Here's what I do... go to a good wood supplier (Windsor Plywood for me) and purchase a 6 to 8' long plain sawn hickory board, which is 6 to 8" wide, and 2" thick. Look for straight grain, with no grain running off the board. Turn the board on edge and cut 3/16" thick strips lengthwise. That way, you end up with longitudinal grain. I cut it on my table saw. If you only have a bandsaw, the cut is too rough to use as a glue up. You can take your strips to a mill wright and have them run the strips through a thickness sander, bringing them to 1/8" thickness. This cost me $2 per board. On a table saw (if you're careful), the cuts are usually smooth enough for glue up. All told, with price of board and labour, my hickory backing strips cost $10 each. You can do the same thing with good maple, if you can find it. However, leave the maple a bit thicker at 3/16" final thickness. When you're done, you should be able to look down the backing strip on the 2" surface, and see straight grain running the entire length of the board, with no grain running off the side. If you want, I can send you pics. Just let me know.
