WRC for Greenland paddles
One has to drive to many places, enduring the frustration of sorting through the few WRC boards they have to possibility find one decent 2" x 4" (probably won’t). Usually they are flat sawn boards, warped and with with many small knots and a few large ones.
Best course of action to go to a place that features cedar wood and buy the best straight grain 4" x 4" you can find. Turn it so you get two vertical grain 2" 4"s when cutting it length wise.
In Rhode Island (one state away from where I live) Liberty Cedar has WRC that is so good that I drive there for some stock whenever I’m paddling in the vicinity.
GP
I ordered a paddle from Bill last March and when I got it in June, I was very happy with it. The craftsmanship is excellent. If he asks if you have any ?'s, you should ask him if you do…
WRC, gluding, etc.
I have a lumberyard nearby, not just the big box stores. Was fortunate that they had in stock a few WRC boards that were designed for flooring. Gluing two together lengthwise was all that was needed for my AP. WRC is ideal, as it is light, strong, easy to work, and it is also water and rot resistant. But you can use standard softwoods at your store to get the hang of making one and still have a good paddle.
I used a Surform primarily to carve it out, which worked well. Straight 10" blade PLUS curved blade; you might not need the latter with the shape of a GP.
Sandpaper and “Tung Oil Finish” was the rest. YOu don’t need true pure tung oil, unless you really want to go to that length for a superior finish and feel.
Have fun with this project. Paint or stain it to your heart’s desire. You won’t regret the feel and look of it, nor will people fail to notice you with it.
And get over that “tub” mentality about rec boats. There’s some ridiculous prejudices here about rec boats.
But do make sure that you have flotation in both ends of your boat. That’s a major safety issue. Buy a couple of float bags when you can and you’re set for any flatwater condition.
speaking of float bags
A useful book for you to get would be “Building the Greenland Kayak” by Chris Cunningham. It has a chapter with patterns and directions for making a GP plus instructions for making your own flotation bags. Always lots of used copies on eBay.
Another excellent book is…
Brian Nystrom’s, “Greenland Paddles: Step by Step.” Its the best book I’ve seen on the subject.
GP info
– Last Updated: Oct-19-14 8:26 AM EST –
You might have seen these but I don't think anyone has posted these two links (below). I am a euro paddle guy. I am NOT a GP guy, but I did make one a few years ago. It was winter, I was bored and I found these two links by accident so I figured "what the hell?" It was the first and only gp I have ever made but it actually came out pretty nice. It took a total of about 6-8 hours over a few weeks to do. That is not counting the time it took to chase down a nice WRC 2x4. As mentioned above, I went to several real lumber yards and dug through a few stacks of WRC 2x4's before I found a really nice one with straight grain and no knots. As far as 2x4's go it was not cheap- like 28 bucks maybe? but still way cheaper that any decent gp or euro paddle you can buy.
I loved doing it. And will do one again someday. It is a great winter shop project.
Check out these two links for great info:
www.qajaqusa.org/QK/makegreen2.pdf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-vahYCW6Fs
GP with Rec kayak
The most important factor when making a GP for use in a rec kayak is greater length. The suggested lengths for narrow sea kayaks (20" to 23" width) will be too short for use with a wider rec kayak.
Sit in your kayak (your height is a factor in the length decision) holding a length of anything and measure how long it must be to have the blade in the water (center to one end), double that length for the paddle length. Make a paddle that fits you in the kayak you own, not a generic size.
Even with minimal tools…
…you can make a GP in 8 hours or less. It’s not that complicated and you can do it a little at a time. The only process that takes any continuous amount of time is finishing and even that doesn’t take very long for each coat.
Do you have any sharpening equipment?
Although inexpensive block planes can be made to work fine for use on softwoods (cedar, pine, fir, etc.), they’re invariably useless out of the package (I’ve got a half dozen that I tuned for use in classes). At a minimum, you need to be able to flatten the back of the blade and put a decent edge on it. The sole will probably require flattening, but that’s less of an issue than the blade. You should be able to find multiple videos online on the subject of tuning a block plane and there are lots of ways to sharpen one.
Attempting to use any edged tool that isn’t sharp is an exercise in frustration and a great way to waste good wood. While I’m not a big fan of Surform tools for woodworking, if your budget is really that tight, you might be best off to return the block plane until you can afford sharpening supplies, too.
Even an inexpensive system like “Scary sharp” will generally cost $30 or so for a float glass plate, an assortment of wet/dry sandpaper and an inexpensive sharpening guide of some sort. If you’re new to sharpening, I strongly advise using a guide, as freehand sharpening is a skill that many people find difficult to master. I’ve been sharpening for decades and while I sharpen knives freehand, I prefer a guide for sharpening planes, spokeshaves and chisels.
Well begun is only half done…
– Last Updated: Oct-20-14 11:42 AM EST –
I spent a few hours this past Saturday driving around to several home improvement stores, including a specialty woodworking store, looking for WRC. I figure if I'm going to do this, might as well do it right. Unfortunately, no one has WRC in stock. Not even the specialty woodworking store. At least they carried several exotic woods, but not WRC, and nothing in the dimensions I needed. I ended up settling on a 2x4 board of cedar from Home Depot. No idea what kind of cedar it is. HD just labeled it as "Premium Cedar" and charged a premium price ($10 vs. $3 for a standard pine 2x4).
My wife and older daughter were out to see a show on Saturday night. So, after my youngest daughter went to sleep, I decided to take advantage of the alone time to get started on my paddle. By the time my wife and daughter got home around midnight, I had finished tapering the faces of the blades and cutting out the paddle blank. Last night, I measured and drew all the bevel lines. Over the next week, I will spend a little time each night shaping the bevels. Going to put my Surform and sander to good use!
