Luke M's Ash Paddles

Blog reader Luke M from Wales has recently gotten into the paddle making hobby and has sent in some of his wonderful creations. Each paddle has been carved from locally grown ash with an axe and crooked knife. Most impressive! Here is a group shot of 4 paddles along with descriptions he provided.  These paddles are based on (left to right):

• The 1878 Malecite paddle at the Fredericton Region Museum (post here).

• Various historical fur trade paddles seen on this site and elsewhere.

• The Malecite paddle in the British Museum featured on your site (post here)

• The 1889 Passamaquoddy ocean canoe paddle in The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America. It’s 75” long and is mainly used standing 

Here is a Cree style paddle with a modified grip carved with a beautiful grain pattern... 

Here is Luke's first attempt at making a paddle from a log completely by eye without any templates or guidelines. It was also carved smooth enough to not require sanding.

This last paddle was carved recently from another quarter of the same log...just lovely!

Luke also sent in a photo of his tool set. The crooked knife blades were made by hand out of old files annealed in his woodstove. The axe is an old Kent pattern head which was restored and fitted with a homemade handle too.

Very much looking forward to seeing more creations from Luke in the future!