Sunday, May 28, 2017
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Wednesday, May 17, 2017
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Thursday, May 4, 2017
Choosing a Paddle Design

This is one of the fun parts...choosing a paddle design. I won't go into the multiple types and forms of paddles, there's a fantastic chapter in Warren Graham's book Canoe Paddles: The Complete Guide to Making Your Own.
In addition, you can consider checking out Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America by Tappan Adney, a fanstastic ethnological look at the detail construction of nearly every native craft in North America. Many chapters include sketches of native paddles.
I like to use my meager Photoshop skills to scan any paddle images and manipulate the dimensions to customize the paddle. Shown on the left is a typical ottertail pattern blade that I screen captured.Then, images are printed off (usually on legal paper), taped together to form the image of the blade, and the pattern cut out to be used as a tracing template. Pretty low tech. Warren's book talks about cutting out a 1/2 blade pattern from a thin piece of wood and then trace the image, but I couldn't be bothered with this step...so old fashioned paper and pencil prevailed.
Each image is carefully cut out to maintain symmetry, but a little error here is fine...most people don't have the accute perception to notice minor flaws anyway. I've also begun using photoshop to mark center lines in the image digitally, which helps align the pattern with the appropriate centering line on the lumber stock.
I've since learned that one need not bother drawing out the whole paddle (grip + shaft + blade) as the shaft and grip can be easily drawn in or customized on the lumber stock after the fact more accurately with a straigh-edged metal ruler. Instead, I prefer to choose the blade pattern first and then measure out dimensions afterword. More on this in the next post.
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
New Images c1839 Minnesota Voyageur Paddle
The Minnesota Historical Society posted new pictures of their circa 1839 paddle on their Collections Up Close blog. I had previously written about this paddle and posted some grainy photos I could find but these full colour and high resolution pics really bring out the gorgeous detail on this historic piece.

Here is the writeup:
The donor of this wooden canoe paddle stated that it was found near the current location of Stillwater, Minnesota around 1840. The paddle contains a long slim tapering blade, a concave indention at the base of the grip, and elaborate carving on the remainder of the flat grip. The carved design include a cross, a shield under a diamond and scroll band, and diamond shapes filled in with cross-hatching. There are also the carved initials "W. D.", which may not be original. It is purported to be a Voyageur paddle.
Posted according to their CC fair use policy
Thursday, April 27, 2017
New Book 100 Canoe Paddle Designs
Master Paddle Maker, Graham Warren, of Moosehead Canoes & Paddles has released another must-have publication for anyone interested in this art form. Entitled, 100 Canoe Paddle Designs, it features measured offsets and historical background for a wide array of paddles. Here's a glimpse of the cover...

Using digitized methods, basic outline sketches of the paddles have been rendered along with their precise measurements for anyone wishing to replicate the designs. Given the high cost of print media these days, the book is all black & white, but it isn't meant to be a coffee-table conversation piece, anyway. It was created by a paddle maker for other paddler makers!
Graham has meticulously documented a cross-section of functional paddles from around the globe. In fact, half the book is devoted to paddles outside my obviously Canadian-biased concept of "canoe country". There are fascinating examples from the Caribbean, South America and the Pacific Islands. For the history buff, he has included ancient paddles unearthed in archaeological digs in China, Denmark, The Netherlands, and the U.K. And, for owners of heirloom cedar canvas canoes, he has included offsets for famous brands like Chestnut, Peterborough and Rushton replicated from historic catalogs.
A few of the paddles in the book have been featured here on the site, including the c1878 Maliseet at the York Sunbury Museum, the Iroquois paddles at the Royal Ontario Museum, the c. 1860-1875 voyageur paddle authenticated by Canadian Antique Roadshow, and the "Northeastern Woodland" paddles at the British Museum.
Graham humbly mentions that he is no professional archaeologist or ethnologist but he does a marvelous job of providing the relevant background on each of the designs along with additional reading sources.
Most interesting and also very unique is the "Consensus Paddle". Offset data from 50 paddles in the book were entered into CorelDraw and a composite sketch created. I'll keep the surprise open for readers, but the blade design that resulted from this global pool of paddles is something that looked very appealing for a future carving project.
Between this new book and his previously publications - Making Paddles in Wood (see this post here) and Canoe Paddles: A complete guide to making your own, there are now more than enough plans to keep the enthusiastic paddle maker content for years to come.
Hat's off to Graham for doing a wonderful job in creating this outstanding paddle making resource.
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Sassafrass Penobscot Paddle Replica 2
The last paddle project from back in the fall was a crudely cut Sassafras twin blank from making a replica of the c.1900 Antique Penobscot Paddle. This particular blank was cut rather thin, resulting in a 1" shaft diameter. The opposite side of the blade also has a nasty looking knot but it shouldn't affect its use in the water.

