Ottertail - Walnut

Sorry for the delay, i hurt my arm and because of it the next post may take a bit as well.

I finally got a day off and decided to take a crack at the Ottertail walnut. I posted before about the importance of proper set up on tools and knowing how to sharpen your tools. I bought a Japanese combo water stone and touch up my tool only to find out they were super blunt. Using them now makes for easy work that is much more enjoyable. I also bought a new blade (better steel) for my spokeshave.

When i was canoeing a feel weekend ago i notice my normal paddle was a bit short when in the canoe alone. So  I focused on creating the perfect solo paddle; light, oiled, and a long paddle.

I also created a different grip, i don't know what kind of grip it just something i came up with. I also spent a lot more time on thinning out the blade. I found the last one i made, to heavy for long trips.

When i was thinning out the blade i found an old knot that was right in the center of the blade. Since i had planned to oil this one i wasn't sure what i was going to do. I decided that i would use the two part epoxy i bought for a future project and would fill the hole. I added some of the sawdust from the paddle into the mix and it made it look almost natural ( take a look at it in the final picture).

After some the regular sanding ( 60 grit, 90 grit, 120 grit), i cleaned up my workspace of shaving and dust and started the oiling process. Look great to me, i will have to try that new paddle oil that Murat posted about when i run out of the Tung oil that i bought.

If you ever want me to expanded on anything in my posts, throw me a quick comment and i will tell you what i know. I'm no expert but i have learned a few things along the way.