Hmm...I just noticed something.

In the photo below, the Bird's-Mouth 8 has the 'birds mouth' cut off-center in the strip. I always centered the cut in the strip. The result with their method is that you need to remove less wood to get the completed shaft.

However, you can't flip strips end-for end to hide unsightly grain or a small knot inside the shaft.

: For anybody thinking about making birdmouth paddle shafts, Lee Valley has
: just simplified the process by adding router bits to their catalog. A more
: complete description of the process is found on Shawn Baker's website. for
: making a paddle, 6 of the sides are small (e.g. 3/8" wide), 2 are
: wide (e.g. 5/8"), and are arranged 3 short / 1 long / 3 short / 1
: long. The ridges are then planed or sanded down and the result is a light,
: stout shaft with lots of glue area between the strips.

Using a lamination of 8 different strips for a shaft also minimizes the effect of grain runout

: The cuts can also be made on a table saw with an adjustable arbor angle, but
: it's difficult to match the precision of a router table with one of these
: dudes in it.