update sitka spruce oars

Hello all.

Had some time over the weekend and started building my Culler style oars.  While the original design calls for hollowing out the blades from the center ridge to the edge of the blades I decided that this might weaken the blades seeing how I’ll be using them on my drift boat and I don’t own a hollowing plane.  

Tools – Record spoke shave, old 14” draw knife,  Bailey Jack and Smooth plane and low angle Stanley block plane.

A few things that I learned while shaping-

1. Spend some time making sure that the grain is orientated the same way for the laminated edges of the blades (reduce tear out while shaping).
2. Power tools are useless except for roughing in the shape and milling the lumber. Tried a power plane as well as my trusty old Makita belt sander  on a scrap piece of wood and couldn’t seem to keep the centre ridge line straight, probably  not a big deal but when I’d  sight down the oar and see that the line was not true and straight it drove me nuts.
3.  Don’t hurry keep your tools sharp set your tools so that the shaving are onion skin thin.
4. Have fun working with basic old fashion tools, you’ll be amazed how accurate and how the natural shape of the oars come together  that would be very difficult to replicate with power tools.