Do you suppose that when professional baseball players are trying to describe vertical vs. flat grain they begin by saying, "If you have a wood-strip kayak around, take a look at it." ? ;-) Couldn't resist, Ed. Sorry.

Ross

: --SNIP--

: So, the best verbal picture I can think of for differentiating vertical grain
: and flat grain is of a baseball bat. Stan, if you have a baseball bat
: around, take a look at it. You'll notice the label where it says,
: "Louisville Slugger" or something like that, branded into the
: wood. That label is on the "flat grain" section of the wood. In
: the proper hitting position, the label is facing the sky when the bat
: meets the ball in the strike zone, so the ball hits the "vertical
: grain", 90 deg away from the label on the flat grain. The bat (the
: wood) is strongest in this orientation.

: Rehd's discusses planning your rips so that the end product strip is made to
: be vertical grain. This is a good plan, but not so critical to the success
: of the boat building that I would hesitate to use flat grained strips in
: the final product. I did, and they turned out fine.

: Ed Valley