Brixham pool and stick paddle

We had the usual rotational fun in Brixham pool.

Claire is demonstrating Tim’s home made Greenland style paddle.

Here is how to make a paddle in the Greenland style. First get a plank of Western Red Cedar. Saw it into slices which are then rotated so that they form a structure with laminates perpendicular to the plane of the blade. Glue together with epoxy. Then shape by marking the surfaces with the desired taper to the blade. Make tenon saw cuts to define the surplus wood. Chisel away the surplus then use a block plane or a spokeshave to get the final profile, which is a flattened diamond with rounded corners.

The picture shows the paddle made of 6 laminated sections of Western Red Cedar with saw cuts to define the wood which is to be removed.

This style of paddle is particularly popular among sea kayakers because it makes bracing strokes very easy and has relatively little wind resistance.

timP