Lumber question for a strip built.

[Cut N Shoot]

What is the best grain orientation for lumber on a strip built Kayak. Quarter sawn , flat sawn ,early wood, late wood which one?

[Cut N Shoot]

Sorry I just found it in the builder tips

[Cut N Shoot]

Nope actually after reading it better it dosent spell it out so if someone can i would appreciate it.

[gerald]

It doesn't matter how the wood is cut except with regards to grain orientation for your intended usage. For example: if you have a very nice quarter sawn 1 X 8 and you cut it into 1/4" X 3/4" strips the strips will be flat sawn. What you start with is not what you end up with.

Generally for the hull you want grain that is perpendicular to the anticipated stresses. That would mean a quarter sawn "strip". But toss all those words out the window. "Grain orientation" is what you are looking for. There are times you don't want perpendicular grain because it's not as pretty as a flat sawn strip. You're going for looks. I generally use flat sawn "strips" on decks. There are times I don't much care about grain orientation and use what I've got. Sometimes color match or contrast is what's more important. Only in specialized boats and usages do you really need to be overly concerned with grain orientation. So--use wood in any way you need with a full understanding of the positives and negatives of what you are doing. My marathon boats are built with grain perpendicular to anticipated stresses because I want them STRONG, but they can be plain jane boats. I don't care about plain--I care about finishing the race with my marathon boats. You CAN use flat sawn strips on hull if you're looking for something that is not so plain--but it might not be as strong. Probably strong enough though.
Is that clear....?...as mud?...

[Cut N Shoot]

Well Thanks and yes its clear to me and I think this needs to be archived. But I build bows and use grain orientation all the time so I get it about which way its stronger just didnt know if it really mattered but maybe some drawings from paint showing the boat and the boards and which way each board is swan and then cut for the boat and where they best go. That is a pretty important thing in boat making seems like to me. I want the strongest boat I can get so I want to get the right wood in the bottom and sides. Some folks may not know that when they mill those boards they cut different cross sections of the tree as they saw it. I'll try and get the different cut pics off an archery web site if I can em and mail them to you Gerald, and then if you like you can put it together and stick it in the tip section.

[gerald]

You can add pictures right here on the forum. Read the Capt. Jack sticky on pictures and you'll be good to go.

[Cut N Shoot]

Gerald I have a drawing but I cant find that sticky

[gerald]

Here's one.

http://www.texaskayakfisherman.com/foru ... =2&t=44563" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Cut N Shoot]

Gerald I couldn't find the photos I was looking for, so I drew it in paint. Then it wouldn't transfer. So I'm now waiting on my new computer to get here . It's more updated and white knuckle fast. It's a Dell dude. No big deal after the first quarter of the log ya get to the quarter sawn part toward the early wood. The flat saw is probably better/stronger after you saw that into .25 inch strips. Anyway I get it and if I don't when I lay it up on a curve I will know if it's strong or weak.Flat sawn will lay better and quarter sawn will be stronger with more rings visible. At least that is what I'm thinking anyway correct me if I'm wrong.

[gerald]

Take a deep breath and say after me--AAAAhoooooom, AAAAAAAhooooooom, AAAAAAAAAhooooooooom...and so on. Relax. It's not a big deal at this time. Get the wood, cut the strips, keep each board together, lay them out and then determine which strips you're going to use where. Go for color match, grain orientation, or whatever. Some very pretty boats have been built just using what I've got laying around. I've got two in process now that I'm trying to color and grain match--at least pretty good. This is on the hull. The deck will be a whole 'nuther game....