After a white water run I found a hair line crack in the canoe paddle I made last winter. It is end grain on the tip where the crack starts and it runs up about six inches dispite the epoxy tip I put on it.
I was considering glassing it and puting a piece of crosgrain on the tip. The paddle is a single piece of cherry and curently has no glass. And suggestions? Randell are you out there?
john
Ye could…
If it were my nice cherry paddle with a just a hairline crack, I'd try to slightly spread apart (just a hair, you don't want to further the split) and inject some warmed (flows better) epoxy into the split. Clamp it together with some tape. You don't want a real tight squeeze or you'll starve the joint. After it cures, give it a light sanding to even it up and varnish. If you want to get fancy and it's a nice paddle, you can always inlay a hardwood cross-grained tip. Maple might look cool, nah - Ebony. Ya, thats it - Ebony. But as you said you can always do the old bevel-the-split;-add-thickened-with-cherry-wood-flour-epoxy;-sand;-then-glass-the-whole- blade routine.
(A Miss Crabtree Translation)
Or....
Ye kin' be like a ol'timey canooist an' drill a'bunch of holes along de both sides o' de split, an' stitch de blade togeeter wit some copper wire. Makes ye look like ol' canoo bum like me.
(No trans-la-soon)
Fat Elmo