Direction of the grain...
I looked at the pictures, and my initial thought was the grain should run parallel to the load. After thinking about it, I think the author got it right. If you visualize it under load with the rope stropping, you will see that the wood will be in compression between the pin and the lower part of the stropping. If the grain was parallel to the load, there's a significant chance the block will eventually split as the force of the pin bears down on the end grain. As shown, the block may be a more susceptible to damage from physical abuse, but should not split under load.
- Scott
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