: 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?

I had assumed the twist was to make the two the blade/shaft joints the same, and the oval section was partly for comfort and partly for extra fore-and-aft strength . When using a feathered paddle, doesn't the "power hand" maintain a constant grip on the shaft to assure control?