I ^anoe P^addle

A single length of framing lumber will help you hone your skills with a spokeshave, a drawknife and a block plane.

It was a bright summer's day in 1993 at historic Strawberry Banke in Portsmouth, N.H. My wife, Sally, and I were unexpectedly in town and noticed a craft show and demonstrations on the green. The area is famous for such crafts as coopering and building Windsor chairs and wooden boats. I've always been fascinated to watch skilled demonstrators, and this demonstration by boatbuilder Geoff Burke would not be a disappointment.

Burke captivated onlookers while he made a canoe paddle. Here was

a familiar object being made with a few hand tools. The material was a straight-grained 2x6 plank of spruce commonly used for residential framing. The time it took him to carve the paddle: less than one hour.

Everyone appreciated the efficiency with which the job was accomplished (not that reducing the blade thickness with a drawknife is easy - it's not). But the key is choosing the right tool for each step of the proj ect, knowing how to put the right tool to use and having an eye for proportion to guide it.

by John Wilson

John first canoed in upstate New York as a Boy Scout. He has taught woodworking and boatbuilding at Lansing Community College in Michigan and the WoodenBoat School in Maine. Currently he operates the Home Shop in Charlotte, Mich., where he teaches woodworking classes and sells Shaker box supplies.

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Popular Woodworking August 2004