Oar, First Octagonal Hollow Glued together

[Tom Hoffman]

What a nightmare, I needed to be an octopus and have another for a helper. But it went together.

I am trying to have a pictorial record of the steps. I got the directions from Joel Herzel who is on the forum occasionally. Will post the pics later on.

Tom....

[Scott Rosen]

How much less does it weigh than a solid oar of the same size?

[Tom Hoffman]

Scott,

I don't have any real way of knowing that answer. But I would think that they are significantly lighter than an Ash Oar. I used Hackberry. It is lighter than Ash, but not as light as Spruce. See the pics on my other post.

These are just the first stages, and I will be learning more as I go.

[Paul Piercey]

I just finished up a set and they came out real nice.
Oars and Spars (http://forums.bateau2.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10167/normal_Img_0074.jpg)

[Paul Piercey]

Here's a link to the gallery:

Gallery (http://forums.bateau2.com/gallery/index.php?cat=10167)

[Tom Hoffman]

Thank you Paul, Really nice pics. I wish I would have handled my seat chine rail the way you did, instead of building in place as I stripped, I have a feeling it is going to make getting the boat off the frams a night mare.

Are your oars tapered? It the sprit tapered? What kind of wood for your Oars? Blades?

Tom.....

[Tom Hoffman]

Finished the second oar blank this AM, went a lot better. used a dowel in the center to form around per Joel Herzel's directions, forgot to use it on the first one, plus I had help from SWMBO, she's all excited about going rowing. I have a feeling that will last about 6 pulls of the oars and then she will ask if the motor works. :D :D :D :D

[Paul Piercey]

Hi Tom,

Yes, all the birdsmouth projects I've done have been tapered and I have used Douglas Fir for all the spars and oars. The blades on the oars are 6mm merranti.

Paul

[Paul Scheuer]

One of the tricks that the boys in the lab use for handling difficult glue jobs is to use a dab of "quick cure" epoxy at strategic points to hold the slimy peices in place until you can get proper clamping.

The two lessons that I'm getting from your experience are; a small bird's mouth job is more difficult that a big one, and the geometry of the bird's mouth method doesn't guarantee roundness once you get a layer of glue in the picture.

[Tom Hoffman]

Hi Paul, YOur are correct about the tow lessons that I am learning too.

The loon end of the oar will behave and be an 8 sided round with a little persuasion from a hammer and judicious tigthening and loosending of the clamps before the Epoxy starts to cure and finish hardening.

These oars have a smooth round loom for the first 32" + handle, then they start into the octagon, which starts flowing into an elipse very rapidly so the end where the blade goes is about 2.25" wide and .75" thick, it is the two extra wide strips at the blade end that make it difficult to go together, the first oar shaft was very hard, because I forgot about the dowel to form around temporarily and the second went fine because my wife was there to run a drill with a nut driver bit in it and an extra pair of hands to get everything going or move strips while I held the bundle in rought shape.