my small collection of non-laminated paddles, five made by well-regarded individual paddle makers,five factory made, and one that I made
. .. whats your total count? sounded like lots more laminated etc....
I was working off the top of my head the other night, and was off a bit in my count. The hand-made include two north woods-style paddles by Alexandra Conover Bennett (one painted by Jerry Stelmok) (ash), a north woods style by Dale Tobey (maple), and a Wabanaki style by Steve Cayard (maple), one made by Caleb Davis (Cherry), one I carved under Caleb's tutelage at Assembly (cherry), and two whose maker is unknown (spruce). The factory-made include two by Old Town (ash), one by White Canoe.(ash), and two of unknown make (ash). All are from flat-sawn lumber, except one of the cherry paddles is rift-sawn. sub-total - 13
I have five laminated paddles, three by Grey Owl (one of walnut and basswood, two of basswood -- all three plastic tipped), a bent-shaft paddle, maker unknown (looks like spruce shaft and basswood blade), and a double-bladed by Bending Branches (not sure of the wood). sub-total - 5
One Grey Owl and the Bending Branches have shafts with the grain perpendicular to the flat-sawn blades. The two basswood Grey Owls and the bent shaft have flat-sawn blades and the grain in the shafts is oriented the same as that in the blades.
The total of 18 does not include the first paddle I owned, and still have, a plastic and aluminum Mohawk, nor does it include four or five plastic and aluminum Old Town kayak paddles. Also not in the count is a pair of Shaw & Tenney oars -- spruce, flat-sawn -- for use when I get the Dan Neal rowing canoe or the Henry Packard wood/canvas rowboat restored. And also not counted are the two sassafras boards waiting to be carved into paddles.
The collection is a family project, a joint effort, some attributable to Deborah as user or purchaser. Two were commissioned by Deborah as gifts to me, and three others of the hand-made paddles were bought at fund-raisers -- a good way to justify buying such things.
The Grey Owl walnut/basswood started the collection; it was my first wood paddle nearly 35 years ago, still used once in a while, and the Alexandra Conover Bennett north woods style (65th birthday present) is my usual user.