Book match grain question

[Patrick Chase]

The difference in light reflection of book matched halves depends STRICTLY o wether the wood in question is cut EXACTLY WITH the grain,or if the tree had a twist to it, as I have mentioned. If this is the case,you will be looking at the grain going DOWN in one half of a book match,and the grain coming UP in the other.

The only way to avoid this is to use SPLIT wood. If it is split(as in with an axe or a froe),the wood will be at its most parallel in both halves. The best violin tops sold are SPLIT,not SAWN.

As a cellist this piqued my curiosity: Are those the best cosmetically, or does managing the grain direction that way also help with acoustic properties by ensuring alignment of the grain with the back's long axis?

I'd guess that splitting does both...

[Phil Mueller]

Good to know George, thank you.

[Chris Fournier]

Wood that has been split or riven is superior to sawn wood in instruments and other objects because careful machining afterwards delivers pieces with no grain runout, short grain etc. When book matching I look at the grain of sawn lumber to anticpate problems and once I have chosen the book matched faces I am very careful to do the least amount of stock removal to these faces to ensure the best mirror image in the book matched halves. Not difficult to understand or do once you have put together a few disappointing pieces...