Grain pattern - good, better, best

[BobbyO]

Flat, rift, or quarter sawn; which grain pattern of the same species of wood makes a livelier bow?
BobbyO

[bowandarrow473]

I know some people prefer one cut over another. I never made many board bows but I never payed attention to anything but the late growth and the grain pattern.

[George Tsoukalas]

I don't know if I've ever noticed a difference in cast between the board cuts.
They will all make a bow. For rift and plane sawn you can look at the face grain though I just check the edge grain. It is the run outs that count. I like only 2 per limb for a 50-55# bow.
For quarter sawn, you have to look at the edge grain.
Jawge

[Springbuck]

  I think there are a lot of things that make more difference, like ring ratios, density, and how the wood is treated.   I have seen a couple rift sawn boards used as bellies that wanted to "lean" toward the flat of the grain, but not most.

[Pat B]

I think rift or quarter sawn have more resistance than flat sawn but I can't prove it.

[hurlbri1]

All I make are board bows. I like Rift sawn the best because it's easiest for me to assess the grain and there's a greater chance of finding truly perpendicular rings on the edge which also decreases the chances that you'll get grain run off (at least in my very limited experience). It's also more expensive per board foot and harder to find. My local Owl Hardwood Lumber has maybe 10-20% of rift sawn boards. This picture is why I like rift sawn. I haven't noticed a difference in cast.

[Dances with squirrels]

Uhhmmm, that's a quartersawn board there bud. 

I've made good bows with all of them, but like Pat, prefer quartersawn in a bow backed with other wood or bamboo, as I think it makes a slightly better bow, though I haven't bothered to try to prove it.

[George Tsoukalas]

Looking at the board's butt end...
Quarter sawn |||||||

Rift sawn   ////////

Plain sawn   =

I agree with Dances.

That's quarter sawn shown above and is best with no run outs on the edge .

Jawge

[Badger]

  I prefer 1/4 sawn or flat sawn for belly slats but will use any of them. I can't say I have noticed any difference aside from some rift sawn tendency to slightly twist when braced on occasion. 

[ekalavya]

Some people are not really satisfied until they do it themselves....

take a sapling with 4" diameter or around 12.8" girth and it should be possible
to make a fine board for a board bow out of it .... just my 2ct