Oars are so expensive... Light bulb over head

[william biba]

So I says to myself, Self why not make a set and save. Now I need some input. has any one made oars and what problems did you encounter along the way. Here is my idea. I have a lot of poplar that I milled from trees lost during hurricane sandy. seems like a good stable wood and I can get clear pieces. these are milled to 1 1/4" thick. I was thinking of ripping them to 2' strips and gluing two together with a 1/4" strip of oak in the middle for added strength. than glue additional pieces on the fat end to make the oar shape. I can cut the rough shape with the band saw and rig up the lathe with a flying tail stock ( I made that up because I havent figured it out yet) of some kind to turn the handles and grip. any ideas on that would help. Then I think I can shape the paddle end with the hand planner. So what do you think and don't worry about being gentle I can take it.

[Joe Hillmann]

I have never made oars before but have made several canoe paddles. I usually make them out of a single board. I cut the general shape with a band saw, use a 1/4 round bit in the router to round over the corners on the handle then use a hand plane to shape the blade. The only thing to keep in mind is you want a tight and straight grained piece of wood to start with. I see no reason you couldn't do the same thing with a glue up, as long as the glue was water proof. I would avoind any wood with large grain openings that could fill with water (red oak comes to mind).

[william biba]

Interesting you say that about the oak, I bought a pair of oak oars at a garage sale and they look beautiful. the grain is not a problem because they have been coated with poly, several coats. the problem is the weight. twice the weight of other oars I had, that is why the free poplar came to mind. Any thoughts on wood choice? what do you use for your paddles?

[Steve Baumgartner]

I'd be a little worried about Poplar for three reasons: I believe it doesn't resist rot very well, it isn't particularly strong, and it's usually pretty soft. I suppose with good leathers the softness wouldn't matter much though.

[Sam Murdoch]

Clear grain spruce and ash are traditional favorites but oars can be made with all sorts of lumber, soft woods included, especially when laminated with a bit of hard wood. Flexibility/stiffness and weight should be balanced for the best results.

You do need to study size as it relates to the kind of boat you intend to row. As for construction (I've read through your other post) it is pretty easy to bandsaw and hand plane/spokeshave a pair of oars into shape. I would build and test a prototype before you get all organized and tooled up for a production runs. It's a big distraction trying to gear up for lathe turning many pairs if the first set fails because of the quality of lumber or the size isn't suitable.

[Jim Creech]

I would agree with both Steve and Sam. I'm not convinced solid poplar oars would hold up well but again a lot depends on how they are used. A little "enhancement" with something more durable certainly wouldn't hurt. As always, pics are welcomed.

[Halgeir Wold]

Oars have been made around here for over thousand years... for the last centuries usually from spruce.
You start by squaring up a suitable piece, often not very much thicker than needed. Then make the main shaft octogonal. Then the blade is formed and planed, and then the rest of the oar. The handle part is usually made last. Saws.ålanes and spokeshaves..... no turning..... :-)

[Mike Cutler]

Google "Bob Smalser Making Oars" and you'l have more than enough info. I think the article is also on this forum somewhere, but I couldn't find it.

[william biba]

I did and now I do. Thanks for the tip.

[Gary Breckenridge]

Grain, Grain and more Grain. Use a straight grain or they will snap apart at the oarlocks. Just because popular is free does not make it a good choice. How heavy is the boat? Light boat means light oars, so use spruce, heavy boat means white oak; and so on.

[Roderick Gentry]

I was watching this video last night, some interesting points.

http://arthuremartin.com/index.php?o...d=17&Itemid=42

It is the Designers one.

[Wade Lippman]

Oars have been made around here for over thousand years... for the last centuries usually from spruce.
You start by squaring up a suitable piece, often not very much thicker than needed. Then make the main shaft octogonal. Then the blade is formed and planed, and then the rest of the oar. The handle part is usually made last. Saws.ålanes and spokeshaves..... no turning..... :-)

I am actually helping to make 4 oars now, and that is how we are making them. Well, actually we glued up 3 pieces of spruce for the shaft rather then using a single piece.
They are about 5 times as heavy as my carbon oars, and not as stiff.

[Pete Staehling]

I know this is an old thread, but I will add that I really liked the "Pete Culler" style square loom oars that I built. I started with this link. They were pretty easy to make and worked very well.

[Mac McQuinn]

If I were to build a set, I'd use Sitka Spruce and put a layer of fiber glass cloth on tip area saturated w/ epoxy coating. I would then apply 2-3 coats of Spar varnish over the entire oar/paddle for UV protection.
Mac

[Jim Davis]

If you glue up a sandwich with oak, make the oak end up edgewise to the rowing force. That way, it will take most of the tension and compression forces. The other way, it would be just doing shear duty.
oars and paddle.jpg
These are a pair I made from white spruce following this how-to: http://www.scribd.com/doc/228662083/Dynamite-Payson-s-Pictorial-Guide-to-Making-Your-Own-Oars#scribd