Yuloh What I'm Talking About

dLj

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Mar 23, 2017
3,373
Belliure 41 Sailing back to the Chesapeake
I
What I'm interested in finding is a good cheap source for the tubing and hardware. Anyone have a supplier they could recommend?
-Will (Dragonfly)
Mcmaster-Carr as both brass and bronze tubing as well as a number of other alloys in tubing. Don't know if that would help you or not. Cheap is a difficult adjective to use - everyone has their own definition. ;)

dj
 
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Oct 19, 2017
7,733
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
Ok, I found a fantastic article on hollow wooden loom paddle and oar construction. http://sawdustfactory.nfshost.com/paddles/ Absolutely beautiful.

I'm thinking of using spruce and cedar. I'm so encouraged, because I was worrying about the strength of those two woods for such a purpose. He uses a bird's mouth construction technique that should simplify construction and gluing.

It is self-aligning, so no jigs. Checkout that hollow center to make room for a shock cord to hold everything together while allowing it to collapse for storage.
Certainly if those tiny strips of cedar will support this kind of paddling
, a 1-3/4" diameter yuloh loom should work just fine.

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
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Dec 25, 2000
5,703
Hunter Passage 42 Shelter Bay, WA
I'm thinking of using spruce and cedar
Hi Will, nice project and interesting construction technique. Spruce is one of the harder conifers, but it is somewhat unstable and prone to check. Douglas fir would be a better choice, IMHO. Red cedar is highly resistant to rot, but low structural strength. Should hold up okay to paddle stress. First Nation people used white cedar for most all their needs, but becoming quite rare due to over harvesting. Easy to work with, a bit stronger than red cedar and also highly resistant to rot.
 
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Oct 19, 2017
7,733
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
Thanks for the breakdown Terry. What you wrote about the low strength of cedar is what I was thinking too. That's why I was encouraged about the article by sawdustfactory. I know masts and other spars are often made from spruce, that was going to be the wood I used until I read the article on hollow shaft paddles. Now you got me wondering again.
Dimension lumber at the local Lowes or home depot is an unidentified mix of spruce fir and pine. Maybe I'll go for cheap and easy and look for a straight clear 2x8 to rip a prototype out of. If it comes out well, I'm done.

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,995
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Wood working.
Three possibilities.
  1. It comes out perfect but the colors suck.
  2. It comes out pretty but no strength so functional suck.
  3. It looks good. It feels good and suck, it’s too pretty to put in the water so you hang it on the wall as art and start again.
Best part you get to play with wood and tools.
 
Apr 5, 2009
2,774
Catalina '88 C30 tr/bs Oak Harbor, WA
If you can find it, Port Orford Cedar would be a good choice of wood. it is strong, light, straight grained and rot / insect resistant. As a structural engineer, I specify it for exterior glue lam beams. It is almost as strong as doug-fir and holds up outside without pressure treatment.
 

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
I've seen that process but never realized, it's pretty simple. Amazingly strong it's a sort of composite piece when complete with strength supplied along the glue lines and straight fibers.

As long as you use relatively clear grain stock, I'd go for the lighter cedar or spruce as weight seems to be the main objective (I think?).

Sort of reminds me of split bamboo fly rods the Orvis makes.
 

Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
I've seen that process but never realized, it's pretty simple. Amazingly strong it's a sort of composite piece when complete with strength supplied along the glue lines and straight fibers
Very impressive. My brother-in-law built a mast for his Herreshoff 12 1/2 using this technique. A thing of beauty, as is the boat itself.
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,733
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
Port Orford Cedar
Port Orford Cedar.
That is the consensus and conclusion I came to, as well. However, it is hard to find under that name at any reasonable price. Port Orford Cedar grows in the PNW and I can find PNW cedar. If it were the same, I would think it would be marketed under the name Port Orford Cedar.
I made my hatchboards out of Spanish Red Cedar because it was available. It's nice wood to work with, but it is very light, it splits easily. I really don't think it is even a good wood for a hatchboard. I chose it because I thought mahogany is too dark for wood burning. I've since burned mahogany and it is dark and lacks great contrast, but it burns really nicely. The image is smooth and even and clear. I also plan to embellish the yuloh.
I'd go for the lighter cedar or spruce as weight seems to be the main objective (I think?).
Weight is a consideration, but it isn't the biggest consideration. I don't want a 16' oar to be hard to handle, but I don't need feather light either. Ash and white oak seem like it would be heavy. If cedar is strong enough, I'll go with the light weight as the deciding factor.
Before composites, racing oars where made hollow from spruce. That's a lot of force on a piece of hollow 2" wood.

-Will (Dragonfly)
 

Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
You might check advantagelumber.com They have lots of different woods available.
Another site to check for exotic woods is aquaquestinternational.com. They have reclaimed wood from the bottom of a river in Nicaragua. Some 100 year old mahogany and Caribbean pine. The grains are amazing.
 
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