The Making Of A Shaw & Tenney Handmade Wooden Canoe Paddle - Fine Shaping

Nowhere is the skill of our craftsmen more evident than on the drum sanders. The large drum sanders are used to make the final shape of all the components of our Penobscot handmade wooden canoe paddle. Our drum sanders are custom made specifically for our process. The first step is to shape the blade on our 36 grit drum sander; this is where the majority of the remaining wood is removed. The 80 grit drum sander is then used to carefully sand edges of the blade to a uniform 1/4” and the rib transitioning the shaft into the blade is made symmetrical and straight. Next the grip is crafted into its final shape and the blade is made perfectly symmetrical. The relatively thin blade dimensions, rounded grip contours, and shaft shape all combine to provide the exceptional flex and lightweight of all Shaw & Tenney traditional paddles. Our craftsmen must apply precise pressures and have excellent hand dexterity to make our paddles properly. The final step on the large drum sanders is finishing paddle shaft. It takes allot of skill to spin an oval shaft on a 36” drum sander.

[Motorcyclewindtherapy]

It's nice to see the care a real person puts into the processes. I have a good number of hand formed, hand shaped paddles...even built my own from a tree once (crude and effective but no art or soul to it)

My office has 2 custom paddles my dad had made in upper state New York (Blackburn's) and I have a favorite ash beavertail from Dri-ki that I got in 2011. It was a custom made length (at the time they did that) and it can literally transport me slipping my canoe thru the water with grace and beauty.

I have a Bending branches Expedition Plus that is as beautiful in its function as the Glock that has accompanied me ever day for a couple decades. They both are tough, more capable than I, and require only a minimum to keep up.

I don't own a Shaw and Tenny... but I can see its gonna bring a lot of joy to its future owner.

[drewadams]

Omg, …….. my J stroke needs one of these badly 😅

[andrewnail]

I wish I had a sanding drum like that! I’ll have to put it on my build list!

[scottsouder]

I couldn't find that sander at Home Depot...

[robertbolding]

It's the tool that dictates the paddle shape, looks fun for one or two paddles but I bet it gets old fast. bet a robot arm could be programmed to do it or part of it might save the company someday. very skillful work. glad to have seen the craftsmanship in a video. who knows maybe someday I will buy and visit. It could happen. you have no idea how much I respect old-world craftsmanship. Even the sanding drum was made by a person. If you don't mind me asking what RPM is being used here?

[robertbolding]

because the hand power has to overcome the friction of the drum sander, all of the wood removed is removed by the power of the hand and not the motion of the drum. this meets the definition of a handmade paddle. the hand-arm combination has to insert power equal to that required to remove the wood. the paddle blank might not meet the definition of hand made but it was cut freehand and when that happens freehand cuts are not described as machine-made. just as one would call a pot as being hand-thrown even though it was made on a pedal machine.

[matthewclara]

No way is that giant sanding drum osha approved. Wearing long sleeves and gloves, just asking to get pulled in.

[Mountainchip]

I take issue with the use of 'handmade' in this context. If this is handmade, what do you call the process of chopping down a tree and carving a paddle without power tools? There are obviously degrees of handmade, and virtually all paddles are touched by hands (few are CNC machined), but this does not make all paddles handmade in my mind. There's no doubt in my mind that S&T make fine paddles. However, calling them handmade is a bit of a stretch.