Hudson Bay Voyageur - Maple

Rough grip with Heartwood

Hey everyone ,

Started on a paddle early last week and got on a roll this weekend. The paddles shaped and sanded but I'm not sure how I'm going to finish it. I spoke in my last post about a painted shaft but not sure if this is the paddle for it.

 First time working with maple and i like it ! Its Hardwood and its a bit heavier than i thought it would be. This board had a little piece of darker heartwood running through the middle giving it a great look down the center of the grip and shaft. 


I tried a different grip and found that this design was a lot of fun to carve, looks pretty and feels great when holding onto the paddle.

Blank

Electric planner makes quick work

When i started the blank this time, i was careful to stay an 1/8 of an inch outside the line i drew for the blank. I have a cheapy band saw and find it wanders a lot. The last few paddles i would end up cutting in to close, this time i cut outside and used the stationary belt/disc sander to true it to the line.

Since i sanded out the edges,  i ended up with a smooth blank, if the blanks wavy then the shaft may be as well.

I unfortunately knicked the side of the blade so had to thin it just a touch more then the design called for, resulting in a thin paddle blade that was already thin enough. 

Then this should be a Muskrat tail not a Voyageur!

So decisions, decisions , decisions.....

Do i paint the shaft and still get the heartwood on the grip, wood burning something onto it (still not that comfortable with the shading skill yet tho), paint on the blade or leave it be and seal it with oil or poly.

Let me know what you think ! and Thanks for visiting.

If this is a beaver tail

And this is an Ottertail