laminating wood for a paddle

what would be the best epoxy to use when laminating wood for my first paddle build. I will be ordering my first Kayak in a couple of months and wanted to get started on my paddles. I know that MAS comes with the boat kit. System 3 and West system are also carried by CLC.


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RE: laminating wood for a paddle

To answer your question about resin...I've had good results with MAS and with West and have not used System 1. MAS doesn't have amine blush, so I prefer it. I haven't noticed any difference in strength, but the MAS tends to be a little clearer than West, even if you use West's clear hardener. Since CLC ships MAS, I'd go with that...but I might try to order all the resin you think you'll need at the beginning, rather than buying small lots, which gets expensive.

If you're going to laminate with resin, you perhaps should use a cellulose filler like Cell-O-Fill, to add strength.

Which leads to another issue...

I'm not sure I'd use resin to laminate a paddle. If I were going to make a laminated paddle, I'd be tempted just use a good waterproof glue and then coat the paddle in a good marine varnish. If I were going to fiberglass the paddle, I'd use ordinary woodworking glue, just as you do with strip building.

If you fiberglass the paddle, it gains strength and waterproofing from the resin on the surface of the paddle, but you'll need to varnish it to protect it from the Sun. The end result is a slightly heavier, stronger paddle. I'm not sure it's worth the time, expense and effort.

I bought a conventional kayak paddle and then, once I got in the water, my friends encourage me to make a Greenland paddle. One of them had a perfectly good Greenland paddle he made from varnished, clear pine.

I made a Greenland paddle out of a solid piece of spruce and varnished it with Minwax spar varnish. It's been doing just fine after repeated outings. Around where I live, they sell spruce as facia board for home building.I have plans to make a storm paddle out of spruce soon. A 2X6 by eight foot piece of facia board cost me $14, but has small knots. I used a bandsaw and a spokeshave, and got the dimensions for the paddle off the Internet.

There may be quite a few others who have laminated paddles and other advice...I'll be interested in what they have to say.

Cheers.

RE: laminating wood for a paddle

Honestly, I think just about anything you get will do fine - all of the vendors make a great epoxy that will work well for scarfing or laminating wood for a paddle.  If you're not going to coat the paddle, you dont' even have to worry about amine blush characteristics (although, again, all of these manufacturers have pretty much figured out amine blush these days).

I wouldn't go with regular wood glue, as the epoxy is going to be much stronger over the life of the paddle in any glue joint.  The only "trick" (if you can even call it that) will be to get a good somewhat rough contact surface between the two pieces and then squeeze them as tight as possible while the epoxy sets up.  With this (and properly mixed epoxy!) you'll find the glue joint is stronger then the surrounding wood.

RE: laminating wood for a paddle

I just built my first bent shaft SUP paddle and used tite bond III waterproof glue and 5 coats of varnish. Haven't used it yet because I'm just starting a Koholo 14, but it sure looks good. 

RE: laminating wood for a paddle

I have made a dozen GPs, all but one were laminated.  I prefer WRC and only use Gorilla Glue (http://www.gorillatough.com/index.php?page=gorilla-glue), the brown stuff.  It requires tight clamping for 2 hours and I moisten both receiving surfaces first (IT IS WATER ACTIVATED).  

I layout the loom first over a length of plastic wrap, apply glue, press the half's together, wrap them in the plastic wrap lay pressure strips on each side and clamp up with C clamps every 8 inches. (yes lots of C clamps)

The glue foams like crazy hence the plastic wrap.  After 2 hours I dissemble the loom and glue on the 4 blade edges. Each paddle has 6 parts, 2 for the loom and 4 on ends for the blades. 

It takes lots of time but makes stronger paddle.

I would insert a diagram of my layour but I don't have a URL to post the PDF.

RE: laminating wood for a paddle

There are other glues that most consumers do not usually see.

 

Glue for wooden boad building

 

When building a Blue J and sailing surg board we used a 2 part Elmers water proof glue. It left a dark line but never failed in over 10 years.

RE: laminating wood for a paddle

It looks like Resorcinol glue was the product. It is used to glue plywood and other structural wood products todether. It stands up to fresh and salt water as well as temperature extremes. It can be purchsed in pint quantities. Not cheap and hard to find. It is formaldehyde resin based so there is some health risk and precaustions.

 

 

 

 

RE: laminating wood for a paddle

One of my old buddies has a great site for making paddles and a bunch of other stuff. Check it out here:  http://ngc704.home.comcast.net/~ngc704/Home%20Page/  

George K

RE: laminating wood for a paddle

Part of my business is making wooden Stand up paddles Ive made a lot of them and make several different kinds , Laminated wood shaft and hallow wood shaft. All the blades are flat laminated. I do 3 point test on my paddle shaft (to braking ) so I am up to date on the glues. Mas, system 3, West systems, Aeralite, and Fiberglass Hawaii are all excellent resin to use. A thickener should be used to mix the resin so it is not runny . Resorcinol glue is obsolet, I havent used it since 1985. Gorilla glue would be the worst joice as it has earliest falure when flexed. The Elmer 2 part (plastic resin) is brittle and although strong has a early falure rait. Do not use any of the carpenter glues, water proof or not as they creep and creep = failure. So basicly the only glue you have are epoxy.(take your pick, they are all good ) Remember that wood loses strenth as it flexes so a wood paddle will adventually fail . Modest flex gives about 450 paddling miles and then brake. A very stiff wood paddle can last a couple thousand miles (maybe ) and a stiff on is darn heavey . I have developed a wood paddle that is around 27 oz that does not brake ( or hasn't yet anyway) so I know lite wood paddles can be made. It has taken over 4 years to develope my paddle and thousands of hours to refine it so forgive me for not giving out to much information.

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