Oars - A Opa and Kieran Project

  My Grandson likes to work with wood and tools.  When he comes to our house we usually end up making something in the shop.  It is best when we can make something that is useful, and this time we did.

  Soon we will be going to a rented cottage on a lake, we are taking a small inflatable boat and yesterday we made oars.

  We used cedar fence boards to make these 39 inch oars. Since we began the project with 1 1/2 inch square boards it was an opportunity for K to use a hand plane to shape the handles. The blades where cut on our band saw and screwed to the handles with a cordless drill. The new tool for K was the random orbital sander.  He liked how much faster things went when using the sander.  It was always tough to get him to spend time hand sanding.

  Over the last couple of years Kieran has learned to use the band saw, cordless drill, drill press and orbital sander.  The important hand tool he has begun using is the hand plane, and he does like clamps too.  His education in the shop is progressing, slowly, but steadily.

  When he is paddling the boat around at the lake using paddles he made I am sure his level of satisfaction will be higher that if he was using plastic paddles.  

cheers, ianw