: Hi everyone,

: I am debating which is the best way to build a wooden paddle, especially the
: blade. It seems common to carve/sand/saw the spoon shape of the blade. The
: disadvantage is that you cut through the fibers. The strength of the blade
: should be higher, if you steam bend a flat blade and then clamp it to the
: proper shape. Has anyone tried this?

No, but I've considered it. It depends if you're really avoiding grain runout. If the grain runs off the edge of the plank anyway, you're not saving yourself much effort/strength by steaming it. However, if the grain runs from end-to-end without much runout, you could probably see some strength gains over cutting it.

: Does anyone has suggestions on what the best blade curvatures are?

I made my first two paddles with 1/2" draft along 18" of curve.

My vacuum-bagged blades that you saw at the Rendezvous had nearly 1.5" along 21" of curve. This is a bit too much curvature. 3/4" or so would be nice.

: I am
: thinking of only a curved blade along its length but keep it flat
: perpendiculat to it.

A slight amount of convex curve perpendicular to the length, or a dihedral, will make your blade flutter a bit less.

:Any articles or comments are highly appreciated.

I haven't seen any--you mostly have to try different commercial paddles--note the ones you like. Build some prototypes and improve upon them.

Shawn