: I found out, after a 3/4 finished paddle, that my table is not flat. It's a
: greenland paddle, and it's a little over 1/2" off of straight.

: Should I finish it? Has anybody done that and noticed it in use? All I have
: is a little more planing, if you want to know what it does thats reason
: enough for me to carry on.

Don,

I would suggest that you finish it as is. I have the paddle that Maligiaq Padilla used to win his first Greenland championship and place seventh in the World championship in Quebec, that he made when only fifteen or sixteen. It is an ordinary piece of pine, with knots, and bad tearout where he was first learning about edge tools and grain. The paddle shaft is not straight and the blades are not quite symmetric.

The moral. He used it and won, anyway. Although his newer efforts are worlds better, it just goes to show that its the skill of the paddler, rather than the perfection of the equipment that is the key. The Greenlanders that I met did not share our desire to build furniture quality kayaks and paddles. They make them strong and use them hard, about the same treatment that a working pickup truck gets here. During one violent storm in Nuuk, they had no qualms about putting large rocks on top of the fabric kayaks to keep they from blowing away.

Greg Stamer
Orlando, Florida