Round two- assembling the panels
Bill Tindall, E.Tn.
Normally the long grain of lumber is largely parallel to the length. Not on this board. Looking at a jointed edge the grain looks like a sine wave.
When the grain at the surface of a board is rising toward the viewer the ends of the wood fibers act like a light trap, reducing the light reflected and appearing dark or even black. Turn the board end for end and the dark areas become light. This phenomena is common on book marched crotch panels. This board provided me this same challenge.
Pictures 1 and 2 are taken from opposite ends of the board. The panel will be produced from two of these boards edge glued. I did not want one side of the panel to be dark and the other light. This constraint limited the ways I could edge join the boards.
I got the most attractive matching with the boards oriented the same direction in one case. For the other panel I had to settle with a somewhat less desirable edge matching to avoid a light dark side to side appearance . In woodworking nothing is perfect and compromise is essential.