quarter sawing

[wavefreak]

I've seen some conflicting info on what quarter sawing is. Which is correct, the one on the right or the one on the left? Or neither?

Are some woods not worth the trouble of quarter sawing?

 

[Homelite]

The one on the left is correct, and I believe if the lines on the right one are oriented 90 degrees from their current orientation, that would also give you quartersawn.

 

[wavefreak]

I found this:

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-quartersawn-wood.htm

It seems to be the most consistent.

 

[howellhandmade]

I think wisegeek has it wrong.

http://www.bchardwood.com/glossary_sawn.html

If so, the OP has it right with the drawing on the left. The idea with quarter sawing is to keep the face of the board at right angles to the growth rings, as much as possible. I'm sure there are variations, and what wisegeek shows would produce the same effect geometrically, but all the mills I've seen deal in parallels and right angles, and quartersaw by first quartering the log, then flipping it 90 degrees from one face to the other on successive passes until it's gone. More narrow boards/waste this way, but more stable lumber.

Jack

 

[Can8ianTimber]

This also confused me for a long time until someone made it simple for me

GROWTH RINGS 90 DEG TO THE FACE OF THE BOARD

You can cut it many different ways but that is the goal.

 

[howellhandmade]

This also confused me for a long time until someone made it simple for me

GROWTH RINGS 90 DEG TO THE FACE OF THE BOARD

You can cut it many different ways but that is the goal.

In which case, only what wisegeek shows as riftsawn would qualify. It would be interesting to see an operation that does that. With flat sawing you still have a few boards where the face is at 90 deg to the rings, and with quartersawing you still have a number of boards where the face is between 90 and 45 deg to the rings, you just don't have boards with less than 45.

Jack

 

[Ollbuster]

True quarter sawing looks like a pie or wedges, only way to get every board truly quartersaw. The left pictures does a good job without wasting lots of wood.

Dan

 

[wavefreak]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say my drawing on the right is just wrong, but that the other two ways are compromises between rift sawing and plain sawing. Rift sawing always is 90 degrees to the rings but has a lot of waste. The two other methods result in 45 to 90 degrees relative to the rings with the higher yield being the trade off from perfect 90 degrees. The best yield would appear to be the the one on the left as opposed to Wisegeek

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I've seen some conflicting info on what quarter sawing is. Which is correct, the one on the right or the one on the left? Or neither?

Are some woods not worth the trouble of quarter sawing?

"If" your talking about "true" quartersawing, then "neither"...

Here are some ways to quartersaw a log,

But, only "radial" Q.sawing is "true" Q.sawing...

Rob

 

[Can8ianTimber]

"If" your talking about "true" quartersawing, then "neither"...

Here are some ways to quartersaw a log,

But, only "radial" Q.sawing is "true" Q.sawing...

Rob

That is the best picture I have ever seen in describing quartering. Thanks Rob. I like double quartering personally (like the top picture but only two passes before flipping) so I can get a bookmatched set.

 

[LAndrews]

Thanks guys - I actually learned something useful...

 

[wavefreak]

I knew you all would help me out. Rob, that picture you put up lays it all out. Thanks.