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1 piece paddle construction

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I have a question about making a new paddle from a single board. Although I haven't chosen the appropriate slab of wood, which will most likely be maple or cherry, my question is in regard to the grain orientation. The paddle I will make is a copy of a classic shaped paddle my parents bought in 1956 as an alternate source of propulsion for their 16' mahogany outboard runabout.

The paddle is great for maneuvering the old boat from a standing position in the stern, around a dock or lake shore, but at 66" long it's way too long for canoe paddling (for me!). I've made a 1/4" plywood pattern directly from the paddle

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By the way, the name Four Sons is the name of the family runabout... My Dad was proud of his brood of four sons, of whom I am the fourth!

My question is this: Do I want to choose a slab with flat grain, so that the resulting blade and handle has grain running across the blade... or to put another way, at 90 degrees to the direction of travel? Does this make sense? I imagine that grain in the handle might be strongest parallel to the direction of travel, but that would make the thin areas of the blade subject to strain against very short grain... right?

Thanks for the help. Pat
 
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I'm not a paddle making pro but I think it should be made from a flat sawn board. Wood tends to split along the growth rings and I'd be afraid that a quarter sawn board, once shaved that thin on the paddle face, would have a tendency to split when hitting rock or something with the face.

Alan
 
Kind of what I thought as well, although paddles which are made from glued up blanks must surely have the same weakness. Maybe the glue up uses quarter sawn stock for the shaft extending to the tip, with blade add ons employing flat grain for strength in that area. The only weak point then must be epoxy glue but the glue joint is probably stronger than the wood grain!

Anyone else have any thoughts?
 
When I decided to make paddles, I bought a copy of Gilpatricks Paddle Making book ... it would be a well worthwhile investment for you, it covers the grain orientation, carving techniques , has plans and sizing information ... very good reference IMO
 
If you don't plan on reinforcing the tip, flat grain is better, if you plan on reinforcing the tip, I like the look of vertical grain better! I've done both and like both, on vertical grain paddle I cut a dado into the tip go the blade and insert a piece of hard wood with he grain running across the blade, and epoxy that in place!! I never had a paddle split at the tip, even on spruce paddles!!
 
All paddles I've had were flat sawn... the best boards should have a grain pattern similar to that indicated by the flat sawn box below... avoid boards that have been cut close to the pith (the center) where the grain structure is weak.

LumberCutsRadialTangential4.gif


Canoerouge, I've had several paddles split near the tip but I'm a cheap old geezer using old paddles (they were made from flat sawn boards.cut from spruce and cherry)... reinforcement by glassing has worked.
 
As a forester, quarter sawn lumber is always more desirable. Maybe for a paddle you are right, but I am not convinced.
 
As a forester, quarter sawn lumber is always more desirable. Maybe for a paddle you are right, but I am not convinced.

Like I said I made them with both type of cut and never had problem, mind you I usually reinforce the tip with a hard wood spline(also quartered)
 
I have made two paddles laminated quarter sawn lumber and they have been in the rocks, wrecks and found in eddies. They are tough as heck.
 
As a forester, quarter sawn lumber is always more desirable. Maybe for a paddle you are right, but I am not convinced.

as a former grader, quarter sawn is better for projects where stability and appearance is important, but flat sawn is better for sheer strength. the best paddles have flat sawn blades and grips and quarter sawn shafts (it's all about the forces), but that's not practical for a one piece blade so flat sawn it is
 
Great idea to replicate a paddle with some family history! The book that was referenced earlier is actually written by Graham Warren. David Gidmark is credited with chapter at the back regarding paddle making in the native Algonquin tradition.

Graham is the most prolific author of paddle making out there with many books, articles and even a DVD on construction. His conclusion is that there shouldn't be a debate about flat sawn or quarter sawn...both are completely acceptable for a one piece paddle. The much more important thing is to ensure the grain within the shaft area of the paddle is even and contained and doesn't "run off". The shaft bears the brunt of the force when in use and poor grain selection here can lead to snaps. This is particularly true with cherry which is a beautiful wood to work with, but not as strong as other hardwoods.

Not sure how wide the blade is on your 66" original, but you might be hard pressed to find a wide enough quarter sawn board without some pale sapwood in the cherry or darker heartwood in the maple. If you do, it would be pretty premium cost. For this reason, wide one-piece paddles are made from flat sawn as you can get a wider board with this method. Going back further in history, Native Americans of the Eastern/Central woodlands would always end up with the equivalent of a flat sawn board when splitting logs for paddle making. Historical records and surviving paddles in museums reveal that maple was the preferred wood for paddle making, but of course many other types of wood could be used in a pinch.

Laminated designs are a whole other different beast and it really isn't proper to compare to one-piece paddles. Modern adhesives are so strong today that you really can make obscenely tough paddles with cheaper wood cutoffs. If you're interested in going the laminated route in the future, Warren has a chapter on the ideal grain orientation of glued joints for different wood species. He examines wood expansion data for various species in order to determine combinations are more prone to glue failures before you put in any hard work in your carving. He concedes that modern glues are so good that the likely hood of failure is minimal, especially if the paddle is maintained with high quality sealant.

Anyway, keep us in the loop about your project!
 
as a former grader, quarter sawn is better for projects where stability and appearance is important, but flat sawn is better for sheer strength. the best paddles have flat sawn blades and grips and quarter sawn shafts (it's all about the forces), but that's not practical for a one piece blade so flat sawn it is

In real life beating up paddles in shallow river pushing up stream etc, I never had a quarter sawn paddle blade split.... And I'm not even talking hard wood paddle, sitka spruce!! I have come to the habit of reinforcing the tip of all my soft wood paddles with a piece of hard wood inserted in the tip.
 
Sorry for the tardy followup... but re-sizing my photos to link to this post has been difficult for my Luddite brain.

A good friend who is a fine furniture maker kindly gave me a slab of Pennsylvania cherry from which to make a paddle. The slab itself presented some challenges since it was 8/4 thick, and therefore way to thick for a paddle blank, and it had significant twist as evidenced in the photo of the slab with 'winding sticks' placed on it prior to cutting out the paddle blank.

I traced the pattern I had made previously, made a basic rip from the original slab (leaving enough wood for another paddle!); then subsequently saber-sawed the shape; reduced thickness to 6/4 with table saw, handsaw and sawzall; removed material from the perimeter of the grip and shaft with a table-mounted round over router bit with a bearing on top; thinned the blade with an electric plane (where I discovered the curly grain in places caused tearout); and subsequently finished with aggressive block planing, belt sanding, and hand sanding.

Overall I'm very satisfied with the result, and learned a great deal. The process would be far easier and quicker with the following: a bandsaw, a spokeshave, a card scraper, and a wider array of sanding grits.

Currently I'm applying coats of linseed oil to this paddle, and having re-finished an old Feather brand Spruce paddle with linseed oil & paste wax, that's probably what is in store for the cherry paddle.

Your thoughts are welcome...
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Your paddles look sweet. Nice work. Love the oil finish. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts after you get them wet.
 
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