It doesn't need to. One should be able to rip, joint and reglue without
disturbing the grain noticeably.

I showed in a message above what can be done, and I'm doing another in a
couple days out of Mahogany. You won't be able to tell.

The whole flipping growth rings (up, down, up)--if that's what you mean--is
a myth. Just place them for best looks.

MikeW

"George" George@least wrote in message
...

"D Steck" wrote in message
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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."