: Thanks Brian, from this and the lack of other posts I deduce that this is not
: a problem and that one can safely leave an oiled paddle to
: "freeze" and thaw as the winter goes its course...

: Wish I could, but here at 60 northern we get that hard stuff , and then snow,
: plenty of snow

Where are you located?

: This paddle has been a "sacrificial" project, now in its 4th
: "incarnation", so logically I guess I should keep on subjecting
: it to experiments... in this case wiping it with turpentine and then
: leaving it in dry and warm indoor storage, just to see if it will dry
: further and loose some weight...hmmmm?

I'm not sure why, but the cedar available around here is always soaking wet.I always allow my paddle stock to dry for several days at a minimum (in my kitchen - it's one of the benefits to bachelor living) before I cut out the paddle blank, I let the blanks sit for at least a a day or two before final shaping, especially if the wood is damp inside after I taper the blade faces. I find that they will looses a fair amount of weight during that time.

Red cedar also seems to vary a lot in density. I have two 90" blanks prepped currently and there's 9 ounces difference between them. The heavier one has much tighter grain. Both blanks will loose a fair amount of weight in the final shaping process, but there will probably still be 6-7 ounces difference in the finished paddles.