Advice on carving a paddle?

[plastic-ninja]

Some years ago I went to the (first?) Bushcraft Show at Lakeside on Windermere. I was too late to sign up for the course on carving a canoe paddle but always fancied having a go at one. I may be recalling it wrong but thought they were using scaffolding planks as timber.
Has anyone done one at home with saw, axe, knife? I could do with some advice on wood type and patterns. The paddles I already have for my Canadian are fairly basic ones but I'd like a deepwater style ideally.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Ruud]

I'm about to embark on the same project, bought a 1960 drawknife in France for 2,00 euros last holiday. The knife is restored, I'm about to begin actually. Will be following this thread with a lot of attention

 

[Chainsaw]

I've done a couple. Powertools help. Normal woods used are Ash and Cherry but other woods and laminates of woods can work pretty well too. Graham Warren did a fantastic book on making paddles, if you can get your hands on it I would recommend it. Some of the tricks used are pretty good and again keep you right. He also has a website, mooseheadcanoes.co.uk but it is having issues at the moment. This one was in Cherry, really good to work and still in use every time I go out since I made it in 2010!

The lad and I made a couple of ash mini paddles for fun one summer, used all the same techniques but on a smaller scale and with a lot less wood to take off!! Worth trying, you'll learn a lot.

First thing to do is draw out a pattern, wall paper is good!

Let me know if you have any more Q's

Cheers
Alan

 

[demographic]

One of my brothers has made loads of them over the last few years, usually laminated and often with western red cedar and some teak I had lying about. Covered with fibreglass but so thin you cant really see it.

He's done some with pine and the teak I had as well.
They were all double paddles for kayaking and he's paddled from St Bees to The Isle of Man twice which if I remember right is about thirty miles so they have stood the test of proper usage.

 

[Mesquite]

Most succinct advice I heard on this subject was 'Start with a log... remove the bits that aren't paddle shaped, leave the bit that are'

 

[santaman2000]

Now Y’all have me wanting to go canoeing

 

[Robson Valley]

I was waiting for the fun part when the alligators slide off the bank.

Paddle carving: pay attention to the grain lines.
There's a lot og torque stress at the neck.

For eastern North America, split birch and carved with a Mocotaugan Crooked Knife
Make sure you use a Moco blade as sold by the Hudson's Bay Company which was manufactured in Sheffield. UK.
Hafted properly, it is, in essence, a one-handed draw knife as designed.

 

[plastic-ninja]

I've done a couple. Powertools help. Normal woods used are Ash and Cherry but other woods and laminates of woods can work pretty well too. Graham Warren did a fantastic book on making paddles, if you can get your hands on it I would recommend it. Some of the tricks used are pretty good and again keep you right. He also has a website, mooseheadcanoes.co.uk but it is having issues at the moment. This one was in Cherry, really good to work and still in use every time I go out since I made it in 2010!

The lad and I made a couple of ash mini paddles for fun one summer, used all the same techniques but on a smaller scale and with a lot less wood to take off!! Worth trying, you'll learn a lot.

First thing to do is draw out a pattern, wall paper is good!

Let me know if you have any more Q's

Cheers
Alan

Cheers Alan.
That cherry paddle is a thing of beauty but I think I may try and find a piece of ash to practice with first! My power tools are pretty minimal so I think this may be a fairly long project. I'll keep you posted.
Cheers, Simon

 

[Chainsaw]

You can get by without them, they just make it quicker. Jigsaw/bandsaw for cutting out the rough shape. Planer for removing a lot of wood quickly. I didn't use a power sander at all. You might need a convex spoke shave as well, the angles at the throat where the blade meets the shaft are tricky.

Good luck, make it a buildalong!

 

[Janne]

Cut the timber thick, let dry thoroughly before you start shaping it.
(The shape is your preference of course, personally I used to prefer slightly scalloped shape)

Reason for a thorough drying is to avoid warping and cracks.
Then I water proofed it, using filuted boat warnish to soak in, let dry, then undiluted boat warnish.

Birch, straight grained, was what I used.

