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A canoe paddle built from laminated strips of contrasting hardwoods, bandsawn to an ottertail profile and hand-shaped.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L | Material | ✓ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lamination strips Milled to a common 1.25" (32mm) thickness before laminating — this becomes the shaft's cross-section after rounding. Adjust overall length to your own chin height; 60in is a starting point, not a rule. | 6 | 5/16" × 1 1/4" × 60" | Assorted hardwood | ☐ |
| Item | Qty | ✓ |
|---|---|---|
| Assorted hardwood strips (maple, cherry, walnut, or similar) Contrasting species are optional but traditional for a laminated paddle. | 4 board ft | ☐ |
| Wood glue Enough for one full-length glue-up session. | 4 oz | ☐ |
| Spar urethane finish | 8 oz | ☐ |
| Fiberglass cloth and epoxy Optional tip reinforcement — skip if the paddle won't see rocky shallows. | 1 kit | ☐ |
Overall cost: $$. Lumber varies by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure.
Materials: Assorted hardwood strips (maple, cherry, walnut, or similar)
Mill all your hardwood strips to a consistent 1.25" (32mm) thickness. This single number is the shaft's future cross-section — every strip needs to agree with it before glue-up, because you can't correct thickness after the blank is assembled.
Tools: Bar / Pipe Clamps. Materials: Assorted hardwood strips (maple, cherry, walnut, or similar), Wood glue
Glue all the strips into a single blank in one clamping session — the whole length needs even pressure at once, not section by section. Let it cure fully before touching a saw to it.
Tools: Band Saw
Trace a paddle outline onto the blank: overall length about equal to your own chin height, with the grip positioned so your hands land a bit more than shoulder-width apart on the shaft. Cut the profile on the bandsaw.
Tools: Band Saw
Mark a centerline down both faces of the blade, then resaw close to the shoulder lines on the bandsaw to remove bulk waste before hand-shaping — this saves a lot of plane and sander work later.
Tools: Belt Sander, Block Plane, Router
Hand-shape the blade down to about 1/4" (6mm) thickness with a block plane, checking constantly against the centerline so you don't shape one side thinner than the other. Round the shaft with a router roundover bit and/or block plane.
Tools: Random Orbit Sander. Materials: Spar urethane finish, Fiberglass cloth and epoxy
Sand progressively to a smooth finish across the whole paddle. Optionally reinforce the blade tip with fiberglass cloth and epoxy if it'll see rocky shallows.
Apply several light coats of spar urethane, sanding lightly between coats.