Checking stock blank for appearance

How do you check a blank of cherry or maple for figure in a finished stock?

I've seen walnut blanks with one side brushed with linseed oil to show the colors and figuring inside, but what about maple and cherry?

How can I know what the curl will look like in a maple stock blank after finishing? How can I know the color in a cherry blank?

After devoting hours to inletting and shaping a blank stock, how can I minimize disappointment in the finished product which I thought would be spectacular, only to find that after staining and finishing, the appearance was ordinary?

About the simplest way is to wipe the wood with water. If you want to see it in more detail, sand it down before wetting. Once you see enough blank pieces of wood, you can pretty much read the grain just by looking at a dry piece of wood.

If I have a big blank to work with, I still like to wet it so I can orient the grain better, like for the wrist area, and also to get the best looking grain within the finished stock. Bill

I agree with Snowdragon on the wetting method, but you need to remember that your finishing method will have a large part in how much or how little the grain stands out.

Good architecture and workmanship trump figure for me every time.

all stocks are a surprise SOMEWHERE along the line~~~wet it, and look at it real close.....then, just like asking out a women.....you will have a good time no matter what :hmm:
I try to see everyone of them good, as long as they aren't warped...stocks that is :rotf:

Thanks for the tip about a water rub. Tried it on cherry and it does bring out the grain. Not so much on curly maple but enough to see the curl.

And Rich, I agree architecture and workmanship trump poor work on a dazzling piece of wood ... but there is enough Scotsman in me to get angry about paying $$$$ for a ++PPPP wood only to have it be mediocre when finished!

At least now I have a quick and easy technique to try, and reject the blank if it doesn't meet the advertising.