Ash for rudder blade ??

[El Mar]

If you read my other thread on needing a rudder blade......

I am going to construct a blade to the new design (shape) for my old, 1968 sunfish. I have all parts needed except for a blade (tiller, hardware, etc.)

All I have in stock for the 9-10" width right now is ash. Good? bad? what say you?

Also, I have a full wood shop so making it not a problem.

What do you think? Will I get laughed at on the beach.

 

[Alan S. Glos]

I have made dozens of wood Sunfish rudder blades but have always used mahogany. (White) Ash is a great hardwood for marine applications and is the wood of choice for making
gunnels on canoes and dinghys, but I have never seen a rudder made out of ash. If you us it I suggest you rip 3/4" thick strips and laminate them with epoxy. This way you will get a stiffer blade (ash is very flexible). Google "Fast Blades - Alan Glos" for an article I wrote about making small boat rudders.

Alan Glos

 

[L&VW]

I have made dozens of wood Sunfish rudder blades but have always used mahogany. (White) Ash is a great hardwood for marine applications and is the wood of choice for making
gunnels on canoes and dinghys, but I have never seen a rudder made out of ash. If you us it I suggest you rip 3/4" thick strips and laminate them with epoxy. This way you will get a stiffer blade (ash is very flexible). Google "Fast Blades - Alan Glos" for an article I wrote about making small boat rudders.

Alan Glos

Would you suggest reversing each strip—regarding the grain?

 

[Alan S. Glos]

Yes, alternate the grain to get resistance to warp. See the aforementioned article for the details. I made several rudder blades out of Sitka spruce.

Alan Glos

 

[El Mar]

I have plenty of mahogany in stock, just not in that width. If I choose to glue that up, I'll go with that.

Was hoping to avoid the glue up. But may come down to that.

This the article?

Duckworks Magazine - Fast Blades

 

[El Mar]

Just read the article. As a shop teacher, I can appreciate these parts of the article.

I was a high school student at the time, and usually took a wood shop class in lieu of an end-of-the-school day study hall, and I was always looking for projects.

My shop teacher, Mr. Nelson, told me that using a hand plane was the best method to rough out the shape. The planes in the shop were old and dull, and my first task was to grind a proper cutting angle on one of the plane irons and then hand sharpen it with a flat sharpening stone and cutting oil. I recall the process took the better part of three hours, but the result was a sharp plane that could shave a thin ribbon of mahogany without gouging or making burrs. I must admit that I became enthralled with the romance of using a sharp tool on a fine piece of wood.

Mr. Nelson often said: “Don’t forget that sandpaper is a tool” and even though we had a power sander in the shop, he made us do most of our sanding by hand. I sanded for days, and when I was done, the results were gratifying and the unfinished rudder blade looked great.