Wood For Paddle?

[LOREN]

What kinds of wood are best for making a canoe paddle? Prefer to make them in one solid chunk of wood, not really interested in laminating anything.

[Jim Krueger]

Cypress or Ash would be my suggestions. I have a paddle my uncle carved from a piece of heart Cypress in 1945.


Best Regards
Jim

[vtsquid]

It all depends on what you want your paddle to feel like, weight and what you are going to be doing with your paddle!
a tight grained wood will be stronger but heaver, will have less flex, but tend to exit and enter the water quieter. The lighter woods have great flex and feel to them, but will be more fragile and more care must be taken when using them!

Ash is one of the strongest, but its heavy, It has a great feel in the water, the weight will make it enter and exit the water quietly! (I have a ash Maine Guide Paddle by Dri-Ki wood works)

Cherry is very nice, flexes and has a nice feel, Great for solo/otter tail/beaver tail design. I would only use it for cruising flat water tho! (American Traders Otter tail)

Walnut is also sturdy, and light like cherry, has a great feel to it as well. My solo has a really nice feel and flex to it, the grain is tight as well. (American Traders)

Carrie has a Ash American traders otter tail which is surprisingly light, very thing blade, nice flex and feel in the water.

I have a nice list of book marks for many paddle web sights, and some talk about different woods and why they choose to make their paddles out of them, pm me if you want it!

our other paddles are all Laminated paddles, I really enjoy my bending branches beaver tail, its what I have used the most, has alot of flex to the blade, and is quiet in the water. Ive paddled 20+ hours on single trips with it and never had an issue with getting too tried.

Carrie loves her Sunburst by bending branches because its a little under 15 ounces and it feels like you are not putting the blade in the water. Its so light and effortless she just loves it. To me it feels funny... its too light! if there is such a thing!

What design are you looking to make?

One of my laminated paddles has pine in it... I did not thing it would be that great, its a modified otter tail/voyager, The whisper from Harmony, I actually really enjoyed it for solo trip, a little on the heavy side, the blade is thick so there is little flex, but for soloing it was amazing for paddling. After my arms got use to the weight, i paddled with out switching sides for 3 hours...

Good luck
good paddling

Bryan

[Dave Thomas]

The following woods are good for making paddles:

Ponderosa Pine
Douglas Fir
American White Ash
Pacific Red Alder
Black Walnut
Basswood

[Jim Krueger]

Loren,

It looks like you have lots of suggestions for woods to use. You may already be an experienced carpenter but I had a couple of thought's about the carving of the paddle.
Many years ago I became interested in making tool handles for my collection of farm implements as I'd seen some of my older neighbors and relatives make.One thing I learned is to use hand-split bolts of heartwood if possible rather than 'sawn' lumber. Obviously this probably won't be practical
unless you are processing the rest of the tree for other purposes. The next best thing is to try and pick the most straight-grained board you can.
About twenty years ago I made myself a copy of an eighteenth century wood-working tool called a 'shaving horse', it's a sit-down, foot-operated vice of sorts that allows the user to securely hold a long or short piece of stock and have both hands free to operate a draw knife or spoke shave. The shaving horse is just the perfect tool to use for the handles I was making as it allows the operator to sit comfortably and to rotate the stock in infinite positions while only having to apply slight pressure on the foot bar to keep it secure. If you would be interested in seeing an example of the shaving horse, you can google the book; 'A Museum of Early American Woodworking Tools' I think they showed two different models used. I still keep mine here in the shop for various Winter-time projects if you're interested.
Good luck, keep us informed if you take on building a paddle&maybe a picture.


