Slab vs. Quarter, wide vs. fine

[Matthew Tucker]

Originally Posted by John Delventhal

What about combining the two types of cuts? Keep the quarter-sawn wood in the center of the top table for the bridge, neck block, and heel block. But, have the outer sides of the table be slap-cut.

This is, in fact, what happens naturally with quartersawn tops; the tightest grain is in the middle, at the seam, and the grain tends to go wider at the flanks. Also, if the board is not EXACTLY quartersawn, the grain will run almost slab-like at the flanks. I'm not shy to use wood that is not exactly quartersawn for this reason; the way i see it, the most vertical grain in the middle will strengthen the arch and resist splitting, and the slabbier wood at the flanks adds flexibility at the edges where it is needed.