French Polishing and Bespoke Furniture
Review. While quarter sawn oak is more expensive than plain sawn , the value it provides in terms of structural integrity and beauty make it the obvious choice for anyone looking for a quality piece.
Quarter sawn lumber is defined as wood where the annular growth rings intersect the face of the board at a 60 to 90 degree angle. When cutting this lumber at the sawmill, each log is sawed at a radial angle into four quarters, hence the name. Dramatic flecking is also present in red oak and white oak .
Quartersawn wood is generally much stiffer across the grain than flatsawn wood , and for instrument tops this may be advantageous.
Disadvantages of Quartersawn Timber Often results in 20% lower yields from a logs. Lower lumber production rates. Requires 15% or so longer drying times. Shrinks twice as much in thickness vs. flatsawn timber. Has spike knots compared to circular knots which reduce strength.
For low/medium fleck quarter sawn you can expect to pay between $4.08 to $24.20 per board foot based on 8” to 16” widths. For higher fleck quarter sawn it is approximately $4.58 to $27.20 based on the same widths. Use your square footage measurements to calculate how much the planks will cost you in total.
Most mills sell plain sawn (aka flat sawn ) lumber because it’s the simplest, most cost-efficient way to mill a log into planks. Cutting parallel through the log, plain sawn wood planks are wider and can be milled effortlessly with minimal waste.
It is also known as English Oak or Burr Oak . This hardwood is one of the dark european species, now also grows in Minor Asia and in the North of Africa. This well known and loved species produces a myriad variety of different types of very useful veneer.
A close-up of a lumber saw cutting through a piece of timber. Tiger oak is lumber produced by a particular milling process called quarter sawing. The process results in lumber with a distinctive grain that is often used in high-end applications in which the appearance of the wood is an important consideration.
Quarter – sawn wood is more stable than plain- sawn . Not only is it less prone to cupping, it also expands and contracts less. Quarter – sawn provides a “quieter” and straighter face grain than plain- sawn .
Due to the position of the growth rings in the cut , Quarter Sawn lumber is more dimensionally stable than Plain Sawn . It resists expansion and contraction on plank’s width. Rift Sawn lumber is the most elite of the cuts.
Rift sawn lumber, also known as straight grain, is cut at the sawmill with the grains intersecting the face of the board at an angle between 30 and 60 degrees and quarter sawn lumber is cut with the grains intersecting the face board the board at an angle between 60 and 90 degrees.
Quartersawn White Oak tends to be more expensive than plain sawn boards because of the extra labor and because more of the timber is wasted during cutting.
Open Grain hardwoods, such as elm, oak , and ash are “ring-porous” species. Close Grain hardwoods, such as cherry, maple, birch, and yellow poplar, are “diffuse-porous” species. Most North American diffuse-porous woods have small, dense pores resulting in less distinct figure and grain .