Unlike the actual replica made with a flatter grip style to match the original, I played within the design confines of this blank and left the grip area much thicker. It has a distinct spine down the middle and is dihedral in shape with a more comfortable bulbous top grip. Sassafras has a lovely golden colour when oiled. Here is shot while the grain was wetted for the final sanding phases.

Instead of using paint on this one, I wanted to do more negative pyrography where the bulk of the wood is charred so that golden colour could be emphasized in the form of more double curve motifs. I had already started the work with my tiny woodburning pen instead of using the shou-sugi-ban technique recently learned about so this new decorative method will have to wait until for the next paddle in the works (likely this one here)
This time, I took inspiration for the second side of the c1849 Green Penobscot paddle at the Peabody Museum. Readers might recall that for a while, the only photo of this paddle an official catalog shot showcasing the white scroll design on a single side only. I've used this pattern twice now.

Provenance: Donor: Heirs of David Kimball (1899)
Thankfully, this paddle was chosen to be part of the ongoing exhibit The Legacy of Penobscot Canoes: A View from the River (through April 2016) where the other side was put on display. This second side of the paddle blade has a different, more complex double curve motif which was captured by some online friends and sent my way.

The blade shape on the original and my left-over blank are quite different, but I set to work, free handing some double curves inspired by this new pattern. The blurry picture below shows what I came up with before the burning process started.

A nice weekend of bourbon drinking and pyrography and this is the result so far. Still some touch-up needed here and there and some oiling, but with some lovely snowfall finally happening this winter, I took some photos outside.

July 2016 update: Paddle has been oiled. Check that short post here.
Thursday, April 13, 2017
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Sunday, April 2, 2017
Peabody Museum Green Bladed Decorated Paddle
Superb blogger of Indigenous Boats, Bob Holtzman, has posted some personal photos of canoe-related exhibits at Harvard University's Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology.
Included in this display are some wonderful closeups of a favourite paddle design I've always wanted to see with my own eyes. It has served as the inspiration for my own cherry interpretations (posts here and here). It looks to the be the paddle illustrated in fig. 72 of Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America. Adney sketched 1/2 of the blade pattern, included some dimensions and identified the paddle as a 71" long (180cm), maple wood Passamaquoddy dated to 1849.

Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America
Despite the difficulty in photographing dimly lit museum pieces behind glass, Bob was able to get some shots of the paddle on display.


The paddle was captioned with the following info...
"The blade of this elaborately decorated paddle is painted green. The double-curve design was executed by removing the paint while it was still wet. The stepped motif and crosshatching are suggestive of Penobscot or Passamaquoddy manufacture. The handle exhibits graceful carving and shows much indication of use."
Until now, the only photo of this paddle I've seen was the official museum pic showcasing the white scroll design on the blade.

Dimensions: Length: 180.5 cm, Width: 17.6 cm, Dep: 3.3 cm
Provenance: Donor: Heirs of David Kimball (1899)
Closer inspection reveals that that scroll pattern of the official pic and the display model are different. Now I'm wondering if the paddle is painted on both sides with slightly different scrolled patterns or if the museum has 2 distinct paddles in their collection.
Back in 2010, Bob also sent links and photos to some paddles at the University of Maine's Hudson Museum. It included a paddle with an attractive, segmented style grip.