I have some questions about finishing the paddle. Can you stain the wood before applying the Tung Oil finish? Or does applying anything prior to the Tung Oil mess with the Tung Oil's ability to penetrate the wood and do its job properly? I have a can of Formby's Traditional Low-Gloss Tung Oil Finish, but I was considering giving the paddle some color before finishing with the oil. Also, how do most others finish their paddle? Do you just use Tung Oil? How many coats? How much time between applying each coat? Do you rub the paddle down with steel wool between coats? Do you do that while the oil is still wet or after it has dried? Sorry for all the questions.
Bare wood?
I’m starting to find several discussions now where some GP owners say they leave their paddles bare/unfinished; no Tung Oil, varnish, epoxy, urethane, coating whatsoever. Any pros/cons to leaving it unfinished?
I have two
I have a couple of WRC paddles that were left unfinished. I think the only downside is that they perhaps get a little soft at the surface after a long time in the water. Boning the surface helps with that, however (burnishing the wood with a hard surface, like a screwdriver handle, e.g.).
The upside is you don’t have to worry about reapplying the finish. I haven’t noticed that there’s any problem with the feel of the paddle, though I always wear gloves. Sometimes a varnished or epoxied paddle can feel too grippy, which can be an issue when using a GP, because sliding strokes are so natural - I do them without even thinking.
You can stain it if you want…
– Last Updated: Oct-21-14 7:25 AM EST –
...but cedar has a nice color with just a clear or slightly amber finish applied. You can see what it will look like when you wet it to raise the grain between sanding sessions. The finer you sand it, the better it will look, which is why I sand through 400 grit these days. It also makes the surface slightly harder, since he "furrows" from the finer grit are smaller.
Formby's "tung oil" is basically wiping varnish and probably has little or no tung oil in it (sadly, this is very common with products labeled as "tung oil"). That said, it will still produce a decent finish.
Regardless of what you use, the finish only penetrates the wood a few thousandths of an inch, except on the end grain which can absorb quite a bit. There is no point in worrying about finish penetration.
I’m liking the oil finish…
– Last Updated: Oct-21-14 9:51 AM EST –
Thanks for your reply, Brian. After reading up more on finishing GPs and seeing others' finished products, I've settled on a simple Tung Oil finish. I ordered a quart of Hope's 100% Tung Oil online. I'm digging the simple nature of the pure oil finish. Just wipe it on, let it set a bit, then wipe it off. For the initial finishing, my plans are to progressively sand my GP with finer and finer grit. Wet the paddle and sand down the raised grain. I may even do that twice. I'm considering boning/burnishing the paddle before oil finishing, just to produce a slightly more hardened surface. I plan to do several applications of the Tung Oil with a day or two between each coat. I intend to apply it with 0000 steel wool and give it a good wet sanding with the oil to produce a nice smooth polished finish.
I like the idea of the simplicity in the care/maintenance of an oil-finished paddle. Every now and then you just wipe the paddle clean and rub it down with some oil. How much simpler can it get?
Or am I romanticizing this whole oil-finish business too much?!
---Edited to add:
A question I thought of after I had already posted this comment. Since there's really no point in worrying about the penetration of the oil as it doesn't really penetrate that far no matter what you do, is there any point in thinning the 100% Tung Oil with a solvent for the first application or two? Or am I going to get the same result if I use the oil full strength, but just have to leave it on the wood a bit longer before wiping it off?
Also
Not sure about thinning, seems like it should help with oil penetration. It would probably be better to oil the paddle a couple of times prior to boning, as that will close the grain and inhibit oil absorption.
Good point…
Thank you for catching that.
Romanicizing? Yeah, a bit.
Applying an oil or oil/varnish blend finish is a more tactile experience than brushing on something, so there is definitely something therapeutic about it. FWIW, here’s what I typically do.
I sand through 220 grit, then wet the paddle to raise the grain. Next, I sand through 400 or even 600 grit to get a really smooth surface. At this point, you’ll actually see a slight sheen on the surface of the wood.
I apply the first coat of finish using a piece of 400 or 600 grit sandpaper as an applicator, concentrating on getting plenty of finish into the end grain areas that will absorb it. These happen to be the higher wear areas, so this improves the durability somewhat. After a few minutes, I wipe it down and let it sit overnight at room temperature. I’ll repeat the process a couple of times, then follow it with a coat applied with just a rag. That’s it.
Thinning the oil won’t gain you anything, so I wouldn’t bother. Oil finishes will not build to any substantial thickness and a tung oil finish is satin, not glossy.
Be very careful with any rags or paper towels you use in the finishing process, as the warnings you hear about them causing fires are true (I’ve tested it). Just spread them out on the ground and let them cure overnight and they’re safe.
On my own paddles, I epoxy coat the tips prior to finishing, which dramatically improves their durability. It also blends well with the finish if you rub it with 0000 steel wool.
an ax
on a 2x4 and you’re in.
Happy thrashing.
Finished it…
– Last Updated: Oct-26-14 11:43 PM EST –
So, I managed to finish my GP and get a couple applications of 100% Tung Oil on it. Tried it out this morning during my weekly "morning Zen" paddle on the Fox River.
So far, I like it a lot, though it's going to take some getting used to paddling with a GP. I like how it fits in my hands and that it's easily indexed. It does take a little longer to get my kayak up to speed compared to my Werner paddle, but once I'm going, I can keep up the pace with ease.
If/when I make another one, which I probably will as this one was hastily carved from what turned out to be a rather crappy cedar 2x4, I will probably make it shoulderless with a shorter loom (but longer blades). For whatever reason, when I allowed myself to paddle the GP without thinking about it, I found my hands preferred to move out more and hold onto the blades rather than the loom. It just felt more comfortable that way. The top hand liked pushing and levering against the flatter blade rather than the oval loom, I guess.