> I'm interested on hearing about various lamination patterns that folks
> have tried for a greenland style paddle. I'm thinking of making my next
> "2x4" with a cedar center and a hardwood exterior.

> Woody

I've made a lot of paddles over the last five or six years --- most from cedar 'cause it's light and easy to carve, some from whatever was around and looked clear enough for a "prototype" (I've got a lot of "prototypes"!). The only one I've ever had a problem with --- as in breaking --- was a terrific paddle made from a red cedar one by six (back in the days when I thought three inches was too narrow for a paddle) laminated with oak framing strips at and beyond the loom. Carried a nice wave, surfing all the way to the beach, didn't see that there was a rock in the water I wanted to brace on to turn, and snapped the blade off cleanly right at the end of the oak laminate. Obviously a stress fracture waiting to happen. And it was my best design. (And now part is a throwing stick and the other is a pseudo Aleut single bladed paddle.)

Think carefully about laminating hardwood on soft. It worked for me for quite a while, but, obviously now, there was a fracture waiting to happen all the time.

For what it's worth, I've always followed the axiom that Greenland paddles should be left unfinished; I've never had a delamination or splintering problem --- except for paddler-induced ones from rocks and bounces. I do nothing to paddles, except, at this time of the year, a little Sex Wax on the looms to keep from lateraling the thing across the St. Mary's River --- which was beautiful this evening at sunset. Quiet water (41 F) with a little fog and a great sunset. Air temp was near 60.

Jack Martin