Quarter-sawn wood costs about twice as much as plain-sawn. So, why use it? In order to understand the benefits (and extra cost) let’s look at how the material is milled from a tree.
Imagine this is a log ready to go through a sawmill. I’ve sketched out plain-sawn cuts on the bottom half, and quarter-sawn cuts on the top half.
Plain-sawn, also called through and through, is pretty simple. Slabs of wood are simply cut from the log as it lays on the mill. It’s easy to see how simple this would be to set up and handle. Pay special attention to how the annual rings lay across the end grain of the resulting boards.
Quarter sawing is more complicated. The log is quartered, one board is cut off the quarter, the remaining section is turned, another board is cut off, the remaining section is turned, another board is cut off — until there’s no more log left. Intuition tells us this is more complicated to execute, but look at how the annual rings lay across the end grain of the boards.
Why Annual Rings Are Important
Wood tends to cup in the direction opposing the curve of the annual rings. This board, a piece of plain-sawn wood, would tend to cup upwards.
The annual rings in this piece of quarter sawn wood are nearly perpendicular to the face grain. The trick question is, “Which way will this board cup?” The answer is that it won’t cup. This is one of the benefits of quarter-sawn wood.
Annual Rings = Face Grain
What we can see in the annual rings translates into what we’ll see in the face grain.
This piece of plain-sawn oak has a dramatic cathedral or flame pattern in the face. What you’re seeing as flames is the result of the way plain sawing slices across the annual rings. Plain-sawn wood tends to have a much more dynamic grain pattern in the face.
The face grain of this quarter-sawn piece is very straight, thanks to the way the quarter sawing process slices through the annual rings.
Back in the day I worked at a cabinet shop where we built all the fixtures for a national retail chain. They specified quarter-sawn cherry for all their stores because they didn’t want the overly-busy look of plain-sawn cherry on all the walls and cabinets.
Then There Are The Flecks And Rays.
When wood is quarter-sawn the internal rays of the wood are exposed. In some materials, especially red and white oak, this can be VERY dramatic, giving the finished wood an amazing three dimensional appearance. Think of the old Singer sewing machine cases. Great examples of quarter-sawn oak.
Not all woods provide this benefit.
Three Reasons To Pony Up
Knowing that quarter-sawn wood can out price plain-sawn by a factor of two (or more), here are the compelling reasons to buy it.
- 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.
- In some woods, especially the oaks, quarter sawing reveals dramatic internal rays that add a very cool dimension to the material.
It’s relatively easy to find quarter-sawn red and white oak. Other species can be much more difficult to locate in quarter-sawn, and may require a number of phone calls to track down.
Related Videos:
Your images for the description of quarter and plain sawed wood are reversed…. Pretty important details.
Hello Tim, that’s correct. photos 6 & 7 are switched
A fourth ( and possibly the best ) reason to use quartersawn lumber is that in the same stumpage the quarter sawn surface has about twice the elasticity rate as the flat grain surface.
So quartersawn has a lower shrink rate and is more elastic giving it two aspects that make it much more effective in producing durable woodwork.
I can’t tell you how many people leave the elasticity part out of the equation and personally it is my belief that the elasticity aspect of quarter sawn is more essential to its effective benefit over flat sawn then shrink and expand rate are. Although both are certainly important aspects.
Can you quarter saw 2×4 or even 4×4 out of say cedar?
Hello Mark,
Here’s what the experts had to say about your question:
Yes, you could do that. It might be hard to maintain perfectly perpendicular growth rings on a 4×4 unless you have a very large log.
Sincerely,
Paul
Wood Workers Guild of America Expert
Perhaps your photos have been mismatched but you first describe a piece as plain sawn and then show what appears to be the same piece rotated 90º and call it quarter sawn.
The descriptions and pictures of the face grains for plain-saw and quarter-sawn are opposite of what they should be.
