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Inexpensive/Quick Paddle Strops
I wanted to experiment with using paddle strops and testing various pastes. So I made these using some of the methods I read about here in the forum.
I went to Tandy and bought a 1.5 inch wide by 72 inch long cowhide strip for about $15. I also bought the Barge Cement there as well. At Home Depot I was looking at 1.5 inch wide poplar strips that were about $2 for four-foot lengths. However, I noticed these really nice yard-sticks that were the same size and seemed very stable and flat. They were 60 cents each so I bought three.
I cut the leather into 11-inch pieces and cut the yard sticks into 16-inch pieces. No ripping was required since the leather and the wood were already the same width.
You can see in the photo of the end-grain that they are quarter-sawn, so they should be stable. I don't think they will need any finish other than what ever they came with. (I don't plan to get them wet.)
These aren't much to look at, but they work great. They seem very flat and I haven't seen any tendency to warp. They came out to about $4 each for 6.
I included a regular old yard stick in the first photos to show that these Home Depot sticks were much stouter. They were in a bucket by the paint counter.
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