WTB Oars
-
Gisteppo
- Commodore
- Posts: 1016
- Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2007 11:26 am
- Location: Lake Spokane (Long)
- Contact:
RE:WTB Oars
Red, go make some!
What you need:
2 x 8ft closet rods (preferrably pine)
2 x 24" 1x10 pine boards (or as wide as you can get)
epoxy
Take your pine closet rod and split the end of it by cutting a notch the thickness of the pine board out of the middle. A jigsaw will work, circular or table will also in a pinch, and a handsaw is fine as well.
Trim the pine board to a nice oarblade shape. Feel free to take whatever liberties you want as to what shape you like. Some will just round over the sharp edges, others like to make a profile shape. I like to taper the wood about an inch in from the edges. You can do this with a rasp, surform, plane, sander, or angle grinder.
Butter up the inside of the closet rod with epoxy, and smear a little on the surface of the blade where it will be sliding into the slot. Clamp it together with whatever you have, whether its clamps or duct tape.
For the handles, just take a file or rasp and shape the end into something comfortable. Round the outside edge for comfort and safety, and I like a roundish profile for the handle. Raw wood will turn into a very comfy grip after a day or two out from the oils in your hands.
Paint or varnish the entire oar (minus the grips!) with 3-5 coats of whatever you can get your hands on. I like machine and outdoor porch paint. Exterior latex house paint is a very effective paint as well, and most of us have it laying around.
Lastly, you can either get a plastic sleeve and button to protect the area where they ride in the oarlocks, or you can wrap it in 1/8" twine which is what I do. Then for the button (the part that keeps it in the oarlock) I wrap a single wrap of 3/8" rope around the oar and epoxy it into place.
Voila! Oars on the cheap.
If you need more info or if someone wants a tutorial, I can make a pair and document the whole thing for a sticky or a special feature on the website.
E
What you need:
2 x 8ft closet rods (preferrably pine)
2 x 24" 1x10 pine boards (or as wide as you can get)
epoxy
Take your pine closet rod and split the end of it by cutting a notch the thickness of the pine board out of the middle. A jigsaw will work, circular or table will also in a pinch, and a handsaw is fine as well.
Trim the pine board to a nice oarblade shape. Feel free to take whatever liberties you want as to what shape you like. Some will just round over the sharp edges, others like to make a profile shape. I like to taper the wood about an inch in from the edges. You can do this with a rasp, surform, plane, sander, or angle grinder.
Butter up the inside of the closet rod with epoxy, and smear a little on the surface of the blade where it will be sliding into the slot. Clamp it together with whatever you have, whether its clamps or duct tape.
For the handles, just take a file or rasp and shape the end into something comfortable. Round the outside edge for comfort and safety, and I like a roundish profile for the handle. Raw wood will turn into a very comfy grip after a day or two out from the oils in your hands.
Paint or varnish the entire oar (minus the grips!) with 3-5 coats of whatever you can get your hands on. I like machine and outdoor porch paint. Exterior latex house paint is a very effective paint as well, and most of us have it laying around.
Lastly, you can either get a plastic sleeve and button to protect the area where they ride in the oarlocks, or you can wrap it in 1/8" twine which is what I do. Then for the button (the part that keeps it in the oarlock) I wrap a single wrap of 3/8" rope around the oar and epoxy it into place.
Voila! Oars on the cheap.
If you need more info or if someone wants a tutorial, I can make a pair and document the whole thing for a sticky or a special feature on the website.
E