"D Steck" wrote in message
...
Okay correct me if I'm wrong (which I'm sure you all will), but I'd swear
I read on the wreck or heard David Marks say on his show, that if you're
going to use a really wide piece of wood, that you should split it, let is
sit for a few days, and then joint it and glue it back together in order
to release the tension in it. The theory is that over time, a wide piece
of wood will move a great deal and by splitting it, you can get it to move
more quickly and have a more stable piece in the future.

You may be right about David Marks, but if he meant it to apply to _any_
wide board, he was wrong. It's the orientation of the growth rings, their
placement and spacing which make the difference.

A piece of wood made up of narrow boards will move as much as a single
board, all other factors remaining equal. In reality, however, there is a
bit of randomization which may allow it to move less than some full boards.
Looks like sh*t, though, just to compensate for the "stability."