The Chase laminated spoon blade oar

[John hartmann]

Though most of my boating adventures in the past few seasons have been aboard Waxwing, some forumites will recall my earlier threads invoving a cedar strip Peterborough skiff:

[/URL]

I usually drive it with a lovely pair of spoons made by Tom Regan, of Grapeview Point Boats:


[/URL]

I thought it would be fun to try making a nice pair of spoons myself, and my friend and boat building mentor Clint Chase sent me a diagram of spoons he has made using a laminated blade. After a road trip to Boston for some 8/4 sitka spruce and some 1/16" okoume ply, it was back to my workshop to begin experimenting with vacuum laminating the ply into something that might become a blade:

[/URL]

The vacuum press is from a company called Roarockit; they sell stuff for folks who built their own skateboards.

[John hartmann]

The bending form is rigid insulating foam, shaped with a Nicholson #50 rasp. The blade has a compound curve:

[/URL]

Each blade is made up of 3 layers of the 1/16" okoume, and took about 2oz of epoxy. I am learning as I go with this, and used closer to 3 ounces on the first blade---with a lot of squeeze out that I had to clean up afterwards......the 2oz lay up on the second blade was sufficient, and much tidier.

After curing, I cut out the blades to rough shape on a band saw, then clamped the pair together for clean up using a Shinto rasp:

[/URL]

[/URL]

[John hartmann]

[/URL]

The compound curve of the blade:

[/URL]

This is the second blade--the first is about 3/4oz heavier....not enough to worry about as I plan to balance the oars post assembly

[/URL]

[John hartmann]

To begin the looms, I ripped a pair of 2"x2" pieces from the 8/4 rough sawn sitka plank:

[/URL]

The looms will taper from two inches square at the grips, into an oval roughly 1 & 3/8" by 7/8" at the neck where the blade joins the loom. I worked the looms to the tapers clamped together on the bench to keep them as close to identical as possible:

[/URL]

I worked the larger tapers first, then layed out the minor taper:


[/URL]

And then worked the minor tapers into the rough looms with the sticks clamped together as before:


[/URL]

[John hartmann]

Once the looms were planed to their basic tapers, I marked the octagonals with a shop made gauge:

[/URL]

After the octagonals were marked, I roughed out the grip, then worked the looms to 8 sides:

[/URL]

A well set spoke shave is a remarkable tool, capable of very delicate work, or fairly aggressive stock removal. The loom has also been rough cut to accept the laminated spoon in this picture:

[/URL]

[John hartmann]

From 8 sides to 16, and then to round/oval is pretty simple going.

[/URL]

Starting to look like something that might motivate a skiff....still quite a bit of refinement left to do, but I'll wait till the second loom is at this stage before working them down to final dimensions, so I can keep them as close to the same as possible.

[/URL]

[Curt G]

Wow!

First I would like to both Thank and Curse you for adding another project to my bucket list on my pending retirement.

Second I would also like to say that about 10 years ago Tom Regan of Grapeview Point Boats had an 16' Oughtred hull at the Port Townsend WBF that I still dream about. The guy does great work.

Great work! Thank you.

[Bob Cleek]

Sweet! Great turtorial, too! Definitely one to remember.

[Tom Robb]

One more thing to aspire to. Thank you.

[minuteman]

Pretty!

That's funny, I was doing the same thing on Monday, making a spar. The only difference is that yours are round, and mine is roundish. Thanks for the inspiration.

Kenny

[Clinton B Chase]

Thanks for posting John. I hope to be able to help scores of people make their own oars maybe starting later this year with more formal plans.

I designed the ply-laminated blades glued to spruce looms in order to make oars in a way that was economically viable. That was a few years ago before kits took over my life, but I will say that it worked....I think I made like $5 on each set of oars!!!!

While not a great business, they are about the most pleasant way to spend hours and hours at the bench and when I wrap up these oar kits hopefully more people will discover this, too. I will likely do some oarmaking like this for my new Drake Rowboat that is almost wrapped up (in the computer, anyway).

