What types of material makes the best wedges?

Incidentally, I have never found an MSDS for Swel-Lock but I did find one for DAP® Wood Swell & Lock™. The DAP stuff contains both DPG and water, though it doesn't state the mixture ratio. I suspect that the water might be a key ingredient which gets locked into the wood by the DPG. On my personal speculation alone I mixed some of my DPG with water, 4:1, and use this mixture on my wedges. So far, so good but I've only been using this mixture for 6 months. However not one wedge has come loose in that time and a few of these axes have seen regular use.
 
Cooter Brown said:
Seems to me grain direction is important as well as species. My feeling is that the grain should run along the long axis of the wedge. Is this correct?
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Cooter, Grain direction and growth rings are two different things. Grain is what wood follows when you split it.
In my wedges, I want the growth rings at right angles to my wedge. I have never seen a commercial wedge cut any other way. The reason is simple. Just look at how a log checks when it drys. Wood shrinks in one direction more than the other.
In ring porus hard woods (like Black Lucost). You also want to look for mostly late wood. The early wood is that porus wood in between the growth rings that has no strenght and is pithy (hope that is a word). It was lade down early in the spring. In contrast Maple is diffuse porus hard wood, early, late, its all good. But I still want my growth rings running at right angles.
 
In short what I am trying to say is that wedges are quarter sawn. Not the most wedges per board foot. Maybe some manufacturers do it other wise, but I have not seen it.
 
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