More Curly Douglas Fir Paddles from R.C. Cross

Blog reader R.C. Cross has submitted more photos of some paddles made with curly Douglas fir. The first one on the left was the paddle previously featured in a post back in 2012. The remaining two are new creations.

R.C.'s curly Douglas fir paddles

The material for the paddle on the far right was from a 2x4. It was joined with a spline of black walnut to make the width. Lovely contrast and stunning grain patterns! Below is a closeup photo of the blades. The grain pattern on the middle blade is very much like the banding patterns on Damascus steel blades. Wow.

Blade Closeups

In addition, R.C. acquired a curious set of paddles along with a 1917 Old Town Charles River wood canvas canoe. Each paddle has a very large 9 5/8" width blade. R.C. notes that they appear to be factory made but research has turned up a blank on the origins. They are apparently not from Old Town Canoe Company.

The paddles are available for sale and R.C. is accepting offers. If interested, check out his classified ad on the WCHA site with more details, additional photos and contact info.