Bird Mouth Shaft

[P Doug (WA)]

Playing around with a prototype stave shaft for a paddle. I was surprised, it only took me about 1 hour to cut out the staves with the "bird Mouth" grooves. It would even be faster next time now that I know the saw set up. I spen over an hour trying to figure how I was going to get the staves together. I tried tape, and rubberbands but wasn't successful. Than I can up wit the old "PVC Pipe" clamps. Worked great. I made enough to clamp it ever foot or so. To put it together I started stacking the staves in a clamp and laied a 1/2" X 6" flexible nipple in the center to stack the staves around. It was just big enough to hold them in place, but small enough that when I got the staves together and tighten in place I could tipe the shaft on end and they slid out. To really get the staves snug in place I put a hose clamp over the PVC clamp and tighten it up. I think it is going so work!

[Charlie Jones]

Old bicycle inner tubes work really well also as clamps. cut out the valve stem an spiral wrap.. My double paddle weighed 31 ozs when finished

[labrat]

Looks good PD!

I have made some hollow shaft paddles too but have no table saw and wouldn't know how to use one anyway. My method would not be as strongly joined as yours but works OK. I buy lengths of quarter round and hollow it out on a home made router table then join 4 pieces to make the full tube. I use lots of cable ties to hold it and like you found I need something in the ends to make it hold shape while assembling. Mine have ended up between 30 and 35 oz using Tasmanian Oak (which is not an Oak at all).

Don't forget to show us the finished paddle.

[woodman]

Looks like gluing up could get prety messy....

[P Doug (WA)]

Old bicycle inner tubes work really well also as clamps. cut out the valve stem an spiral wrap.. My double paddle weighed 31 ozs when finished

Now that you mention this, I remember reading about using inner tube some where in the past. Oh well, I didn't have any anyway but well keep that in mind. The hard part for me was getting them together. What is your secret for that?

Looks like gluing up could get prety messy....

Mine wasn't messy as it should have been because I was runnung out of glue so didn't use as much as I normally would have. Now that it looks like it well be a good useable shaft (Loom?) I wish I had gotten more glue. I think I will coat it heavily with epoxy and try to use it.

[hokeyhydro]

I lay out the strips edge to edge on a few pieces of duct tape, sticky side up. Squirt glue down each pair of joining edges, roll it up with tape - parts will sort of *click* together in proper alignment, then cinch the BM tube tight with zip ties spaced maybe 6" to 8" apart. Paddle shafts for stand up paddle board paddles. I also make masts the same way.

[P Doug (WA)]

Thanks. I tried that with masking tape and it didn't work. My tape wasn't as sticky as duct tape. I'll use duct take next time.

[Lombard]

For stuff like that I use the tape to get everthing in place, then shrink wrap it. The rolls I use are around eight dollars at any of the big box stores last time I bought one. The glue doesn't adhere to the wrap, so it comes off easily. I use the technique often laminating all natural materials in my bow making endeavors.

In this photo I was laminating two reflex deflex bows at once. You can see the roll of shrink wrap that is used by the blue cup. Pulling it tight three wraps, move over overlap three wraps and so forth applies pleanty of clamping pressure. In the photo the clamps are there just to induce the reflex and deflex, not for holding the laminates together, the shrink wrap is doing that. I use Urac 185, a gap filling glue made by Nelson Paints, it is water proof, and works well in boat building also.

[P Doug (WA)]

Thank you, Good info. Love the bows, another something I'd like to try to build some day.

[labrat]

I think I will coat it heavily with epoxy and try to use it.

Coating with epoxy on the outside won't make it stronger unless there are slight external gaps in the joints that it can seep into. If it didn't glue up strongly enough then I think the only way to save it would be wrapping with a layer of glass - but this would offset a lot of the weight reduction.

After making a GP and feeling how good the oiled timber is in the hands I am going to sand all the epoxy off 1 of my hollow shafts and try that oiled too.

[P Doug (WA)]

My thinking was by painting it with epoxy before sanding, epoxy would soak down into the seams and increase the holding power. It way be okay as is, feels solid. I've dropped it several times and nothing has come loose.

[Hirilonde]

My thinking was by painting it with epoxy before sanding, epoxy would soak down into the seams and increase the holding power.

Not much, but you definitely do not want any voids accessible from the outside for water to get into. For the most part the strength is was it is. The question are:

"Do you feel confident enough in what you have to invest more time and money to complete it?"

"Should you learn from what you have done and start again?"

I won't even pretend to offer useful advice here as I have no way to evaluate what you have.

[woodman]

Here is a good detailed documented site for shafts and paddle making...

http://ngc704.home.comcast.net/~ngc704/paddles/

[P Doug (WA)]

Yep, that's the site I went by. He leaves out a couple steps, but enough to get it done. I didn't run mine through the saw like that, I did it with the stave laying flat as opposed to on edge and I used my gripper to hold and feed it through the blade. No way I am going to get my fingures that close to the blade. I already have one finger a little shorter than it use to be. The only difficulty I had was getting it together and next time I will try laying the staves out on tape, good sticky tape, not painters tape.

[Hirilonde]

No way I am going to get my fingures that close to the blade.

That guy is totally crazy. Yeah, the blade is not very exposed, but it will still do a good job on fingers.

It is a good site though. I am thinking I will have to try a birdsmouth loom with my blades. I went out today for a short paddle with my wife's Freebie 12 and my feathering paddle. It was very enjoyable. Maybe try ALC and WRC staves together in some kind of pattern for the next paddle?

[P Doug (WA)]

Thanks, Ted. More good info. I usually check out Duckworks when I do something with boats. Good site.

[Charlie Jones]

Good folks too.. Chuck and Sandra of Duckworks are old friends. Great people to visit with and highly into boats.

Building a house right behind mine, so I'll see them more often now

[P Doug (WA)]

I'm thinking they would make good neighbors.

[Kudzu]

That guy is totally crazy. Yeah, the blade is not very exposed, but it will still do a good job on fingers.

I haven't looked yet but I know Kurt from the forums and that is more than true, in more than one way. :-) But he is talented.

[woodman]

Some times people who have been doing wood work for decades tend to be in total control yet it might look nuts to others....After nearly 40 yrs. I can relate and still have all my digits intact and unscared....