Oar Lathe

[Gadgeteer]

After breaking an oar, while floating the Yellowstone River, a friend gave me a pair of oars that were a bit too long for use on my jon boat. I came up with a quick and simple method to shorten the oars by turning new grips on the ends. An electric motor, linked by a drive belt, looped over an oar was adequate to turn at a useable rpm. I did not have any chisels at the time, so I sharpened the end of piece of 1/8 metal, which worked just fine.