: With a circular shaft there would be no need to twist it for
: feathering. Which prompts the question - why not taper the two
: extra wide staves down to the same width as the other staves at
: the ends? Te idea is to make the shaft circular where it meets
: the blades. Has anyone tried this or does anyone see a problem?

I use an unfeathered paddle, but I think I can help with this.

The idea of the oval shaft/loom is to help your hand orient itself and increase paddling comfort, I think.
The loom needs to have the 'twist' in the middle, so that where your hand falls, the oval indicates the blade orientation.
If you were going to make any part of the loom circular, it would logically be the central part, I think. This would provide a good area for attaching a ferrule if wanted, or you could just saw the paddle in half and re-glue with the desired feather.

Does this make sense?