It finally happened, I now own a OT* paddle

Dan Lindberg

Ex Wood Hoarder
After all these years (and canoes) an OT paddle finally followed me home. (At least I "think" it could be based on the decal on it).

This a a wall hanger as the shaft was/is broken years ago.
I also assume it isn't very old, 1970's-80's maybe do to the decal.
But my question is the wood species, my 1st reaction is ash, but it seems too light for ash, (compared to my other ash paddles) and the grain doesn't look/seem like spruce either.
What do folk's think?

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Break Side.JPG

Break Top.jpg

Decal.jpg

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Shaft Grain.JPG

Dan
* - new OT don't count - as I did buy a couple unfinished in the 200x's from the company that made them for OT back then.
 
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That style decal was first used during the early 1970s and the catalogs from that era only listed ash or spruce paddles. The grain appears to be ash so my guess is that you may have an unusually light one. The picture below shows an ash paddle from Alexandra Conover on top and an Old Town spruce paddle from that era on the bottom. Nice find,

Benson



IMG_4934.jpg
 
Thanks Benson,
After seeing your spruce image, yes, it's not spruce.
My paddle has very tight grain resulting in odd markings (to me).
I weighed it and another ash paddle,

1 lb 12 oz for the broken paddle
2 lb 4 oz for a sample ash paddle (that has much wider grain)

It must have been a nice paddle to use in it's day.

Dan
 
Fools rush in where wise men fear to tread!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Having been known to have ridiculous ideas, could the paddle be cypress? The weight differential is too great for me to think it is ash.
 
I'm not familiar with cypress. Sure looks like ash from here. The weight is unusual though.
 
Could it be Hackberry? It has grain similar to ash, but I don't know how it compares with the weight of ash...
 
Or Sassafras? That is commonly mixed in with lifts of ash, and is much lighter weight, a little browner in colour.
 
Interesting, images of Sassafras does look a lot like what this is, and that might explain it's breaking, (I wouldn't have expected a ash paddle to break like this.)
 
Well, if we are showing off our Sassy paddles,... see if you can differentiate the American Chesntut in the group photo.
 

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