sawn

Rift Sawn

Riftsawn lumber is cut with the growth rings anywhere from 30-60 degrees to the face of the board. This produces boards with incredibly “straight” face grain patterns. The boards are also more stable than plain sawn boards but not quite as stable as quarter sawn.

Check out this video for a quick rundown of lumber terminology – Video: A Lumbering Feeling

sawn

Quarter Sawn

Quartersawn lumber has the growth rings of the tree approximately perpendicular to the board’s surface. In general, anything from 60-90 degrees qualifies as “quartersawn”. Quartersawn wood features straight face grain and is considered more stable than plain sawn wood. This lumber is more expensive because of the need for larger trees and the inherently wasteful cutting method.

Certain woods exhibit incredibly beautiful face grain when quartersawn. One of the most popular is white oak, beloved for its ray flecks.

Check out this video for a quick rundown of lumber terminology – Video: A Lumbering Feeling

sawn

Plain Sawn

Plain sawn (or flat-sawn) lumber has the growth rings of the tree parallel to the board’s broad face. You can usually visualize this by looking at the end grain of the board. Plain sawn wood highlights the grain, loops and growth swirls of the wood and typically features a “cathedral” grain pattern. This is how the vast majority of lumber is cut.

Check out this video for a quick rundown of lumber terminology – Video: A Lumbering Feeling