Paddle Building Wood source

[Honolii]

Howzit all.
I know there's a few paddle builders/experimenters on this site. I also know how hard it is to find balsa and basswood sources on the Big Island (Hawaii).
Thought I'd share a basswood/balsa wood source (for the blade) that  seems reasonably priced including the shipping.
I haven't ordered from them yet, but am doing so soon.
If you have any sources to share, please do so.
Thanks!
Honolii
http://www.nationalbalsa.com/index.html

[stoneaxe]

I've been meaning to go out and see these folks. About an 1.5 hr ride for me. I haven't tried using balsa or basswood yet. Mostly cedar so far. I am focusing on weight this time though. Especially for the one I'm building for my wife.

Any experience using balsa? I'm a little concerned on how soft it is. Maybe band the edges in cedar or does the epoxy toughen it enough?

[andygere]

Bass is really nice stuff to work with, and I used it for my paddle shaft and handle.  It has nice tight grain, is soft, and carves very well.  The stuff I bought was fairly inexpensive, and was completely clear.

[Honolii]

I haven't made a paddle yet, but have been doing a bit of research.  Balsa seems to be quite soft so I'd think to edge it with a hard wood.  I also read of some that use it as a primary core (foam also) for the blade and covering it with carbon fiber/epoxy skin.  Basswood I've worked with and for it's strength to weight ratio seems the way to go. It is very easy to work with. My idea is making a laminated shaft, double bend, using a mixture of poplar and cedar.  My blade I'm thinking of a mix of basswood, balsa, with koa edges and accents.  Koa you can get some really nice premium curly pieces for a great price on EBAY. Look for pen turning blanks. A guy named Joel Lawson is a seller on there that has a lot of really nice stuff for a good price.

[andygere]

Sounds like it will be a really cool paddle, I can't wait to see the results.

[stoneaxe]

Cedar is my usual choice because it's fairly cheap here. I prefer to use local wood if possible. Even better if I can resaw some on my bandsaw. I have a few 10' logs that I need to make into lumber one of these days. I have some 4' sections already cut that I can use for blades once they've dried (next summer).

Here's some of it. This is fresh cut. It goes to a cinnamon brown when dry.


I used some mahogany and lyptus in the last paddles I built, leftovers from furniture projects and the gates at the Pono house. I'm going to look at other local woods for accents in the future. Cherry, walnut, etc. I'm going to use some unusual stuff as well, lilac and rhododendron among them. Lilac is nicely grained, almost like zebrawood. I have a small stash of 4" wide pieces 2-3 ft long. I'll probably use it mostly for inlays.

I've been thinking of simply taking a branch of arborvitae to use as a shaft. Very light, strong and readily available. naturally straight and tapered down the shaft. If you split the crotch where the branch joins the trunk it creates a narrow blade flattened and angled. I'll have to add to it and shape the blade but nature has done 3/4's of the work.