# New Doug fir/figured walnut oars



## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

Trying leather grips, will wax them


----------



## theusualsuspect (Apr 11, 2014)

Those look so awesome dude. I've heard others say they are great to row as well. How long does the fabrication process take?


----------



## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

Thank you!!! I built my first set ~17 years ago, and it's been a continuous development to get the shape right...and even more now that I'm getting older and want to keep my shoulders happy!

A couple months. Shaping is quick but I don’t like to rush the finishing process


----------



## Randaddy (Jun 8, 2007)

Wow! Awesome work! I hope you follow up to this post as you row with them!


----------



## battas3 (Dec 16, 2011)

Beautiful work!


----------



## Funky_Yota (Jun 6, 2021)

Awesome!

Did you turn the shafts on a lathe or use a drawknife/spoke shave?


----------



## Wolf Larsen (Apr 13, 2021)

Beauties!
Nice work. I'm jealous.


----------



## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

Funky_Yota said:


> Awesome!
> 
> Did you turn the shafts on a lathe or use a drawknife/spoke shave?


Thanks!

Most of the build info is in another thread I posted here a few years back.

First ones I ever built were entirely drawknife/spoke shave, second ones were beveled on the table saw, then used a handheld power planer. Now I hog them out with a router, but honestly do most of my shaping with a 40-grit flap wheel disc in a 4.5" angle grinder. Making this carving/shaving horse mod to my sawhorse was huge in being able to use 2 hands on the oar. A lathe wouldn't work because I make the shafts oval-shaped (taller in the strong dimension) but I'd love to have some sort of big lathe to use for rope wrapping.








The secret is to laminate the wood as close as possible to final shape and have less wood to remove. Shaft and blade parts are all cut on a taper. It saves time and effort--and nice clear wood is harder and harder to come by, so I feel better about putting the wood to its "best use" when I turn less of it into sawdust.


----------



## adamread (Aug 31, 2011)

Awesome oars! Got some questions:

Will you fiberglass the ends of the blades? If so, what epoxy and fiber do you use?

When you do the rope wrap, do you just have someone else turn the oar and wind the rope on, or do you use a serving mallet? Sounds like you're twisting it on it if you'd like to have a big lathe to do it.








Serving you the perfect oar wrap!


"Oar wrapping sucks. There is no way around it." This was what i was told and came to understand the last time i had to wrap an oar. But wr...




shoelessmusings.blogspot.com





Some folks doing this seem to like twisted polypropylene and some seem to like solid-braid nylon for rope wraps. It looks like you're using twisted nylon. Did you soak it in water before wrapping to make it stretch?

Thanks for sharing the photos and for any info.


----------



## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

Yes, 3-4 layers of 6 or 8-oz plain weave glass--laid up, sanded smooth, fill coat, sanded again and covered with varnish. Nothing special, just a good way to use up scraps. Even a couple layers makes a massive difference in durability when you whack rocks in low water rivers. I have done Dynel on one set of oars, but found it very difficult to apply--it's very low density and actually "floats" in the epoxy.
Epoxy brand doesn't matter much for this purpose. I use what I have on hand. Have built with both Raka and US Composites; both have benefits and drawbacks. Next boat will probably be Resin Research.

A serving mallet is the way to go. It pulls the rope on dry and you can get it tight enough to squeak. I only wish I had an enormous lathe--I wouldn't use it for turning the wood, but would absolutely use it to serve on the rope! 

Funny, that blog post got me into serving mallets for oars. Mine is like the #4 one in the pic, except opposite-handed (handle toward me, wrap left to right)









The serving process is absolutely fascinating. Ever watched this video?





3/16" solid braid nylon, and I buy it 1000' at a time.


----------



## adamread (Aug 31, 2011)

Old sailing tech is so sophisticated and clever. They had a long time to get it dialed in. This video is pretty interesting too: 



 At around 9:30 they show a big serving mallet with a bracket to hold the spool of cord, which seems like a fine idea.

I was thinking that the step of the rope wrap on oars would make a symmetrical serving mallet wobbly and that the style you chose might fix that problem. So do you have the mallet face running over the 'served' wrap as you wind it? Being right handed, I think it would feel most natural to wrap as you say: left to right and pulling, so counter-clockwise. If you used the #4 as pictured, would it have to ride on the wood of the oar shaft as you wind it? 

I take it you haven't had any problems with your nylon wraps getting loose when they get wet? Do you use shellac, varnish, or epoxy over the wrap once it's done? What about glue on the oar shaft before you wind it?

Sorry for the barrage of questions. I've got a Deso trip coming up next week and noticed that my wood oars have a nylon or polyethylene sleeve epoxied on that has finally worn through (done by Summit in Flagstaff about 25+ years ago, so no complaints). I'm hoping to peel that off, make a mallet, and get them rope wrapped this week.


----------



## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

If you loved that big mallet with a spool of serving, I'll raise you a second spool!





Yes, just like you described it. I can get you a photo tonight. I rotate the oar with my left hand, serve with my right, cord wrapping over the top. Mallet was carved out of a single piece of white oak. A flap disc in an angle grinder makes quick work of the "carving" process. I flipped/rotated the previous image if that helps you visualize it.








It's an assymetrical mallet, there's a step in the face that laps slightly over the served wrap so I can get it tight, but the two "working wraps" and most of the mallet rides on the shaft of the oar.

I used to wrap by hand and never had an issue with the wrap getting loose when wet, and since using the mallet for the past 3 years, it's even tighter. If I do a double wrap on the handle, it's so tight it squeaks as it goes on, but I found that caused a lot of wrist strain in my left hand as I rotated it.
Just a smear of epoxy at each end so the serving on the ends doesn't come loose. There's a parallel thread today, was just saying that I do wax the ropes right at the buttons and they feather a bit smoother.


----------



## Funky_Yota (Jun 6, 2021)

MT4Runner said:


> Thanks!
> 
> Most of the build info is in another thread I posted here a few years back.
> 
> ...


Nice! Thanks! I think I’ll give this a shot once I get my woodworking stuff back in order.


----------



## jerseyjeff (Apr 16, 2016)

Mt4runner, your posts are costing me money man! you put up some pretty oar pictures, and then I get the itch, and now I have to go find some decent wood. I made a few with basswood/ash, and I think that might be the secret sauce for paddles too. The oar holding bench you built is brilliant, that will make shaping the sticks so much easier. any tips on the best dimensions for the bench?


----------



## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

Google 'shaving horse'. It's a centuries-old woodworking tool from the days when people used drawknives and spokeshaves more.








Mine is but a poor and quickie adaptation to my sawhorse--but it works great!!

The sawhorse is based on one in a 1985 article in Mother Earth News. My parents built our family home starting in 1985, dad read the article and built four of them. They were indispensable. 
I built my own out of dumpster scraps about 20 years ago; rebuilt them with 35" legs to match my table saw a couple years back. Using screws and glue instead of nails is a must.

So for the "shaving horse" adaptation, I just added a kicker between two legs, a hinge and a lower foot "pedal' going up to a crosspiece on top that clamps down on the oar.
I tore it all apart so I could use the bench again, but can easily rebuild it for the next time.


----------



## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)




----------



## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

Rope wrapping:


----------



## Hoomalimali (Aug 19, 2021)

Such a pleasure to see these. You are a true artist!


----------



## stevenlozano (1 mo ago)

MT4Runner said:


> View attachment 68859
> View attachment 68860
> View attachment 68861
> View attachment 68862
> ...


 Beautiful , Can i get some more construction details, I live in south America and work with 28 different species of wood in our shop and would love to make a set for my boat, 14er Outlaw, Steve [email protected]


----------

