The 7'7" Nutshell Pram which will serve as Ruth Avery's tender
requires a pair of six and a half foot oars. To make a 6 1/2 foot
oar, I start by cutting the pattern out of one inch ash boards.
Since the loom needs to be two inches in diameter near the
grip, I glue two of these patterns together.
I use as many clamps as possible for gluing.
After truing up the edges of the laminated patterns with a plane,
I cut out the grip at right angles to the pattern, to form a square grip.
A circle is drawn at the end of the grip; the grip is shaped with saw, chisel, rasp, and finally sandpaper.
Next I cut the taper into the blade. After marking the taper on both edges, I use a circular saw to cut very nearly down to the marking, at approximately one inch intervals. The wastage is then cleared away with a chisel.
And finally planed smooth ...
I then return to the loom, turning the octagoal shaft into a sixteen-sided shaft using a bevel plane. After that, heavy grit sandpaper stuck on the inside of half of a piece of plastic pipe is used to make it round. Finally the oars are given a complete sanding in preparation for varnishing.
