One of the things guitar builders worry about is grain direction. It’s generally agreed that quarter-sawn wood is the most stable, or at least that it moves in a predictable, uniform way when the relative humidity changes. It seems to bend more easily, without breaks, than flat-sawn wood (I prefer quarter-sawn sides and bindings for that reason). And everyone agrees that it is stiffer than flat-sawn timber.

After handling quite a bit of brace wood, I began to question that last assumption. Continue reading “Brace Stiffness: Quarter-sawn vs Flat-sawn” →