MIMF

Another basic question from a rookie. Should binding strips be quarter-sawn, flat-sawn, or rift? The rosewood strips that have been giving me so much trouble are quarter-sawn and appears to have lots of runout. I’m trying a piece that is perfectly flat-sawn and was cut along a grain line. It is bending very easily with no breakage. Is this a matter of doing what works for the wood or is there a general guideline?

Thanks,

-Eric

It does not matter. Runout can cause splits but quarter-sawn or flat, no diff.

I agree. QS only matters to me when I am trying to have medullary rays show up in the binding. Runnout is a separate issue from QS or FS.

QS makes the best looking binding with curly wood, but it's harder to bend than skew cut, which can look almost as good. Straight grain QS wood also tends to twist less than skew or flat cut in my experience, but run out can cause problems for sure. You have to pick the binding wood as carefully as any other in the build.