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Is there any reason not to use end grain in a rosette? ...perhaps problems associated with finishing... There are some interesting designs in some end grains that might look nice in a rosette. I have some palm that has dots in the end grain and strips on the side. I thought a combination would make an interesting rosette design...

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

I wouldn't anticipate a problem, particularly if you flooded it with thin CA...

All those tiles made from logs of veneer are endgrain. . . Palm endgrain does look cool. It might be a bit tougher leveling it next to the much softer spruce but I think if you are careful it should be fine.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Ive used endgrain. It worked just fine.

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Jason Moe
LaCrosse WI 54601

I think a lot of rosettes utilize end grain, especially classical guitars with the repeating patterns of different wood types - ribbons, bands, pyramids, etc.

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David

David Falkner - Woodworking YouTube channel and Instagram
Romans 3:23

Sure, people do it all the time. One thing to keep in mind: it goes way darker than side grain when finished. Just something to be aware of if you're using both. I learned the hard way.

All these rosettes are combinations of end and face grain. The middle one is palm.

Here's one in a guitar. It's a FP finish, so the grain just filled in the process.

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Trevor Gore, Luthier. Australian hand made acoustic guitars, classical guitars; custom guitar design and build; guitar design instruction.

http://www.goreguitars.com.au

Good looking rosettes Trevor

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

I'm planning on using this spaulted birch for a rosette on a future guitar..... It'll warp after cutting but once its stable I'll dimension it and then stabilize it just to make sure it stays flat. I plan on dying this a deep red.

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My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

I have had no issues with using end grain in combination with other cuts of wood in my rosettes.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

End grain in Palm is usually how it is used, even seen EGP in antique furniture.

Steve

I don't think it's a problem either but there is a different point of view on this topic.

I've read a couple of times somewhere over the year in articles discussing just how very clever traditional guitars were designed and built and engineered to both exploit the qualities of wood and avoid the issues with wood that rosettes were also intended to be cross grain braces of sorts, visible cleats if you will in the area weakened by the sound hole.

As such even elaborate rosettes back in the day usually had at least some continuous elements to them spanning the grain in an effort to strengthen that area of the top.

The first time that I read this I thought to myself who knew.... By the second time it reaffirmed my belief that the traditional guitar and it's design are in fact pretty clever considering.

I don't see a problem with end grain but if you want to do a shout-out to tradition perhaps also include some continuous elements to the design.

After looking at the beautiful rosettes posted in this thread they all have continuous elements not to mention there are some pretty cool ones pictured as well!