Art,
if I understand correctly, you're saying that during the earliest stages of drying (until FSP is reached) the covering should be absent or minimal. That during this stage, it is more important to dry the wood surface (to prevent sticker stain fungus) than to dry evenly - because the wood is still to wet to move.
Once FSP is reached, then it is more important to promote even drying than fast drying - hence the use of a tarpaulin cover.
Do I have this right? If so, the trick would seem to be judging the point at which you apply the waterproof cover.
As background info, we're just coming out of winter and into spring over here. So it'll be relatively humid and not too hot for the next few months - max of perhaps 20 degrees C.
Yes, if the marbling really is present boardsawn might be the way to go. However, this would seem to contradict having the buttress grain sweeping through the pistol grip - something that I imagine is only possible in a quartersawn blank? In a flatsawn blank from the butt log, the sweeping grain would exit in the vicinity of the cheekpiece instead, wouldn't it?
So many factors to consider....
. I can see why this takes experience.
As far as stickers go, I was intending to use tanalised pine of approx 1" x 1".
I'll probably be away from the forum for the next week. But I will certainly be checking this thread again prior to milling.
Thanks everyone, for all your help so far.