What I was going to say is that, once on the water I was really pleased with how light and balanced the ply-spoons were and how quiet they were...being so thin the blades entered and exited the water very cleanly and quietly.

I experimented with carbon fiber on the blades and they just made the oars too blade heavy. I like keeping them wood...or a 2oz FG cloth on it at the most. I've wet-bagged carbon fiber blades with 1 layer of 1.5mm ply as core and gotten nice results, too.

Thanks

[Boater14]

Just great. Too late for detail on blade fastening?

[John hartmann]

Not too late at all--spent a snowy afternoon working on getting the looms as close to identical as possible, and gluing the blades to the looms with thickened epoxy. In the photo, I've just pulled the masking tape from the blades:

[/URL]

Once the clamps are off and while the epoxy is still green, I'll clean up any epoxy squeeze out and runs. Before finish sanding and finishing, I'll do a bending test to see how stiff the looms are, and check the balance to see if any weight is needed in the grips.

Clint, thanks for the above post--I've been wondering if the blades would need any glass.....I'll likely just put a bit of bias cut glass wrapping on the very tips for a bit of protection.....

[John hartmann]

Clamps are off, and I am more convinced than ever that when it comes to epoxy, masking tape is your friend:

[/URL]


[/URL]

Still have a few hours of clean up and detail work before thinking about getting a finish of some sort on these--the images are just post glue up, with a very quick once over with a scraper to clean up squeeze out. I am gradually learning to work more neatly......a little time up front saves tons of tedious clean up on the back side......

I also did a bending test, as described in RGThom's thread about his beautiful spoons:


[/URL]

Shafts balanced at 65 cm from handle, with 10 kg suspended at the throat. Each shaft deflected by 5cm, which puts them in a medium-ish range of stiffness, and very similar to my Grapeview Point spoons. The oars weigh in at 3lb, 3 oz at this point; I'll probably take off an ounce or two working toward final pre-Deks dimensions, and then add back 4-5 ounces of counter weight at the grip end, shooting for a handle balance weight of something under 1&1/2 lbs......

[jpatrick]

Very nice.

If one were wanting to glass the blades, wouldn't it be best to do so prior to gluing to the looms?

Jeff

[jon m]

Hey John - just getting around to checking out your process here and I must say that, once again, your work (and Clint's design!) is most impressive. Is there any chance your form for the spoon laminations survived the process? I'll be needing a pair of these when I finally find the time to lash the Dave Gentry Ruth wherry together. Perhaps we could find some stuff to row around?

[John hartmann]

JPatrick, I would think so, because you could easily vacuum laminate the glass to the plywood that way. I am planning to just wrap the tip in glass when I encapsulate the blades (thinking the blades will ultimately be painted......maybe white, with red at the very tip) with the looms clear coated with Deks D1& D2. Grips will be left raw.

Jonathan, thanks for the kind words. As usual, my work looks best from a safe distance! I am pleased with their overall form and lightness; If I don't abuse them, I think they'll be durable enough. The bending form did indeed survive--it and the vacuum press are available when you need them. I also have all of the 1/16" ply you need for blade material. There is plenty of interesting water for pulling boats in this corner of the world....lots to explore!

[John hartmann]

While tending to various details as the oars were getting cleaned up, I worked a reverse taper into the grips:

[/URL]

I also bored a hole for the counterweight....a 1/2" diameter galvanized lag bolt 6" long with the hex head sawn off provides the 5oz the oars will need. The hole was started with a forstner bit in a cordless drill, and taken to an appropriate depth with a Stanley #1246 brace and bit I inherited from my Grandfather.

[/URL]

[JasonD]

Very nice!

[John hartmann]

Before glassing the tips and getting a finish on the spoons, I checked weights and balances at the kitchen table:

[/URL]

A jug of water suspended in a salvaged lobster pot bait bag, with the oar balanced at the 25 inch mark--1 & 3/4# for a hand balance weight, and a final weight for each oar of 3.4 lbs. Very happy with that; by contrast, my superlight Grapeview Point spoons (a foot shorter) weigh in at 2.8 lbs, with a mere 16oz hand balance weight.

