Herkimer & Perkins: Building Backyard Boats in Buffalo, NY

My Backyard Boats:

The Piccup Squared

Getting my oars in a row

19 June 03: Since I'm still letting the topcoat on the hull cure, I tackled the oars today. Yesterday I roughed out a yuloh for the Harmonica, too. I've been using my new bandsaw to make the oars and the yuloh. I have a way to go before I can say that I'm proficient with the bandsaw, but it's fun to use, anyway.

I've been saving a 4x4x8-foot Douglas fir fence post, almost clear, for a year now. I had big plans for it, but after I ran it through the bandsaw, which barely could cut it, I ended up with enough pieces to add to some spruce to makes the oars and the yuloh.

What's a yuloh? It's a long, blade-heavy oar for sculling. Do a Google search on yuloh; there's some interesting stuff.

Next step is to shape the oars, coat with epoxy, and topcoat with varnish.

Cost so far: Add $10 for the doug fir I used, for a total so far of $371.16.

Time spent so far: Add 4 hours for the work so far on the oars, for a total so far of 108 hours.

Piccup Squared building log index

I used spruce for the center and fir for the outside pieces of the oars. I could have made the oars from the spruce along, but the piece had some back dings, and I like the two-tone look anyway. The fir also will make the oars loom-heavy, which the plans call for.
Since I have the bandsaw, I did some additional shaping before gluing up. I'm working in the basement on this stuff; it a lot more isolated that the shop but has the heavy power tools.
They look like a dog's breakfast now, but I know they will be beautiful when I'm finished.