Edge grain vs flat...

[OkKeith]

Hey All-

What's up with edge grain vs flat grain for lams and veneers? Is it just an aesthetics thing or are there performance differences?

OkKeith

[skeaterbait]

Can't say that I really know but my guess would be nothing. Most veneers are so thin any gain or loss would be almost imperceptible.

[Pat B]

You'll get a lot better grain pattern from flat grain. The wood in a glass bow is mostly decorative.

[Roy from Pa]

Not a thing for glass bows.

Just looks.

[Bowjunkie]

I try to use edge grain for structural performance in the core lams, and flat grain for the lams visible under clear glass... because flat grain is much better looking, imo... but never measured them for strength differences.

Veneers? I think any difference in strength or performance would be minute and irrelevant. Regular thickness lams like those used in a glass bow? Maybe it makes a small difference, but not much. More depends on the overall quality/integrity of the piece. The best looking flat sawn pieces are often the most 'compromised', and best used as veneers imo. As a 'lam' in a thicker-cored backed bow, or a trilam? It(flat, quarter, rift) might be measureable, or there may be other benefits related to construction, set, durability, etc of one over the other, but again, much depends on the specific characteristics of the piece. I judge them each on their own merits as best I can. Which is another reason I like to cut, season, select, and grind my own wood for my own bows when possible.

I just came home with some massive chunks of black walnut a few minutes ago, for my workbench and gunstocks, and whatever, all quarter sawn... but now you got me thinking about some of the nice flat sawn stuff they had, and that I should have grabbed some for glass bow lams.

~sigh~ if I keep this up, I'm going to have to build a new building just to keep wood in. 

[Buemaker]

Can never have enough wood, build a new building.

[Pat B]

I think edge of bias grain giver better performance for all wood board bows. For self bows, flat grain.

[Flem]

According to the USDA wood handbook, plainsawed wood is more elastic, in most cases, than quartersawed.
Which also means quartersawed is stronger in tension. So I guess it depends on your application and what are your expectations. Personally I try to use plainsawed whenever possible, especially on the back of a bow. Self bows are almost always made with the tension/compression load perpendicular the growth rings.
That said, you can make a pretty snappy bow with a de-crowned stave.

What Pat said