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Maximum rip width for 3/4" red oak
In article ,
says...
"Bay Area Dave" wrote in message
...
I like your analogy to a bowling alley! Perhaps he should
leave the spots off when he builds his bookshelf. oh yeah,
and omit the foul line. 
"The first 12 ft of all wooden lanes is made of maple, the
next 46 feet is made of pine and the pin deck is made of
maple" - Ruth Midgley, The Rule Book.
Seems to me the whole alley should be Maple. IIRC the alley is only about
75' anyway. Maybe the pine is soft enough for the ball to finally start
gripping and do its magical curving.
Actually, it has nothing to do with the wood. Pine is used for
economy's sake, and it is typically SYP. The approach and the first
15' of lane are maple to deal with the lofting of the bowling balls and
the resulting impact made on the wood.
Today, many centers with wooden lanes breathe new life into the lanes by
replacing the pin decks with adjustable height phenolic decks, and they
use high pressure glue injection machines to bond the approach and head
area boards together for less wear and tear.
Today's poly finishes on the lane produce an even surface that lane
dressing (commonly known as "oil") is applied to. Believe me, I've seen
many lane conditions where it wouldn't matter if you had sandpaper on
the lanes - the ball wouldn't hook.
In the old days, lacquer and shellac were used as finishes, and they
would wear out in the ball track area. Since everyone used some sort of
rubber ball, the typical wear area was between the first and second
arrows on the left and right side. Once the wear was pronounced, all
you had to do in most cases was to drop the ball in that area and watch
the fun.
Today, ball technology and lane dressings can conjure up some magic.
Even an average bowler can make today's equipment hook 10-15 boards,
regardless of talent or conditioner pattern. Unfortunately, like most
things, a high tech ball goes for $150-200. And if you bowl tournaments
or multiple leagues, it's not uncommon to carry 3-6 different bowling
balls. Thank God they invented rolling bags!
--
Regards,
Rick
(Remove the HIGH SPOTS for e-mail)
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