larger things, like sailboat masts... I'm thinking from the way you've said things, that you laid those staves on a saturated glass cloth, and then rolled that up? Or am I missing something?

 

[wysedav]

Sailsman, I put duct tape in narrow strips on my bench every 3 inches or so. Next I stuck the staves to the tape, with the bevels face up this left nice v grooves to put glue in. Added glue brushed in with a chip brush and rolled it up. When you stick the staves to the tape pre tension the tape that way the joint stays nice and tight. It works really well and is easy too. I'll take a picture next time.

 

[wysedav]

Btw this webpage was a good reference.

http://canoepaddles.blogspot.com/2011/04/5-canoe-paddle-shaping-step-3.html

 

[redoleary]

Very nice!! Looks like you've got it dialed in pretty well for a first try.

 

[Alan Gage]

It sure looks good from here. Very pretty. Impressive progress for the first time. What types of wood did you use? The shaft looks like cedar. If so how does the stiffness feel? Is the lighter stuff maple? Some of the darker stuff walnut?

The joints on the shaft sure look nice. How thick were the shaft strips?

Alan