I have a few questions on wood to get straight before I spend money.

1) What is "grain runout?" I have heard it referenced a few places but I am not sure I know what it is.

2) What orientation do I want the grain to be in on my strips. I have read and re-read Nick's section on wood (page 36) and get confused every time. He says flat grained planks when stripped become vertical grained. I understand that. He also implies this is the best way to go. They are easier to sand and plain. Next paragraph he says flat grained is okay but the softer parts will sand faster and can lead to a rippled surface. I understand that as well. But it seems to me that he has it backwards. I look at the pictures of the wood cross sections and I think the strips that are quarter sawed would ripple more. Am I wrong? Bottom line... do I want strips with the grain going across the thickness, like the top right image of Fig 3-19, or across the width, like the bottom right image of fig 3-19?

Thanks

Chris