What is quarter sawn maple
Mia Kelly
Published Mar 20, 2026
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.
Why is quarter sawn better?
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.
What does Quarter sawn maple look like?
When maple is quarter-cut the figure appears as vertical flame lines. The same appears in Koa wood. However, the same figure appears curly when viewed on plain-sawn grain. In truth, the same vertical flame lines appear when quartersawn or plain-sawn.
Is quarter sawn better than plain sawn?
Since this type of cut involves more labor and produces more waste, the cost is higher than plain sawn lumber. 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.What is quarter cut maple?
Quarter cut maple is sometimes referred to as rift cut maple. … Maple is a hardwood that is dense, relatively easy to work with and strong. It has a smooth texture and tight uniform grain. Hard maple is very similar to soft maple in color and appearance but tends to have a more regular grain pattern.
How can you tell if a wood is quarter sawn?
A board with growth rings running roughly parallel—usually in arches—relative to the face of the board is called a plain-sawn (or flat-sawn) board. If the growth rings are at a steep angle relative to the face, the board is said to have quartersawn grain.
What are the disadvantages of quarter sawing?
More expensive than plain sawn material Quarter sawn wood is more expensive because it is more labor intensive to produce and the manufacturing process produces more waste than plain sawn lumber.
What does rift wood mean?
Rift sawn lumber is typically narrow with a very straight grain pattern on the face of the board. … Similar to quarter sawn lumber, rift sawn lumber is also referred to as radial grain. The most stable boards, and also the most wasteful to produce, are rift sawn planks.What is another name for quarter sawn lumber?
Quarter sawing or quartersawing is a woodworking process that produces quarter sawn or quarter-cut boards in the rip cutting of logs into lumber. The resulting lumber can also be called radially-sawn or simply quartered.
Is quarter sawn the best?Quarter sawn (quartersawn) wood or lumber uses a particular method to mill trees. It yields highly usable, very strong boards with a lot less waste than plain-sawn or rift-sawn lumber. Quartersawn wood is particularly popular for oak and maple.
Article first time published onIs curly maple quarter sawn?
Most curly maple that is commercially cut is flat-sawn to get the most yield from the log, as quarter-sawing does waste some. … I agree that flat sawn is the most common way of processing curly maple.
How do I know if my neck is quarter sawn?
Cutting the neck blanks in a different orientation to the log will result in the neck having a different grain structure. You can see what your guitar has by looking at the top of the headstock. The image at the top of the page shows a Quarter Sawn neck on the left and Flat Sawn neck on the right.
What does Quartersawn guitar neck mean?
Some high-end guitars and basses have “quartersawn” necks. … “Quartersawn” is a woodworking term that describes a certain specific and non-standard method of milling lumber from trees. Quartersawn instrument necks are unusually strong, straight-grain necks superior to standard necks in almost every way.
What is tiger maple wood?
Flame maple (tiger maple), also known as flamed maple, curly maple, ripple maple, fiddleback or tiger stripe, is a feature of maple in which the growth of the wood fibers is distorted in an undulating chatoyant pattern, producing wavy lines known as “flames”.
What is birdseye maple wood?
Birdseye maple, one of the rarest kinds of wood on the planet, has a distinctive pattern that looks like tiny, swirling eyes disrupting the smooth lines of grain. Birds-eye maple is a form of figured hard maple, it is not a variety or species of maple.
What is the difference between rift sawn and quarter sawn?
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.
What is Tiger oak?
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.
Is Tiger oak and quarter sawn oak the same?
According to Hunker, tiger oak is lumber made through a specific method of milling called quarter sawing that results in distinctive grain lumber used in high-end applications. … However, quarter sawn oak strictly refers to tiger oak. The difference in plain sawing and quarter sawing is the angle used.
How is quarter sawn oak cut?
Quarter sawing gets its name from the fact that the log is first quartered lengthwise, resulting in wedges with a right angle ending at approximately the center of the original log. Each quarter is then cut separately by tipping it up on its point and sawing boards successively along the axis.
What is the main advantage of quarter sawn timber?
Some advantages of quartersawn lumber: Shrinks and swells less in width. Cups, surface-checks, and splits less in seasoning and in use. Raised grain caused by separation in annual rings does not become as pronounced.
What is meant by quarter sawn lumber?
By definition, quarter sawn lumber is the angle that the annular growth rings intersect the face of the board. … When cutting this lumber at the sawmill, each log is sawed at a radial angle into four quarters, hence the name. After that, each quarter is then plain sawn.
Is quarter sawn lumber stronger?
Quartersawn wood is generally much stiffer across the grain than flatsawn wood, and for instrument tops this may be advantageous.
What is rift oak?
Rift sawn White Oak refers to flooring boards that are cut from White Oak timber in a way that produces very straight grain patterns and inherently stable planks.
What does FAS mean in lumber?
FAS: (first and second grade) This stands for the highest grade of lumber. FAS grade includes some defects but is considered the premier lumber for furniture and cabinet making. #1 & #2 common: These two grades will have a fair amount of allowable defects and color variations.
What type of sawing produces the most waste?
Comparison. Compared to other sawing methods, radially cut rift-sawn lumber is more difficult to produce, and results in much more waste in the form of wedges.
What are the densest woods?
The densest of all woods is Allocasuarina luehmannii. Krugiodendron typically has a higher density, among many other woods that vary by sample. Various other hardwoods may also be called lignum vitae and should not be confused with it.
Is rift sawn or quarter sawn more expensive?
Rift and/or Quarter Sawn is a premium cut and is generally more expensive than Plain Sawn. It is also considered more stable because of the vertical grain orientation.
How is rift sawn cut?
Similar to quarter sawn lumber, rift sawn lumber is also referred to as radial grain. The most stable boards, and also the most wasteful to produce, are rift sawn planks. Each of these boards is cut radially perpendicular to the growth rings of the tree. There are large triangles of waste left from between each board.
What does rift and quarter sawn mean?
Rift and Quartered Sawn Logs are cut with the grains intersecting the face of the board at an approximate 60-degree angle. The log is sawn into four quarters and each quarter of the log is sawn perpendicular to the growth rings at an angle, therefore being named rift and quartered.
What causes tiger maple?
Curly Maple Tabletop by Dave Hurwitz In curly maple, the grain is wavy through the length of the board. The result is that when the wavy grain is planed flat, it appears to look ruffled, or tiger striped, due to the waviness in the grain.”
What is the difference between curly maple and tiger maple?
Origin of Wood TypeEastern U.S.Lumber GradesFAS through 2 commonOther Trade NamesCurly Soft Maple, Curly Maple, Tiger Maple