Friday, March 17, 2017
Exotic Paddle Series 4 New Zealand Hoe
A beautifully carved Maori paddle (Hoe) from Steve Pyne. The blade is stunning of course, but check out the hollowed loop on the shaft. Never seen anything like it!
Details & Description from his site:
Hoe is a canoe paddle. The highly decorated versions would normally be used for ceremonial purposes by the Chief's. Decorative work in which notched ridges run parallel to one, two or three plain ridges is termed Rauponga. Within the design the plain ridges are known as Patapata and the hollows between the ridges as Haehae, while the notched ridge itself is termed Pakati. Each individual notch is an Arapata and they form a diamond pattern called Tuara-kuri. The eyes are inlaid with paua amore colourful relative of the abalone. The spirals serve as points of movement or joint marks, for the jaw, shoulders, elbow & hips. The "three fingered hand" is found on many ancestral figures, some also show a back-bending thumb or spur. This shows an avian feature superimposed on the human image.Length: 1660mm
Width: 155mm
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Eva Morrison Paddle Pic
Blog reader Chris G recently emailed a great vintage photo showing some well-to-do dressed men in a beached canoe posing behind a woman on shore. Unfortunately, Chris didn't remember the source but the photo certainly peaked my interest and I've spent some time trying to dig up more info about this curious scene. Turns out the photo is from the U.S. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division (no copyright restrictions) and is from 1935.

Repository: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA,
Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication.
Call Number: LC-B2- 2200-11
The woman is Eva Belle Morrison was a long distance swimmer who attempted to cross the English Channel multiple times and won some local endurance swimming competitions. I'm assuming the paddlers in the canoe are her "support team" who likely would paddle by her side for the duration of her swim and not just some bathing beauty "gawkers" as I first assumed...the expression of the sternsman just seemed creepy to me.
Since my wife is the avid swimmer and I'm the paddler, I think this photo just gave me some inspiration for new way for us to spend time together!
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
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Saturday, March 4, 2017
U of Cambridge MAA West Coast Paddle
Readers of the blog will note my affinity for Eastern North American style canoe paddles. West coast paddles are certainly beautiful in their own right but don't really fit into my own personal style of solo woodland paddling. On occasion my amateur eyes see overlap between the paddle designs where these paddles could be used to effectively paddle a canoe here in the East rather than the ocean going Dugouts of the West Coast. One such example is the Etched Coast Salish paddle from UBC's Museum of Anthropology posted on back in 2013. It's slender blade and roll top grip could be easily used to paddle a cedar canvas canoe in the back-country.

A similar style of paddle identified as being from the West Coast is found in the collection at the University of Cambridge Museum of Archeology and Anthropology over in the UK. Unfortunately, the museum's collections search doesn't seem to allow linking to a specific page, but here are some photos and details released under their Creative Commons license. It has a long slender grip and a willow leaf shaped blade with a simple, but pleasant bit of surface painting.


Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Another 1880 Hazen Maliseet Paddle Images

Monday, February 20, 2017
Vintage Paddle Pic Rocking the Paddle Guitar
From an expired Ebay ad (now removed), a pic featuring some chaps lounging by the shore. The canoes feature a closed gunnel system (typically from the pre-1920s) and canvas sponsons to prevent tipping.
Here's a previous post featuring some ladies with one of them also striking the paddle guitar pose...

Six women in swimwear at the Potomac Tidal Basin beach, Washington, D.C., 1922.
Friday, February 17, 2017
Busy Paddle Makers
We're finally moved into our house and have "survived" the week without internet service...very pleasant actually. I think we all need some disconnect time in our busy lives. We still need to settle in a bit before I can start carving again (this time in our small but peaceful backyard...if I can only find my crooked knife packed away somewhere in the mountain of boxes lying around.
During the days before our move, I received some emails from folks showing off their latest creations. Here are some samples.
Dulce Washburn sent this photo of some commercial blades decorated with some delightful wildlife pyrography. Dig the whole idea of the animal tracks with each little creature...was planning on doing stuff like this before I started venturing off into replicating figurative native designs.

Creative paddle maker Kent Lund sent me these pics of his latest work. The Camp We-Wa-na paddle was purposely made to look weathered and worn. Kent wanted it look like it came from an old camp.
The feather paddle is made from Sassafras for an old friend. Having heard great things about this wood as for paddle carving, trying one from this wood stock is on my to do list.

The paddle on the far left is his version of the c. 1839 chip-carved historic voyageur paddle posted by the Minnesota Historical Society. His first attempt at chip-carving looks great to me and I'm anxious to experiment with this decorative technique this summer.

Kent's Chip carved paddle
Lastly, Mark from Wildpaddler.ca has been busy with some laminated designs inspired by old world tradition. Check out his posts on his Carbon Fibre straight shaft, his laminated voyageur inspired by the Voyageur art of Francis Anne Hopkins, and a Maliseet style stretched beavertail

Carbon Fibre cloth blade
Label Closeup

Voyageur style

Maliseet style