: I would like to carve a cedar Greenland paddle. I like the looks, smell and
: light weight of cedar. Unfortunately, all the cedar 2x4x8 I see are either
: crooked, full of knots, or both.
: However, I see plenty of beautiful and straight cedar 2x2x8.
: Is it possible to laminate (glue) two 2x2x8 together into one 2x4x8 ?
: Should I use epoxy or specially strong wood glue? Will the bond be strong
: enough to withstand the chiseling when carving the paddle? Or is the idea
: doomed to fail?
: Thanks for any suggestions

Hi Skiffrace,
Short answer, yep, laminating'll work fine.

As the others said, use a waterproof glue, a straight flat gluing surface and plenty of clamps.
Some have deliberately cut a 2X4 in two to get the grain the way they prefer, vertical.

The wonderful thing about laminating timber is that, with good glues, you can use almost any quality of timber. Just use the best bits. Laminating also lets you strengthen a piece with different timber or just more decorative looking.

Mike Savage
South West Cork