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I just buy mine from Shane, and it's nearly perfectly quartered, and with minimal runout, so I can just saw it.

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Waddy

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Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Split- saw.
I end up with some kindling.

One splits to avoid runout, James, not to get it quartersawn.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

I split, then saw to follow the grain lines as long as they are straight. Anything with runout is discarded.

I'll ask a question about this.

I tried splitting a billet near the edge and it didn't want to follow the grain line (split would veer off toward the near edge of the billet). So I moved and tried splitting from the center of the billet and that split seemed to follow the grain line perfectly. Not sure how to split the billet along the grain line and remove only a narrow portion sized appropriate for a brace. I then used the split line on each half as the reference to cut bracing strips on my bandsaw. I finished up by running the braces through the drum sander to get the sides parallel and then trimmed each edge on the table saw to be 90 deg to the sides.

Does this sound like the best way to do this? Not sure how to improve this as I had no luck getting a split to follow the grain line when started near the edge of the billet.

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

You can't really split without following the center rule It is often less than ideal as it might not suit your needed sizes resulting in more loses. However i see nothing wrong with sawing the face grain. The only side that really benefits from splitting is the side grain.

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Build log

One thing to remember about spltting bracewood to elimate runout, is that it is best to split both parallel and perpendicular to the growth ring. Runout is equally likely to happen in either direction, unless you start wirh a split billet. Then just split perpendicular to the already split face.

Chuck

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Split and saw.

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Francis Richer, Montréal
Les Guitares F&M Guitars

Splits from the edge can run off the edge because you are splitting a narrow, flexible piece off a big stiff billet. Instead of splitting thin braces off the edge, start in the middle and keep splitting the resulting pieces from the middle until everything is close to the thickness you want.

-jd

Split on a radius of the tree, at 90º to the rings.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Yep, I split mine that way. I believe there's some confusion in this thread about what runout actually is, and why some of us hand split bracing. (as well as top billets) I used google to find these 2 pictures.



Vertical grain (1/4 sawn) is independant of runout. One has pretty much nothing to do with the other. It's easy enough to saw something along the grain. Splitting (at a 90 degree angle to the grain) will pretty much follow the direction the wood grew, eliminating, or reducing runout. I hope I explained this OK.

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I didn't mean to say it, but I meant what I said.
http://www.brackettinstruments.com/

Split by halves.

Well, not exactly. If a spiral tree is split radially, the surface is twisted. In flattening the surface of a wide board (as for a guitar top), the grain will no longer be vertical over the entire width on both ends. Also, there will only be one point on the width of the board where the runout is zero. But those facts are not an issue with narrow stock, as used for bracing.
There is no practical reason to split parallel with the growth rings, since any runout in that plane can be easily seen.
Runout in the radial plane can also be seen in spruce, but it does require closer inspection. With some magnification, the ends of the rays and transverse resin canals are visible on the tangential surface. The rays are short lines, but the resin canals are longer, and provide a better reference for determining the grain direction.

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John

That's the way I understood runout. Having to do with the tree growing in a radial in center axis relationship to the trunk of the tree. Really impossible to see in the quarter sawn growth rings. Thus the need for splitting. ...in my understanding, such as it is!

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

I only split till I get close to the dimensions I need and then plane and crosscut to length. Because I am building classicals I need very small braces to support a thinner than steel string top and would rather waste bracewood splitting to size than have braces with runout. I dont saw my braces only because splitting to size for me is nearly as fast as sawing

Having said that, I have bought bracewood from a number of sources including wood from High Mountain and LMI and I have never gotten bad bracewood from LMI or Shane.

I saw mine, but only from really excellent straight grained and well quartered old stock. Presently I have a number of (30-40 years old) European violin top blanks that I'm using for top bracing.
Personally, I don't think a little run out in top brace wood is a big deal. I test for hardness and stiffness (which I think is far more important) and usually when I shape these I can plane easily in both directions on a side, a good indicator of very little or no run out.
My favorite test is to toss the cut braces on my concrete shop floor and listen to the sound they make ("clink" test).
You can really hear the difference in the stiffer and denser stock from any that are less so.

Count me in the split then resaw group also.