A note about the bait bag: They litter the high tide line over much of the Maine coast.....I usually pick them up to tidy up the beaches when I am cruising, and it is easy to find intact ones, which are the perfect way to suspend a bottle of your favorite adult beverage once you reach your anchorage, at an appropriate depth to chill in the cold Atlantic until you are ready for a quaff.....

[Clinton B Chase]

John, You could probably go with a little more taper in the spine on the back of the blade...I believe I've tapered it to 3/8" at the tip.

[John hartmann]

Clint, I am yet again amazed by the precision of your micrometer eyeballs.......here are a couple of close ups. The width of the spine is 3/4" at the tip:

[/URL]

I assume you are referring to the thickness or depth of the spine in your post.....here is a scrap of 12mm ply on edge next to the spine--the spine is a half inch thick at the deepest belly of the blade's curve, and tapers down to 3/8" in the last couple of inches at the tip.....You think that I should carry that 3/8" back to the belly of the blade?

[/URL]

[John hartmann]

Back to the shop for a few careful licks with a spokeshave.......I know that in his design work, Clint will circle back to projects with the strategy of "sneaking up on perfection". As a perpetual beginner, and happy experimentalist, I often remind myself that "better" is the enemy of "good".....think I'll call this good:


[/URL]

[Clinton B Chase]

Looks good John!

[John hartmann]

So, next thing that needs to happen is for snow and ice to melt.....

[/URL]

Leathers, buttons and oval oarlock; still need tallow and topcoat on the leathers:
[/URL]

A close up of the blades--there is some bird's eye figuring in the face of one.....didn't know okoume did that....

[/URL]

We'll be in the deep freeze here in northern New England for at least another couple of months yet; I'll try to get some footage of them in use in the skiff once the ice is out.....

[Paul356]

I feel like you said it somewhere and I missed it, but how long are your oars?

[Rich Jones]

Very nice looking set of oars, John!

[John hartmann]

Paul, the oars finished out at 8'4". I have found that my 7&1/2' Grapeview spoons are great, especially if I am rowing in chop, but I have found myself wanting a slightly longer lever arm when rowing in quiet conditions.....the 8&1/3' was the max I could squeek out of the lumber I had.....

Thanks for the kind words, Rich--the proof of the pudding will be in the eating, and we'll see how they feel once the ice is out, but I am optimistic they'll feel good and power the skiff nicely.

[AJZimm]

--the proof of the pudding will be in the eating

Great work John, and I am so glad you used the correct form of this expression. It annoys the heck out of me when people say "the proof is in the pudding"

[John hartmann]

Thanks, Alex. Yes, that malapropism has always bugged me, too, as it makes nonsense out of common sense. Enjoyed the write up of FIREDRAKE in this month's Small Boats Monthly. She is a beauty--Congratulations!

[AJZimm]

Thanks John. Currently working on a few minor upgrades. Live and learn!

[John hartmann]

Those minor upgrades and tweaks over a few seasons of living with a boat are some of my favorite aspects of small boat sailing and camp cruising.....enjoy the research and development, and keep us posted as you discover and sort out good solutions!

[Ben Fuller]

John, noted that you are using closed ring oarlocks which, of course, have the disadvantage that you have to get the collar off to get the lock off. Working with Brian Schulz I figure out a way to beat the problem. The old Philly ducker oars were open horns but had a very narrow opening at the top, one just wide enough to pass oar down near the blade. They had patterns and made the horns that way. The lightbulb was realizing that one could trim a segment of a circular lock out at top. Clean it up then with a file and get the same effect. Something to think about.

A good alternative to glassing the tip of your oar is putting a tip on the way recommended in the Gflex brochure. A thick silica and Gflex mix on a 45 degree double bevel. I've done it to mine and it works great, pretty much proof against rock pushing.

[John hartmann]

Thank you for those tips, Ben! Information like that, gleaned by experience and shared freely, are what make this forum such a wonderful thing.

[Bill in Oregon]

John, have you had a chance to try those oars yet or does winter still have an full nelson on your neck of the woods?