You have the photos of the plain-sawn and quarter-sawn oak reversed.
need to know how to cut
Hello Jack,
Here is the experts reply:
We don’t have any content that describes how to do this, but here’s a great video on the topic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7Kt3IrTBlA
Paul
Woodworkers Guild of America
I have been woodworking for years and use mostly White and Red Oak. I always have my logs quarter sawn. Everything above is absolutely correct. It is worth the extra money to have your project to turn out superb!
Hi, looks like those 2 photos are still swapped. Several other readers noted the same issue in previous comments.
Hi Steven,
Thank you for contacting us. We are currently waiting on an answer, please stand by.
Sincerely,
Joan
Woodworkers Guild of America Video Membership
Love the look of quarter sawn oak!
Are the photos of the boards in annual rings = face grain reversed?
Hello James,
Yes, great catch! We’ll get this fixed.
Cheers,
Paul
Woodworkers Guild of America
If 1/4 sawn wood is not properly dried is shrinks quite a bit compared to slab sawn wood and reacts dimensionally more than slab sawn wood in changing humidity of different environments
In your descriptions of the annual rings=face grain the pictures are reversed according to the description. Other than that the article clarified the concept for me.
So you’ve been told for over three years now that these pictures are backwards in the description of annual rings = face grain and you still have not corrected it. Not very professional. Shame on you.
Hello keith,
Thank you for your feedback. I have forwarded your comment to the proper department. We value your opinion and it will help with the development of our online streaming community. We will continue to listen and work hard for your complete satisfaction.
If you have any other questions, please chat, email, or contact Customer Service at 1-855-253-0822.
Sincerely,
Joan
Woodworkers Guild of America Video Membership
Looks like you need to reverse the photos of the 1/4 sawn and the plain sawn under “Annual rings = Face Grain”
Hello Alan!
Thank you! We’ll have our team take a look at them!
Sincerely,
Jessica
Woodworkers Guild of America Video Membership
The face grain photos seem to be reversed, at least when reading on a mobile phone.
I have a friend who wants to sell some old (I don’t know how many) of quarter sawn western red cedar that her father never used – a luthier bought some. Can you suggest a place that would be best to advertise it? thanks so much!
I am making a tiller for a sailboat. Which is stronger; quarter sawn or plain sawn? Rigidity is very important.
Hello. Quartersawn wood could be considered stronger for your application because of its continuous grain. It is less likely to split across short grain sections because it won’t have any.
Thanks
Paul-WWGOA
NB Ticket 18148 I’m interested in Quartersawn Oak. Is the graining typically tight or more closed vs open? Or is all over the board?
Dear Amy,
Thank you for your patience. In regards to your question-
The grain can vary somewhat but will be predominately open.
Sincerely,
Paul
WWGOA Video Membership
We’d love to have you be a part of our community. We are convinced you will enjoy the benefits of becoming a member and having access to the best instructional how to videos and professional tips. We would like to offer you a special promotion for your first-year membership.
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Very informative. I am an electric guitar builder and as you can imagine how the neck looks is VERY important! In addition the more stable the wood is the better for guitar manufacturing!
Thanks for the information!
Simple way to saw quarter log
Images showing board face are backwards to their descriptive text. Vertical ends/quarter-sawn will produce lines on the face. The “flame” face is caused by less vertical ring pattern on the ends.
My company is The SawMill at Cypress Creek. We ar located in Burgaw NC At 6611 NC highway 53 west
I can cut and supply 1/4 sawn white and red oak
My number is 910/538-6749
Thank you
I guess you know your layout person got the oak pictures (quartered and flat sawed) reversed,
Whew! I’m so glad the photo swap was addressed. I was feeling like I missed a day in Math Class. Thank-you so much for sharing this information and for making it so easy to understand. Everyone who loves or deals with wood furniture should know this stuff. Thanks again!
I think your photos of the face grain for plain-sawn versus quartersawn are reversed. Other than that, thank you for the nice article.
good eye MartinM
Thanks for the information. You might check the photos on the web page. I had to watch the video to understand which grain pattern goes with which cutting method. Maybe change the spacing between the captions and the photos they go with so the labeling isn’t so ambiguous. Then, what you label as “rays” on the web page photo you call “flecks” in the video. Using the information on the webpage and looking at the grain pattern on flooring I had delivered, I’d have thought the flooring store had delivered the wrong thing.
