teach me about grain orientation

[archey]

I bought some 12 quarter flat sawn honduran mahogany the other day. It's 14 inces wide by four feet long by three inches thick. My question is if I cut it in half, can I turn it on its side and use it for necks?
I guess to put it a different way, when a piece of flat sawn wood is turned on it's side, making the growth rings run up and down instead of side to side, is it close to being a quarter sawn piece? I hope what I'm trying to ask makes sense! Also this maybe a stupid question but thanks for the help!

 

[Freddy G]

Yes, its as simple as that.

 

[bruce bennett]

yes basically correct.

UNLESS your board has whats called "Rift sawn" grain, this is grain that is on a 45 degree angle.

then no matter which way you turn it, the grain still ends up being on a 45 degree.

 

[archey]

Thanks guys! It's pretty straight across, so I guess it will be pretty well quartered. I think I can get four necks out of it. Not bad for $100!

 

[DRF]

Being 1 pc body stock I'd rather try to get more out of it than necks, I view H. Mahogany like treasure but that's just me. At 3 inches thick you have a lot of options but need resaw capabilities.

 

[Murkar]

Mmmmm.......I'm imagining all the parlor guitars you could get out of that lol

 

[Renkenstein]

I don't mean to hijack, but I've got a related question. Can rift sawn be used if laminated with something else to counteract twist, or is rift sawn completely undesireable.

 

[pshupe]

I think it depends what you are using it for but rift sawn is perfectly fine for most things. I think necks are pretty important to be quarter sawn if they are one piece.

Quarter sawn lumber usually lacks interesting grain patterns because the grain is parallel in the face. Structurally quarter sawn is very strong and more stable.

This is related to my very limited experience.

Regards Peter.

 

[Renkenstein]

Thanks. I was considering using a flat sawn piece of maple I have in between a couple pieces of rift sawn mahogany. I've been hesitant on pulling the trigger because of potential twist. I reckon there's only 1 real way to find out!

 

[emoney]

If you're talking about a neck, I think you'll be fine because a laminate neck is always stronger.

 

[bruce bennett]

anytime your laminating a blank for a neck,
try to visualize where the center of the tree was in the board and turn your pieces so that the center of the tree is in the center of the neck.
this will give you the most stable blank.