 

[Robson Valley]

Paleo paddles are as near to me as yesterday. Guy down the street uses fresh birch for it's workability.
Almost all the ceremonial paddles are western red cedar, yellow cedar, alder and maybe birch.
Cherry and other hardwoods would look great.

 

[plastic-ninja]

Paleo paddles are as near to me as yesterday. Guy down the street uses fresh birch for it's workability.
Almost all the ceremonial paddles are western red cedar, yellow cedar, alder and maybe birch.
Cherry and other hardwoods would look great.

I didn't realise that alder was a possible! I think I will have a go with something cheap to get the hang of it , then buy a nice piece of timber for "best". Thanks for the info.

 

[Robson Valley]

I would not choose anything the least bit exotic to begin with.
You should use what's local and common in your region.
Whatever. Just don't fall in love with your first effort.

Study paddles in the shops = look at the orientation of the growth rings for strength.
Maybe the chance comes that you get to split a paddle billet out of a log?

When you crush grapes and make wine in 45 gal primary fermenters, a canoe paddle
is a good stick for stirring the brew, day and night.

 

[Joe tahkahikew]

We use Birch, its widely available up here, also baswood when we get it - I think this is your Lime and western Red Cedar. Cherry and other very hard woods are heavy and no good for long paddling days. Pine isn't too good if its grown in good ground further south as it is often fast growing, weak and needs to be quite thicker so bends too much. A paddle blade is good if bends a little when paddling hard. You can feel its strength and know its weakness and how hard to work him. The paddle is our best friend on long journeys/

Sometimes I oil paddles but I rarely bother these days. If paddles are kept dry and out of rain they never rot. I was surprised in England to see varnished paddles. Seems to me if the varnish gets rubbed or chipped off it will trap water.

Tools. Tradiitionaly macotaugan or crooked knife will do, along with nice axe for shaping split logs.

 

[Tengu]

So you are looking at light and strong?

And good in water....Alder would be a nice choice.

You are right about oiling versus varnish...its an asethetic thing. Plus you would need to remember to re oil often.

(Need to work on my dinghy)

 

[Janne]

The best paddles I had was a plastic paddle, Aluminium shaft and the top handle bit out of wood.
Light, indestructable.
Carved one just for fun.
Birch.
If you potter around a pond, ot a kilometer or two, a heavy one is ok, but for more serious use a proper one, as light as posdible, is better.
Maybe carve one and carry as a spare!

 

[Robson Valley]

This is an example of the Mocotaugan crooked knife that Joe Tahkahikew speaks of.
It's a Sheffield blade hafted 3 ways crooked with #18 tarred nylon seine twine.
Basically used as a single handed draw knife for paddles, canoe parts and pack frames.

 

[Joe tahkahikew]

This is an example of the Mocotaugan crooked knife that Joe Tahkahikew speaks of.
It's a Sheffield blade hafted 3 ways crooked with #18 tarred nylon seine twine.
Basically used as a single handed draw knife for paddles, canoe parts and pack frames.

View attachment 54499

We make our own using old metal files or old chisels for the blade..

 

[Robson Valley]

True: I have not seen pictures of more than 50 Mocotaugan knives.
Most of them were hand made from files ( that the HBC sold along side the Moco blades.)

Honestly? This HBC blade is a disaster. A great disappointment as a woodworking tool.
I keep it for show but would not dream of trying to use it. Pure novelty and nothing more.

 

[Broch]

Some years ago I went to the (first?) Bushcraft Show at Lakeside on Windermere. I was too late to sign up for the course on carving a canoe paddle but always fancied having a go at one. I may be recalling it wrong but thought they were using scaffolding planks as timber.
Has anyone done one at home with saw, axe, knife? I could do with some advice on wood type and patterns. The paddles I already have for my Canadian are fairly basic ones but I'd like a deepwater style ideally.
Thanks in advance.

This is a reasonable tutorial if you've never made one before:

https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/canoe-paddle/

I like Ash, mainly because I have plenty of it. As has been said and stated in the above, oil not varnish, hang up to dry at the end of each day and with very little treatment they last. You're more likely to damage it on rocks than it rot IMHO.