Grain orientation in curved chair parts
delaunj53
| Posted in Ask the Experts Archive on
My question concerns grain orientation when cutting curved parts for crest rails and back legs. It would be great if I had mahogany whose grain followed the shape of the part, but I can’t figure out how to minimize short grain and the piece breaking. Any hepl, especially a picture, would be appreciated.
Replies
Hi,
I have used solid wood for rear legs. I try to orient the grain along the length of the part, trying to minimize the cross grain angle at the top and bottom. I favor have less cross grain at the top for appearance. The bottom of the leg is less noticeable. .I would not in any case let the cross angle be more than 45 degrees.
I usually laminate the crest rails. I have used 1/8" thick laminates, usually six, and springback is pretty minimal. If you keep the laminates in the order they were resawn, the crest rail will not look like a lamination.
I am posting one or two pictures that may be helpful.
Good luck, Tom.
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