Thursday, Feb 1, 2024. There was no snow in the forecast, so my winter activity of snow sculpting was on hold. Could I squeeze in the making of my first ottertail paddle?
I had processed a bunch of wood for future paddles and was looking forward to an enjoyable wood selecting process. But I took one more cycle to process the mahogany headboard from a bed that was used for years by my wife Lorna's grandmother. It would make great paddles! Once done, I started the wood selection process. I was able to focus on the blade because I had already put together a cedar/ash/cedar spine. I did find an imperfection in the spine at one end making the trimming of a couple of inches necessary. The final length would be sufficient though.
I set up a new workstation under our front porch and used my draw knife for the first time. That process was very enjoyable.
Once finished, I coated the paddle with 5 coats of spar urethane and can't wait to use it!
Wood summary:
Blade: Mahogany Pine Cedar Ash Cedar Pine Mahogany
Grip: Mahogany Pine Cedar Ash Cedar Pine Mahogany
Length: Weight:
Max Blade Width:
55"1lb, 14.1oz852g6 1/8" 15.3cm
This is the first paddle I used a draw knife on. It was a blast.
Don't glue it with this orientation. The wings must be centered or the paddle will look wierd. I could avoid this challenge by using full thickness wood, but I like to conserve wood.
You might note that the very central spline is not a rectangle. Special care needs to be taken to plane it such that the long edges are parallel. Unless you perhaps like this varied look from side to side!
Note the shine on the pieces of mahogany. This is the finish on the bed headboard I used.
Before and after. What fun!
The green paint partly removed on the right is from a porch that was walked on by the rock group Supertramp!