How to Make Canoe Paddle // Woodworking | I Like To Make Stuff

I made a beautiful wooden canoe paddle by hand!

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Recently, I was in an expensive outdoor store and saw a beautiful basswood canoe paddle. In my shop, there is a lot of left over basswood from my grandad's carving days and one of the pieces is really long; perfect for a paddle handle. Canoe paddles are a perfect mix of function and form. They should be comfortable to use and move efficiently through the water, while showcasing beautiful woods and awesome patterns. I decided on basswood to run the length of the paddle from blade to handle, and add some walnut, maple, and teak striping to add width and color contrast. These pieces were glued up and clamped together to make the paddle blank.

Instead of using a pre-printed template, I drew half the shape of the paddle onto a long piece of paper folded over. I cut it out and unfolded it to reveal the full template. Afterward, the template was attached to the blank using spray adhesive and I cut out the shape using the band saw. It is important to leave room on the outside of the template so I could sand up to the lines. There will be a lot of sanding on this project so I left a lot of material after the rough cut.

You could use any number of methods to shape the paddle; spoke shaves, cutter heads, sand paper, each of these vary in aggressiveness and speed, but for my first time shaping something like this, I used a sanding disc on my angle grinder. I took my time and made very shallow passes with the flap disc, making sure not to take off too much material. Furthermore, be sure to alternate sanding each face of the paddle as you approach the centerline so you don't over-sand and have a unbalanced profile. Taking light passes allowed me to make shaping decisions as I went. Overall, I went with a slightly convex profile on each face that met at a semi-sharp edge. The length of the handle has a rounded shape that fit the size of my hands really well. At the end of the paddle, I sanded a comfortable grip that has a slight indention to fit the curvature of my hand. I was super excited to see how nice the shaping turned out using such an aggressive tool. The paddle was sanded smooth with some 200 grit sand paper on my orbital sander.

I researched how to finish a canoe paddle and couldn't get a clear answer on recommended methods. Spar urethane is used on many outdoor projects to protect the wood from the elements, but some people say that is it rough on the hands. One article said that a wooden canoe paddle had to be rubbed down with oil each week to ensure a quality finish, but that is way more care than I intend on giving. I decided on using the spar urethane because the paddle wouldn't see heavy use. The oil-based finish really made the contrasting wood pop and after sanding and applying a few coats, the paddle was ready to go.

Josh and I lugged the heavy canoe down to the water, but I noted how light the paddle was. The basswood is light, but very dense which makes it great for such a labor-intensive object. In conclusion, the paddle held up great to being push against rocks, smacking the side of the canoe, and propelling me through the water. I am super happy with how this project turned out, and I think its simplistic yet timeless style really fits my granddad's old canoe. If you liked this project, check out more of work!

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We have lots of projects including woodworking, metalworking, electronics, 3D printing, prop making and more!

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How to Make Canoe Paddle // Woodworking | I Like To Make Stuff

I Like To Make Stuff

[AGlimpseInside]

Listen to Bob. Things wear out when you use them. I totally agree, enjoy what you make

[wrightdu]

Working with another fellow paddle maker, he had me fiberglass reinforce the tip to help strengthen it from all the impacts it takes. Just thought I would share that tip. Looks great!

[EvanAndKatelyn]

Glad to see you only use the force when it's really necessary :P

[MustardMade]

Props to wearing a life jacket Bob! Nice build on this one.

[happypenguin]

The finish really brings out a good colour on the wood, love it

[TheTrullGallery]

I've made a few paddles and a tip I got was to add a hardwood spline (I use ash) at the blade tip to make it a bit more "robust". I also added fiberglass tape over the blade tip. These two together add minimal weight, but add tons of protection!

[YouCanMakeThisToo]

Crazy how much the finish changed the wood! I always forget about basswood for projects, great point about it's density despite being so light!

-Caleb Harris

[gamergapple]

I'm only a kid but you make your projects so simple that everyone can understand! Thank you!

[HandToolRescue]

I watched this in 4K and it was glorious.

[natelarge]

Ron Swanson - "well done son, now build yourself a decent canoe."

[tomsullivan]

I'd recommend that when you're canoeing alone, you sit or kneel towards the center of the canoe, facing the back of the canoe. That's the was I learned as a boy scout, and in my personal experience works really well. Keep up the good work!

[RobCabreraCh]

I love the super casual way in which he delivers the line "I used the force"

[larsdeboer]

by now, the clamp champ should be a meme! awesome video by the way!

[sathisharun]

This is the way to explain everything you did while doing a project, i have seen a lot of videos of other channels that show what parts they used and not what they actually do. Your way of explanation gives an idea of how you made things and its much wasier. Thanks a lot. Beautiful work and good job ✋👍👏

[DrewLytle]

So so cool! Refurnishing an old family canoe with my dad was actually how I got into woodworking so this is quite the throwback!

[MikeKuzM]

Bob, you are a true positive inspiration to the maker community. I've never watched a video of yours that I didn't enjoy. Keep up the good work and creativity, and keep the passion of curiosity in making strong. Thank you!

[HelloKitty-sdvs]

4:55 when you were taking off the paper: MAGIC❤️💛💚💙💜

[project_idea]

Those "scrap" pieces of wood for the fin looked Great! That's why we keep scraps laying around. Always love your builds! Great job, Bob!

[normandyck]

My son and I had a piece of wood in our storage shed, but didn’t know what it was. So today with your paddle build I figured it out. Thanks. I enjoyed you vid nice jib

[furrymammal]

I like the way you did your advertisement while still showing your work. That's a win-win.