At this point in the process you will have your paddle shaft glued up and milled to size (1 1/4″ x 1 1/4″). This is the point in the process where you will cut the long miter in the shaft that will form the bend at the blade end of the paddle. I’ve created a simple jig that slides in the slots in the top of my table saw. The jig is set up so that the shaft will slide through openings in the jig which is then passed over the saw blade. The long part of the shaft is held in place by cam clamps that are set up to apply pressure to the center line of the shaft and this holds the shaft in place while the saw cut is made. I’ve laid out 9, 10 and 11 degree marks on the jig which makes it simple to clamp the shaft down to the sliding jig at the desired angle.
Making your own wood SUP paddle starts with using the right materials and getting your paddle shaft made. The paddle shaft needs to be straight and true after it comes out of the clamps. Here’s a clip on how I make sure the process gets started correctly.
The process of making a wooden SUP paddle has some key steps that must be done correctly in order to create a paddle that both looks and works great. The best way to start thinking about the process is to consider the different parts of the overall finished paddle as sub-assemblies that are built up, then combined to make the finished shape.
