: Hello folks,
: I was intending to build my first paddle according to the plans &
: directions from "Canoe Paddles" by Warren & Gidmark. My plan
: is (was?) to build a one-piece Ottertail canoe paddle out of a
: yet-to-be-determined wood. I called my uncle the cabinet maker/carpenter
: this evening to find out where a good place to get quality wood at a
: reasonable price. While talking to him he gave me quite a bit of good
: advice including where to find free scraps of cherry, walnut, maple, etc.
: He also recommended that I not build a one-piece paddle, suggesting that
: it'll be susceptible to warpage and cracking . Rather, he suggested that I
: build a laminate paddle from several different woods, or build a laminate
: paddle out of a single piece, re-fitting it back together so that it
: appeared to be one piece. He also suggested the strips be at most
: 1/4" wide, preferably thinner, stating that a paddle (or anything
: else) built in this manner would be very strong and not likely to crack or
: warp.

: Can I get your comments, opinions & feedback? I realize that if I build a
: laminate paddle from scraps of wood, my wood would probably be free, but I
: just love the look of the beautiful one-piece paddles.

: Thanks in advance.
: Bryan Sarauer

Bryan

There are a lot of if's when it comes to using one solid piece of stock to make a paddle, or anything else for that matter. Yes, you could make a paddle out of a solid piece, But: from my experience, you would have to find a good piece of stock that's reasonably dry and still straight. This usually means that the inner stresses have pretty much balanced out or there aren't any ( whick would be almost too much to ask ). The wood is not pulling one way or the other as in cuping or warping. Then since it is flat and dry you could assume that it is reasonably twist free. Then you look at the ends and see if there is any Checking or cracks that are opening the board from side to side. So, now you have a nice clean, straight and flat piece of wood. That's only half the battle. That could very well mean that there are some very strong stresses in the wood, but they are opposing each other and averaging out. When you start cutting on one side and eliminating some of the material you could also be eliminating some of the ballancing stress on that side and allowing the wood to pull in the opposite direction. I've had nice straight boards on the table saw, when ripped, open up into a banana peel affect. In a case where you have opposing stresses, you would just cut equal amounts from each side of the board and keep it ballanced. If you are planing down one side of a paddle, plane the other side as well, and approx. the same amount. Ballance.

If and when you get the paddle to come out straight and true, then you would want to keep a good finish on it to seal it. There have been many posts in the past about types of sealers, from tung-oils to glass, but you simply need to keep the moisture content equal all around. You can lay a very nice 2 x 4 on a damp lawn in the sun and within 15 minutes it will develope a bow or twist.

Your best bet would be to start with a board that has the straightest grain pattern possible. Flat grain will work, but Verticle grain would be best. Stay away from the pith or center of the tree and the annual rings in the grain.

It can be done and is done but you have to know what you are looking for and how to work with it.

If you want a good straight piece and all one piece then you should rip it into several pieces as your Uncle said, and reglue them. That way, you keep pretty much the same grain pattern and it will look Very close to the same. If you find some of the pieces bowing when cut, then turn them over and glue them back on in opposite directions. By laminating in this manner, you will get very close to what you want, without all the headaches and it will be a much stronger paddle. Hope this helps.

Rehd