: Richard,

: There is no reason that the two sides of the end of the shaft
: cannot taper toward the end. However they must be a flat plane
: so the edge of the blade pieces can glue to the surface of those
: planes. I have the 1997 edition and Figure 10-10 views the power
: face during glue up of the blades. The long axis of the shaft
: oval is perpendicular to the blade’s face. A right hand
: feathered paddle allows the right hand to never let go of the
: shaft during the entire stroke. The left hand only lines up with
: the shaft when the left blade is in the water (really a little
: before the entry) and is loose to rotate on the shaft the rest
: of the time. So if you hold on tight with the right hand the top
: of the left hand must rotate away from your body to align with
: the shaft. The most common feather angle is 60 degrees so start
: there for your first feathered paddle. A really high paddle
: stroke will be more (I use 75 degrees) and a low stroke can use
: less. With zero degree feathered paddle you must switch grip
: hands when the paddle is horizontal in front of the paddler
: during the stroke to avoid up and down wrist flexure.

Yup, Dave, I understand now - I just planed the wrong sides. I trusted teh picture rather than the text - mistake! Didn't think it through. Yes I got the ends planed flat, so the blades could be glued. I did the compound scarf, ending up with roughly 60 deg. I think I will rip off the blades and make a new shaft. I have enough material left - bought a 1x6x10', and added some redwood scraps and cherry edges to the blades.

Another question though. When transferring the blade curve to the shaft, he moves the inner end forward somewhat. The blades are then glued on that curve, and the inner end sticks out - presumably to be thinned and come even eventually?

Rich