Here's a video that might be interesting if you build wooden cameras. It compares three wood joints, side grain to side grain, end grain to side grain, and end grain to end grain.

Yes, the results are surprising.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7HxBa9WVis

End grain joint don't fail because the capillaries of the wood starve the joint of glue. End grain joints fail because they are usually small surface area joints relative to the size of the piece of wood.