Oars built in the shop are handcrafted from scratch using traditional methods, hand-turned without the use of a lathe using various hand and power tools. Every set of oars are one-of-a-kind blends of art and function.
Oars are constructed utilizing solid ash oar-bodies with unique hardwoods laminated on the inboard side to add balance, strength, and flair. This coupling of an ash oar-body with various “cheek” woods allows for elegant combinations of color and character in each oar while maintaining the feel and durability of a solid wooden oar.
Oars are crafted in the shop utilizing a range of designs — from the conventional to the antiquated–with focus on balance, function, and the aesthetics of each oar. Artisan wanderings into shell and stone inlays, painting, or woodwork artistry further individualizes oars.
Oars are typically finished with bright and durable spar varnish or permeating and easy to refinish oil mixtures. To protect from the slow wearing of the oarlocks various oar-wraps are utilized from nylon rope wraps to traditional hand-sewn leather wraps.
In addition to building new custom oars, old wooden oars and paddles are also repaired and/or refurbished in the shop. Refurbishment services include: repairs, re-wrapping, counterbalancing/re-shaping, and re-finishing.
Within each wooden oar exists a story of the craftsmen, boatmen, and landscapes that have shaped them. It is the intention that the bespoke oars created within the Songbird Oars shop will have an inherent meaningfulness to them, that they will symbolize the venerable life of an oarsman and help tell the stories of those that row them.
Songbird Oars 