Hi Shawn,

RE: flat-grain Vs vertical-grain

I agree with your comments that the vertical grain is good - especially encapsulated in fiberglass. Essentially the wood is at the neutral plane and sees very little force.

Thin 1/8' x 3/4" strips of any length will have to be handled carefully until they are on the forms.

My orientation (pun intended) to the grain stems from my bow building. Starting with a log working to flat grain is easy. Vertical grain is fine (trees don't care which way they bend) but for a bow there is a greater chance of the grain lifting unless the bow is "backed" with something - which is what the fiberglass does on a 'yak.

You are right about the splitting - when you want maximum strength, splitting is the way to go.

Side note: the denser growth rings are formed in the spring when the days are shorter and the tree does not have all its leaves - it is cool what you can read from the growth rings re: weather patterns and stuff.