tford Posted January 2, 2018 Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 (edited) Hi Everyone Compliments of the Season!! I hope 2018 is your best year yet. I hope I am not opening a can of worms by asking a question that may invoke a split of opinion. However, I would like to know the "best" way to have the grain direction of plywood 9or any wood), when cutting silhouette portrait style cutting. I cannot decide what will be best. Thank you for the input. Kind regards Tyrone Edited January 2, 2018 by tford Updated a greeting Scrolling Steve 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawson56 Posted January 2, 2018 Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 Just me,I have found it Easier to gut across the grain,but no matter,sooner or later you will go with and against it,I now do all my cutting in 1/4 Luan,so it dosen't really matter that much fo me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimErn Posted January 2, 2018 Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 I like the grain to go up an down for a portrait, even if the art is a landscape oriented tomsteve and wombatie 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fab4 Posted January 2, 2018 Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 Hi Tyrone: To answer your question, you can always try a few small pieces of whatever wood you're using and see what works best for you but I always found that going with the grain is much easier and looks better once done Just like a lot of things we do, it becomes a personal choice as to what you are trying to achieve Good Luck Fab4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneMahler Posted January 2, 2018 Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 Hi Tyrone Welcome to the Village For me if it is a taller cut I like the grain going up and down If it it a wide cut I like the grain going sideways. JTTHECLOCKMAN, tomsteve and Sparkey 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredfret Posted January 2, 2018 Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 I look at the grain and the pattern at the same time One above the other then turn the wood for different grain and go with the one that is most pleasing to my eye. There is really no Right or Wrong just what you like. Fredfret amazingkevin and Scrappile 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappile Posted January 2, 2018 Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 I agree with Fred. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbrowning Posted January 2, 2018 Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 I like making my grain corner to corner, just for something different. Just a personal preference I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTTHECLOCKMAN Posted January 2, 2018 Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 In woodworking the rule is the longer the project the grain runs with it. If it is wider than longer than the grain runs with it. That is the way I do many of my projects. Now if it is long as it is wide I take a long look at it and flip a coin but usually top to bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkey Posted January 3, 2018 Report Share Posted January 3, 2018 10 hours ago, WayneMahler said: Hi Tyrone Welcome to the Village For me if it is a taller cut I like the grain going up and down If it it a wide cut I like the grain going sideways. Yep this is also what I do. WayneMahler 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spirithorse Posted January 3, 2018 Report Share Posted January 3, 2018 I also use Wayne's description with the grain going in the longest direction of the stock EXCEPT if I want a particular area of the grain to help simulate water or clouds or something like that. In that case, I try to use the wood grain to best represent or enhance the cutting. Thanks for an interesting question for the group to ponder. God Bless! Spirithorse amazingkevin and WayneMahler 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky2 Posted January 3, 2018 Report Share Posted January 3, 2018 Tyrone, I run the grain in either direction on portrait type cuttings. For me, it all depends on how the piece is to be framed. If the cutting is to be framed so that the long side of the frame is on the left or right hand side of the piece, then the grain usually runs up and down. If the cutting is to be framed so that the long side of the frame is going to be positioned on the top or bottom of the piece, then the grain usually runs from side to side. Now you should have noticed that I used the word usually in my explanation, the reason for that is that there is NO steadfast rules on how the grain has to run. It can depend on many things, one of which is the person doing the cutting. And the pattern itself could be a major factor in determining grain direction, some just don't fit within the norms. Len Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky2 Posted January 3, 2018 Report Share Posted January 3, 2018 Oh yeah Tyrone, welcome to the Village. Len Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tford Posted January 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2018 Hi Everyone, Thank you for the input. I think everyone kind of said the same thing, in their own words. It is simple yet not that obvious. I believe I understand it fully. Thank you once again. Kind regards Tyrone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombatie Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 I prefer the grain to be running up and down same if its Landscape. Marg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amazingkevin Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 On 1/2/2018 at 5:04 AM, tford said: Hi Everyone Compliments of the Season!! I hope 2018 is your best year yet. I hope I am not opening a can of worms by asking a question that may invoke a split of opinion. However, I would like to know the "best" way to have the grain direction of plywood 9or any wood), when cutting silhouette portrait style cutting. I cannot decide what will be best. Thank you for the input. Kind regards Tyrone Its a matter of personal preference i think,What ever looks good to you!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomsteve Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 On 1/2/2018 at 5:04 AM, tford said: , I would like to know the "best" way to have the grain direction of plywood 9or any wood), when cutting silhouette portrait style cutting. I cannot decide what will be best. Thank you for the input. for me theres beena few variables. first one being practice. theres been times after cutting ive thought i should have had the grain direction differently. theres times when im doing something like an eagle, i try and get the grain to flow with the feathers. basically i try and envision the work completed and how it would look. ill take the pattern and set it on the wood and move it around. sometimes i really complicate it and end up putting a pattern away for a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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