Best Regards
Jim

[rickyrod]

if you need some bass/linden wood? I have some 8 ft long 6'' X8'' crosstie sized milled loggs. I use for carving, I also have 30 or so sqr. ft of wild cherry(black cherry) been dry for three years. would sell for cheap. the cherry is in 1 1/4 '' X 7'' X 12' long and 2 1/8X7'' X 12 'and super straight grain and funiture grade.also have bass in 2''X 8'' X10'. the larger loggs I can cut to size on my bandsaw. I may have some walnut. I once seen a great paddle, laminated out of ash cherry and walnut.
the reason for using more than one type of wood is getting the best of each wood plus laminating makes it stronger.
laminating works best if you use a vacume set-up or spend alot of time making the right jig for the clampping jig. also using a stonger center wood makes a more durable leading edge. my shop is full of great woods from around the world , even have some purple heart or curly coa how would that look on a canoe paddle or some redwood got a little of that left. Oh and I do costom inlay work and carvings if you want to cosumize your paddle. 479 652threethree7 is my number. I make old world and history bows and arrows and guitars.so holler if you need some help/advise.

[Woody]

Ash and Cherry are good, but most paddles are made from Cotton wood.

[rickyrod]

No walnut in stock.

I do have some birch, and butternutt(white walnut).
birch would be a good choice for a single peice but if you have a 10 inch. planner and lots o clamps the lamination pross. would be kinda easy. they say to use a water wood for things gettng wet but it will be two part epoxed anyway. ash would be very heavy but I do have a super staight grained peice of ash that is 2.13 inch. thick and 6 inch. wide.10 feet long.

choosing wood comes down to the piece itself, choosing spieces comes down to consistances in the grain. makers shoose the spieces for duplicating and getting the best kind for the job of duplicating the same strength of every paddle they make. but if your only making one paddle, any wood will do aslong as that piece has what you need. in this case you want a grain that does not run out. meaning the grain should be constant all the way down the board. running grain causes (stress point) weak spot and that's were it will break.

[Shep]

I'm looking for wood to make a setting pole... I know ash is common, but my resources tell me any very straight-grained piece of wood will do. Any suggestions on where to get a piece of wood, ash or otherwise, that is 1.5"x1.5"x12+' with a good straight grain?

Thanks,
Shep

[rickyrod]

dont know if you live close to ft. smith but Alison textiles in the ft. has a great selection of ash (kiln dry) but pricy. if you need some that is not dry, than I would call a lumber mill that make crossties for the Railroads. they will have what you need. Bennetts in Wister OKL. has it all and cheapish but for furniture you have to dry it .

Sutherlands will have a round 1 1/2 X 10' closet pole if you look thru them youll find some staight but be sure3 to check the pole for staghtness and the grain. these are suger pine, pine, or another soft wood.

[rickyrod]

Ash is heavy and hard to work. If you turn it on a lathe your left with sand insted of sawdust. I've made over 15 bat's from ash. but the best sellers are the one's I make out of hickory they look better. just as heavy if not more and super stong. P.S. hickory is hard to find like osage orange. I know my woods;


and what is a setting pole????

[LOREN]

Thanks for the advice.
Check out this website if you like wood.
http://www.2ndlifewood.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[rickyrod]

The most expencive wood was uncovered from a peat bog in New Zealand. I held a peice in my hand at a expo. and when he told me how much it cost I freaken freaked out. You wouldnt beleave me if I told you.

[rickyrod]

I learned old world TECHNIQUES from my sensa. he was Japanease and he knew his stuff. taught me the mortas and tenon style in oriental and Victorian works. aswell as design. but not spelling.

[Dave Thomas]

I know my woods; and what is a setting pole????

settingpole.jpg (11.75 KiB) Viewed 2488 times

"There are a lot of places in the shallows of rivers that you can't get to with boats, like wilderness fishing areas that are relatively inaccessible, that can only be reached by canoe. In many parts of North America, the streams get so low in the summer and fall, that the only way to get through the rapids is to use a canoe and pole. Sometimes, you might only have six or eight inches of water, so a paddle can't move enough water to effectively control a canoe. For the avid fly fisherman, poling opens up a whole new level of accessibility for fishing those backwater, northwoods streams". -Tim Smith