Soundboard Panel Grain Angles

[Farrell]

I have two boards in my shop that I have removed from their respective pianos. One is a 1913 M&H upright, and the other is a 1947 Baldwin M grand (5' 1"). The other day I examined the grain angles of individual boards making up the panels. I got good angles off about a dozen pieces in each panel. To my surprise, the Baldwin had a fairly even distribution of grain angles ranging from perfectly quarter sawn (90 degrees) to as low as 50 degrees. The M&H had not an annular ring of less than 70 degrees, and much of it was between 80 and 90 degrees. Clearly, with these two pianos, one company was being more particular about what they were putting in their pianos than the other.

Anyone else done much monitoring of what other manufacturers do? Anyone want to offer any wisdom on what the benefits of keeping grain angles no lower than some certain amount are? Is it primarily a structural crushing strength consideration? Anyone aware of any research that puts some numbers to anything like that? Please don't tell me it is a conduit for the circle of sound thing! 

I cancelled two of my tunings this morning at an old-folks home. Carpets in the one room were cleaned last night and they had big blowers going to dry the carpet. Other piano was in a room with about 100 little-old-ladies in wheel chairs playing bingo. Didn't think I would make any friends there by tuning that one either. Glad I always have fun things to do in my shop!   :-)

Terry Farrell