"Ernest Christley" wrote

There's not a rule stating that you can't combine species. A lamination
of a harder wood on the front and back of the prop would improve the props
chances of survival.

Perhaps it would improve, but the hub could still crush the weaker inner
layers.

If it was only crush strength on the surface, that could be fixed by a
thicker washer the hub bolts go through, but that is not the case. The
softer wood in the inner layers that you propose would still crush, which
would lessen the pressure between the hub and wood and washer and wood.

For those that did not know, it is the friction between the hub and the prop
that drives the prop, not the wood being pressed on by the bolts. When the
pressure holding the prop goes down, so does the friction, and the charring
begins, all of the way to failure.
--
Jim in NC