What a timely post, Thanks again Greg!

My redwood paddle that was bent is good enought to duplicate with a laminated fir/cedar version for more stiffness. I have a 1/4" cedar for the middle, and two 3/8" fir peices for the outer laminations. I noticed, in choosing the grains, that the vertical grain fir is heavier than the flat grained one, so I picked another and planed it down. I have a choice, to use one flat-grained and one "run-off" in the laminate, or one vertical to sub on either side. Or, I can scour the bone pile and find another vertical piece. The run-off piece is thru the thickness, not across the width. I'm inclined to use it and the vertical one.

In a lamination, are the grain orientations as critical? Will it tend to be more flexible one way or the other if I dont match the outer layers? And does the run-off still tend to break in a lamination? And, would you think a thicker cedar middle would be better? I dont know much about mixing the characteristics of different woods, I'm after a paddle that is as light as the redwood, but less flexible. I havent glued it up yet, so now is a good time to throw wood in the fire. Thanks!

.

: You say that your paddle is flexible. Did you select wood with vertical
: grain? The grain should look like pinstripes running down the wide side of
: the board. The "pinstripes" should not run diagonally, if you
: follow one stripe it should run from one paddle tip to the other. If you
: chose a board with grain "run-off" the paddle will be prone to
: breakage. If you used flat-sawn lumber (grain looks like the
: "flame" patterns on the face of plywood), the paddle will be too
: flexible (for my tastes) and will not be as strong as vertical grain.

: Regarding using a fine paddle to push-off against solid objects, all I can
: say is don't ever let Derek Hutchinson see you do this!

: Have fun!

: Greg Stamer
: Orlando, Florida