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Paddle-making life is made much easier with a bandsaw. If you're not fortunate enough to own one of these guys, then pull out your jigsaw. If you're really unfortunate (or old fashioned), then pull out your trusty ole handsaw.
As for your blade shape, you can probably find a template online. You can also use one of your old paddles or you can create your own template using cardboard. Our ottertail blades typically measure 5.5" (W) x 28" (L). Just make sure to cut outside your lines so you have room to even things out during the final carving.
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Time to introduce one of our favorite dustmakers: the handheld power planer.
Our blade halves usually begin between 3/4" and 1" in thickness. It is always a good idea to draw a center line down the edge of each blade half for reference and symmetry. After several passes with the power planer, we are left with approximately a 1/4" thick paddle and a big pile of wood shavings. Careful though, you don't want to take too much off at this point because there is no going back after one little slip.... |
This design is for an asymmetrical grip. We start by adding a 1" (W) x 2.5" (L) x 3/8" (T) laminated block of walnut to the front of the grip.
After the glue dries, clean up the sides through the table saw. Unlike the majority of our designs, the grip halves of the Danube are easy. All this step takes is adding some solid walnut blocks to either side of the shaft. These blocks should measure 1.5" (W) x 4" (L) x 1.25" (T).
After the glue has dried, trim off the top of the grip. This will create a flat surface for the top lamination. When deciding how much to trim off, make sure you take into consideration the overall desired length of your paddle and the 3/4" thick grip top you're adding in the next series of steps. NOTE: These steps are where attention to detail pays off. Try to use blocks from the same walnut lumber you cut the shaft so you're matching the coloration and the grain. |
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There is no getting around it; this step is tedious.
Start by creating miniature blocks of your six species at varying lengths. The other dimensions should be 1/4" (W) x 3/4" (T). **This is a good place to remind our readers about safety. Using a miter saw to chop very small pieces like this is....dangerous. There are several jigs available on the internet to improve the safety and quality of small cuts on a miter and we suggest investing time into building one or money into buying something. We use a very simple handmade zero clearance jig (pictured on the left) that has made all the difference. After your pieces are cut, lay them out to fit the top of your grip. Now add some glue and clamps. Once your glue dries, clean up at least one side of your top so you're gluing a flat, even surface. Now add some more glue and clamp away! |
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We don't fiberglass all of our paddles, but it's never a bad idea with this many joints. We use 4oz fiberglass on both sides of the paddle.
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Start with a thin coat of epoxy resin and hardener over the entire paddle. This saturates the paddle and creates a nice tacky surface for the fiberglass to lay.
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Before the coat of epoxy begins to cure, carefully lay on the fiberglass and begin wetting out the cloth while eliminating any pockets and ripples in the fiberglass. Continue to add epoxy at this point until you have a full coat covering the fiberglassed blade.
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After 2-3 epoxy filler coats....
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Trim the excess fiberglass with a razor.
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After your final coat of epoxy, we allow 72 hours for the epoxy to cure. In our opinion, this is a minimum requirement because epoxy will continue to cure for weeks following application. We find the 72 hours to be an ideal hardness to sand smooth.
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Bet you thought we'd never get to this stage, but it's finally time to varnish!
We use Epifanes high gloss spar varnish and found the following application method to be most successful:
We apply a minimum of 4 coats and allow for approximately 24 hours between applications. |
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