Maybe I’m confused, but I think your pictures of quartered vs. flat sawn face grain got swapped.
You’re right.The photos are back to front.
I have a terrible time getting the bottoms cut for boxes to fit properly…help!
Hi Curtis. Hello, can you provide some information about the specific problem that you are having with cutting the bottoms for your boxes? What style bottom? What style box? What challenges are you experiencing in getting them to fit properly?
I’m making a kayak paddle with western red cedar for lightness but need a tougher tip that will have a mortise/tenon joint to join the two.. Some have suggested white oak and I assume quarter sawn white oak is best for this project? Have you ever heard of Ipe? That’s been suggested as well.
Hi, Eric. Quartersawn white oak would be a good call for this. Stable, strong, and water resistant. I’m only vaguely familiar with Ipe, but I know that it is also water resistant as it is commonly used on high end deck projects.
We are looking at custom kitchen cabinets for our home built in 1906. We have a lot of quarter sawn oak throughout our house. We currently have a white kitchen and thought we would stay white. Our cabinetmaker has suggested quarter sawn cabinets painted white in a way that will make them look old. I can’t find pictures of anyone that has painted quarter sawn. It seems everyone uses stain to enhance the beauty of the wood. Is it a bad idea to cover up the quarter sawn with white paint ? It really doesn’t make sense to me to pay a high price for quarter sawn just to cover it up. Your thoughts please ?
Hi Chuck. In general I wouldn’t paint quartersawn oak. It is an expensive material to cover with paint. Perhaps the painter plans to use a partially translucent paint that allows the quartersawn pattern to be viewed through the paint, which could be an interesting option. But I would request a sample photo from your painter before choosing it or ruling it out.
Oh, please don’t do it! Painting quartersawn white oak should be a crime. It’s just not a wood that should be covered up with paint.
Educational
Excellent lesson! Thank you so much!!
What is the difference between “live sawn” and “plain sawn”? A couple of weeks ago I fell in love with a sample wood floor that also had kerf marks. I was told that it was “live sawn”. My finisher told me that it would cost more to finish “skipped oak,” and suggested I buy #2 character grade wood, instead. So I asked the distributor to give me a price on skipped oak and #2. He send me the prices for “live sawn” and “plain sawn”. I Googled these and could not see the difference between the two. This site shows a drawing of how “plain sawn” wood is cut, http://www.hardwooddistributors.org/blog/postings/what-is-the-difference-between-quarter-sawn-rift-sawn-and-plain-sawn-lumber/. And, this site (where the wood will be coming from), shows the same cutting method, http://alleghenymountainhardwoodflooring.com/portfolio/allegheny-live-sawn/. It feels like “live sawn” is a marketing gimmick. Am I right?
Hi, Theresa!
I have not come across this term before. Typically I buy lumber as either quarter sawn or flat sawn (sometimes also referred to as plain sawn). From everything I can find on this topic I see no difference between “live sawn” and “plain sawn” lumber.
Thank you WWGOA!
That is correct. Live edge is when the sawyer puts the log in the bed and just cuts continually through the log without turning it. Thus you have bark on each side therefore the term live edge.
Hello there
Live sawn is a term used when a timber is sawn all the way thru board after board. Plain saw is when a timber is turned after each cut and in the end you have a cant left.
Hope this helps
If you cut a 1/4″ slice at 90 degree off an 8/4 piece of plain sawn lumber would that 1/4″x2″ piece now be considered quarter sawn?
Hi, John! Yes, it would.
Thank you for this (2 years later). I was trying to work out the geometry of the log in my head and was thinking something like that
Hi John,
That’s a great idea. Thanks for the thought. Also, great name for a woodworker!
thank you i work with trim it enlighting me on what i see ever day
Very informative and answered every question I had. Thanks.
I don’t understand this
Thank you for your comment. How may we assist you?
Interesting
What don’t you understand?may I be of some assistance?910/538-6749