vertical grain is stronger than horizontal grain

[bassman]

John , makes sense. Good info.

[Artus]

Thanks for your replies!

So for ash, edge grain is a good choice, if I get you right.

[bradsmith2010]

In theory maybe,,but for Osage and other twisty woods,,,I don't know if there would be an advantage,,,

[DC]

Vertical and horizontal grain?? Which is which and how did he come up with those names?

[Scyth]

DC -

Example of vertical & horizontal grain wood . . .

(and to complicate things further . . . well you get the picture ! )

regards,

Scyth

[Stick Bender]

I saw some test with some guys spine type testing thread some where, I tried to look but didn't find it , I have used both and generally I figure about 2 lb difference in draw weight for the same thickness limb using edge grain ,but it always boils down to the quality of wood used ,I would take flat sawn wood with no run out vs edge grain with run out , it's very hard to get perfect edged grain wood with white woods and not as economical as flat sawn , I think the choice becomes even less important when used as a core or on a backed bow !

[George Tsoukalas]

Quarter sawn or edge grain tolerates no run outs while rift (bias) and plane or flat sawn will tolerate a few for a 50# bow.
Jawge

[bradsmith2010]

On a stave,,,I prefer to follow a ring

[DC]

DC -

Example of vertical & horizontal grain wood . . .

(and to complicate things further . . . well you get the picture ! )

regards,

Scyth

So which is vertical and which is horizontal? Nothing in the pictures uses those words.

[PatM]

That shouldn't be too hard to figure out if you stare at the pic for a minute.

[DC]

Thanks Pat. I was confused because I hold my boards on edge

[bradsmith2010]

Then your horizontal,,,would be vertical,..
If u follow a ring,,,,your bow is less likely break...the edge grain may be stronger,,,but it may not be as durable,,,,that's why most stave bows are not oriented like that,,..it works good for a board stave,,,when designed properly,,..I have no scientific,,,proof,,,,,just my opinion ,,..

[Artus]

Thanks for your replies. I think I‘m gonna give it a try!

[avcase]

Wooden bats are less prone to break if the ball is hit so the edge grain is oriented to strike the ball. This is why the label for the bat is placed across the flat grain of the bat, and the correct way to hit is with the label pointed up. So this would tend to favor better strength and less sensitivity to grain disruption for edge grain Vs. flat grain.

I am not a prolific self bow builder. All mine are made from boards and I always went with edge grain. I’m sure there is much published data for this, since these kinds of details are important for using wood to build everything from aeroplanes to houses.

Another comment, a spine test will give an indication of the stiffness of the material, but the strength of a material is a completely different property. Sometimes the stiffness and strength of a material seem to be related, but this isn’t necessarily always the case.

Alan

[gfugal]

The reason edge grain, or even the less heard of "flipped grain" that was mentioned, isn't used could either be because it is difficult to do, not as strong, or likely just not tradition. I think you will find that a lot of people just do what has been done assuming it's for a good reason. Maybe it is or maybe it isn't. At least it works, which is the safe bet, but I don't think it's good enough to take tradition at face value. Blindly following dogma leads to no progress it just produces the same results we have, which may be enough for some people.

I'm going into the medical profession, and it is amazing to see the progress that was made once people started using research, and basing their medical practice on evidence. It's possible that in trying new things you will find they don't work that well, but maybe you could find it works better. I personally would like to see people, myself included, try new things and report their findings rather than just speculating that it probably wouldn't work, just because it isn't traditionally done.