Pickleball Paddle

Instructions

This paddle assembly has a range of options for the build. For a simple paddle. The " Paddle No Edge Guard" can be cut from plywood (~0.5" thick) and handle pieces can be cut and glued on. More advanced builds require at least 3 layers; 2 outer plies and a core ply. I used the following: Laminate one sheet of outer ply material to the core (hex) material. I used 1/8 spruce as my outer material and 1/8 garolite as my core material. Once the glue is dried, fixture the laminate with the core layer up. Cut the hex pattern with a depth that equals the core thickness (1/8 in this example). Then cut out the outer profile. Cut out the remaining outer ply (Paddle with Edgeguard) and then glue it to the exposed hex pattern, making a sandwich. Clamp the assembly with the freshly glued outer ply facing down to avoid the glue dripping and filling up the hex cavities. Cut qty 1 "Paddle Edge Guard" from material that is at least as thick as your ply layers combined. I used 1/2 thick wenge. Glue the edge guard to the paddle assembly. Rubber bands can be helpful for uniform clamping. If the edge guard is thicker that the paddle assembly, use a sander/ planer/ saw to even the finish. Sand the outer faces to a nice finish before attaching the handles. Cut qty 2 "Paddle Handles". Decorative details optional. Glue the handle pieces to the paddle assembly. I recommend applying tape to the edges where glue may squeeze out to make final cleanup easier. File/ sand the handle portion of the final assembly to achieve a comfortable grip.