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I based my paddle layout on memory of a Coyne bellows that I saw somewhere. They were rather large as I remember.

The bellows paddle template is drawn in CorelDraw!, a CAD-like vector drawing program, printed, transferred onto cardstock, and traced onto good quality 1/2" oak veneer plywood. Quality hardwood really should be used for the paddles, but oak plywood in inexpensive and allows for experimentation. Poplar or beech are very light woods, fairly durable, and readily available, and may be what I standardize on. Maple is a nice wood for paddles, especially if it is fiddle back flamed or has burls, but that sort of maple figure can be expensive and hard to find. Optimally, paddles could be a little thinner that 1/2", but I don't have planes or a planer machine to do that.

Note that this template does double duty for stapled or tacked bellows and stitched bellows. If you look closely at the bellows template you will see that there is a line where a routed groove for stitching can go if you feel the need for penitance.