My Martini...

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Matthew Tucker

I always thought going to slab grain at the flanks meant that the wood was not cut exactly on the quarter.

I have thought about what you said above again and again but I can't for the life of me see why this is a sign of a small tree?

Not that it matters all that much.

Well, the center of the Bass (2-piece book matched) is ultra fine vertical grain and a few inches later, it turns to slab grain and once again at the flanks goes back to vertical grain. If you slab slice a log, it will be vertical grain towards the sap side and slab/flat grain towards the heart. This is all sap colored wood hence we think it was a relatively a small tree and cut slightly above the heart showing vertical grain from both sides of the slab. The slice/billet was maybe 14" wide before book matching.