2015: Post 25 – Slow progress on another Greenland paddle

Last September I sized up my pieces of cedar that I had left over from making previous Greenland paddles.  I had enough to make another paddle for myself and just enough to make a second smaller one.  

I went to work and cut the strips, glued and and clamped the two paddles...

I decided I would work on the smaller paddle first.  It would be too small for me but I had a fellow paddler in mind that this small paddle should suit and I wanted to get it done before they went out of town later in the month.  

The smaller paddle was simply made with five pieces of cedar; one full length for the center piece, and two pieces for each of the blades... 

Being a smaller paddle in length, width, thickness, and loom diameter, it didn't take as long to carve it out as one I would make for myself. With plastic tips epoxied in place, and a couple decent sandings, it was ready for a few coats of tung oil...

After the smaller paddle was finished, I started on the paddle I was making for myself. This paddle was made using a full length piece of cedar, and four pieces for each of the paddle blades...

I had ordered a taper jig in early September to use on my table saw, specifically to cut away the bulk of the material from the face of the blades on Greenland paddles.  This jig would reduce the time spent using a plane to taper the faces of the blades.

The jig arrived somewhere between finishing the smaller paddle and starting to work on the larger paddle.  I set the angle of the jig and began to cut away the excess wood off the faces of the blades. Then I got too zealous and tried to take off too much on the face of one of the blades.  I screwed it up by cutting in too deep, past my mark!  Oy vey!  I shut down production and walked away in disgust.   I came back a while later and sized things up.   

I decided I would simply take off an equal amount of materiel on the other blade of the same side, effectively making the blade shoulders and loom less thick.  After doing that I held the roughly shaped paddle in my hands.  I knew this would not be a comfortable paddle for me to use and so I decided I would continue the making of this paddle with one of my paddling buddies in mind... 

I continued to use the jig to remove the excess material, but was extra careful now in not taking off too much wood.  I finished the tapering of the blade faces with a hand plane.  

But that's where the work stopped.  I just didn't make the time to finish the paddle.  Next thing winter was on us and the unfinished paddle has sat in the basement for the last seven or eight months.

On Sunday of last weekend, it was a windy but sunny day.  I was in the basement and eyed the unfinished paddle.  Yep, it was about time I got back at this thing...

I set up my work table outside the shed and spent the afternoon doing the final shaping.  I started cutting the end to receive the plastic tips and broke my last coping saw blade, putting a stop to the work.

I made the effort to pick up some more blades and some epoxy during the week and set to work to saw out the ends, do the rough sanding, and epoxy the tips in place...

So here is the paddle in it's current state...

I started this paddle in September and now it is June!!  All that is left to do is some finer-grit sanding and then get two or three coats of tung oil on it.  I hope to get that done in the next week or so...  but who knows, perhaps it will sit around for another while.  I think this paddle wins the prize for my longest Greenland paddle project so far.


Off topic, but here's a shot of North Cape Jenny and Karmalita when they are at home...

Update:  It's the middle of the week and I have the paddle sanded and just finished putting on the first coat of Corey's Amazing Tung Oil...

The directions say it should be allowed to dry for five hours before the next coat of oil is to be applied...  I generally apply three coats when finishing my paddles.  I'm almost finished!!

Another update:  I got the third coat of tung oil on the paddle last night.  Tonight (Friday) I brought it up to my paddling buddy Clyde, a fellow Greenland paddle enthusiast...

Clyde hopes to paddle tomorrow and will give the new paddle a go.  I'm going out of town this weekend, so I'll have to wait until I get back to get his report on how it paddles for him.  Perhaps he won't be happy with it and we will use it for firewood during our next camping trip...