The Paddle
Canoe Paddle Making Workshop
A 2 - day course learning how to handcraft your own one-piece wooden canoe paddle from Scottish ash. Using only hand tools, you will be carefully guided through the whole process – from the marking out all the way through to the fine shaping, tillering and finishing of your paddle.
A canoe paddle is a functional part of the canoeist’s armory, but it is also a thing of beauty and the lines and curves that make up the shape are all important. We will advise you on the correct design for your size, make up and for your needs based on the type of canoeing you do.
Why Make Your Own Wooden Canoe Paddle?
Making a canoe paddle from wood not only brings you closer to the heritage and roots of the canoeing tradition, more than that, it will be a wholly practical object that will, with good care, last a lifetime of canoeing adventures. You’ll also learn some valuable woodworking skills, for to make a good paddle you need to understand how to work with the grain of the wood, deal with tricky compound angles and keep your tools razor sharp!
Your course leader, Steven Hanton, has been making wooden canoe paddles (and canoes) for over 15 years and was very fortunate to be taught by the legendary wilderness Maine Guide and expert paddle maker Alexandra Conover Bennett. Some of Alexandra’s paddle designs and templates, which in turn were passed down to her by her own mentors, will be available to use on the workshop, continuing an unbroken lineage of paddles designed and used by wilderness guides and first nations peoples.
Paddle Course Syllabus Includes:
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Wood selection, drying and seasoning
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Design considerations and types of paddle
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Tools of the trade and how to get them razor sharp
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Marking out
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Roughing out the blank with an axe
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Fine shaping and tillering
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Sanding and choosing your finish; varnishes and oil
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Maintaining your paddle
Paddle Making Course Details
This course is run from 'Paddle Scotland's' indoor training classroom at Grandtully Station Campsite near Aberfeldy. This new venue has underfloor heating, is bright and spacious and has a great outdoor space so we can work outside if the weather is good. Camping and camper van facilities are available right on site with a new shower and toilet block with excellent facilities. For anyone wishing to stay at the campsite, it must be booked separately of the course and can be done HERE.
This great heated indoor facility has everything we need to be warm and comfortable while we chip away at our paddles.
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