Solid Wood Baffles with MDF/Ply boxes?

Hello,

What have been peoples experiences/thoughts on combining solid wood baffles with sheet good (MDF or Ply) boxes?

My 30+ years of woodworking experience tells me that such a large cross grain joint is a bad idea that can only end with the baffle splitting. Yet, I have seen countless examples of such construction posted on the Interwebs.

I know one thing that would help for sure, and that is "ripping and flipping" the wood, so you end up with a quartersawn baffle (of all the lumber cuts quartersawn has the least amount of movement).

Are people getting lucky?

Is it that we live in climate controlled houses where the humidity is fairly constant?

Is it that the modern PVA glues that we use have some "give" to them?

Are there any guidelines people have used for how wide a solid wood baffle they would on an MDF/ply box?

Does the thickness of the baffle matter?

Any failure examples where the baffle did crack?

What about where the baffles were a glue up of layers of plywood? With this type of baffle, you would think there would still be movement as the layers are not constrained in their "thickness", just in their width and length.

What are your thoughts?

Thank you,

David.