Originally Posted by
Bruce
You may have a problem with pine as it has hard and soft areas in the growth rings and the hard parts of that grain pattern will tend to stand proud of the soft parts - more so with wear. Balsa and basswod don't have this problem and should work better for you than any wood with a pronounced grain pattern. And my opinion is that softer wood is better for a pasted paddle than is a harder wood. Save the harder woods for the core of the paddle and glue a thin, soft veneer or face onto it.
:beer2: