You are correct sapele grain changes direction in the same board and when cut 3/16x3/4 its a bear,To get around the breakage I cut a bunch of strips 3/16x3/8 which made it easier to bend but I still had to use dry heat,when two strips are together they equal a regular 3/4 strips, a lot more work but you must remember what you do on the left side must be done on the right that in itself is a huge job for me, IF I learned any thing in old age it was two most important things !- never trust your memory and 2- never trust a fart LOL but true nonetheless.Marc, You honor me with your kind words, I hold you among the many finer builders on this forum,of course it doesn't even come close but I as hugely impressed with the picture on the cover of Nick Shade's book I just had to try. If you are interested I have an interesting bow detail Nick R.