What is rift sawn lumber?
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 is an Rift saw white oak floor?
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. White Oak is a species of hardwood that is found throughout the eastern United States and that is commonly used for hardwood floors in residences and commercial settings.
What is the difference between quarter sawn and rift sawn?
Dramatic flecking is also present in red oak and white oak. Find out more. Rift sawn wood can be manufactured either as a compliment to quarter sawn lumber or logs can be cut specifically as rift sawn. In rift sawn lumber the annual rings are typically between 30-60 degrees, with 45 degrees being optimum.
What is the grain pattern of rift sawn?
This linear grain pattern is achieved by milled perpendicular to log's growth rings. The log is milled carefully on an angle between 45° to 75°. Rift sawn lumber is dimensionally superior to both plain sawn and quarter sawn lumber. However, they also produce the most waste.
Is rift sawn oak expensive?
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. As a result, rift sawn lumber is costly to produce and therefore, the most expensive type of planks available from a log.
What does rift cut oak mean?
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.
Why is rift sawn better?
It resists expansion and contraction on plank's width. Rift Sawn lumber is the most elite of the cuts. The log is milled perpendicular to the growth rings, which are 30-60 (ideally 45) degrees to the face of the board. It produces a linear, straight grain with a clean, consistent look.
What is the difference between rift sawn and quarter sawn white oak?
QUARTER SAWN WHITE OAK WILL CONTAIN STRIKING MEDULLARY RAY FORMATIONS, COMMONLY CALLED “RAY” OR “FLAKE”. RIFT SAWN IS SIMILAR TO QUARTER SAWN, BUT WITH MUCH LESS OCCURENCE OF MEDULLARY RAY FORMATIONS. PLEASE NOTE THAT WIDER PLANKS OF RIFT-SAWN WILL DEVELOP QUARTER SAWN GRAIN (TREES ARE ROUND!).
Is Rift white oak expensive?
The rift sawn white oak flooring price is the highest. Because of the high waste and low supply, rift sawn is the most expensive lumber for oak flooring. It's also the highest grade and the most dimensionally stable of the four cuts.
Does rift sawn oak have knots?
Rift and quartersawn White Oak with knots, character markings, and skip planing has a vintage look and feel.
How can you tell if wood is Quartersawn?
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 is the difference between rift sawn and plain sawn?
Rift Sawn Only is defined as having growth Rings oriented from 30° – 60° to the face of the board. So, while it still has straight parallel lines of grain like Quarter Sawn – it no longer exhibits the flecks or flashes of iridescence.
Is quarter sawn oak worth it?
Because of the way it's cut, quarter sawn oak wood is even more stable than plain sawn. It's less prone to cupping and there's less of the natural movement of expanding and contracting of the wood. Cutting with a quarter-sawn method is going to bring alive the rays (patterns) that can be found in the wood.
Is quarter sawn oak more expensive?
Is quarter sawn wood more expensive? As with anything in life, quality comes with a cost. Quarter sawn wood is often more expensive than other types of common lumber because it is more labor intensive to produce.
What are the disadvantages of quarter sawn?
Quarter-Sawn Lumber produces much less usable lumber than Plain-Sawn lumber, making it more expensive. It is often still sought after becuase it is more stable. It is less likely to cup or twist and there are fewer surface checks and splits. It also wears more evenley.
Is quarter sawn oak stronger?
Due to the angle at which its cut, flat sawn oak will almost certainly begin to warp over time as the growth rings are set at such a low angle to the face of the board. Quarter sawn oak, on the other hand, is much more structurally sound and resists cupping, twisting, warping, moisture penetration, and raised grain.
What are the different cuts of oak?
At Sullivan's, we typically use three different cuts of oak: plain sliced, quarter sawn and rift cut.
What is rift oak cabinets?
Rift Cut Sawn lumber or radial grain is specially cut to circumvent the ray flecks that are common in the Oak Wood species, resulting in a finer and more linear grain than standard Oak.
What is Rift and Quartered oak?
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.
How is Rift white oak cut?
Rift planks are cut from quartered white oak logs in a tilted process making every cut perpendicular to the annual growth rings. This process yields the distinctive striped grain pattern, but means only about 40% of any log is used to create planks. The rest is waste.
Is rift sawn White Oak available in engineered, prefinished and reclaimed flooring?
At Carlisle, our engineered White Oak wood flooring and prefinished White Oak flooring can be ordered with rift sawn timber but reclaimed Oak floor...
Can rift sawn White Oak be stained?
White Oak is a porous species and takes almost any color of stain easily, and rift sawn White Oak is no exception.
Is there a cost difference between plainsawn, quartersawn and rift sawn White Oak?
Rift sawn White Oak boards take longer to cut and use less of the tree, so they tend to be more expensive. Quartersawn boards are somewhat less cos...
Are rift sawn White Oak floors more durable?
Rift sawn White Oak floors are among the most durable type of hardwood floor, thanks to the stability provided by the rift sawn cutting technique.
What do rift sawn White Oak floors look like?
Rift sawn White Oak boards will have a very even look in the grain you won’t see any of the swirls, rays, flecks or cathedral grain patterns that a...
How exactly is rift sawn White Oak flooring cut?
Rift sawn White Oak is cut with a very precise technique in which every board is cut on the radius of the timber. While this produces a significant...
What is a rift sawn plank?
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.
Why use rift sawn lumber?
Rift sawn lumber is usually used with oak to avoid the flecks that are common in the species.
What is rift sawn lumber?
Milling rift sawn lumber takes more time and labor. It also has unique benefits over quarter and plain sawn lumber. Furniture makers depend on this cut of wood for the vertical grain that is shown from all sides. This linear grain pattern is achieved by milled perpendicular to log's growth rings. The log is milled carefully on an angle between 45° to 75°.
Which is better, rift sawn or quarter sawn?
Rift sawn lumber is dimensionally superior to both plain sawn and quarter sawn lumber. However, they also produce the most waste. As you can see from the diagram to the left, there is nearly as much waste produced as their is usable planks. Because of the cost to produce and the cost of waste, rift sawn lumber will cost more per board foot ...
What is a rift sawn board?
Rift sawn boards are essentially choice cuts from a quarter sawn milling method. To actually set out and make rift-sawn lumber directly would waste a considerable amount of the original tree. Each piece gets cut towards the center. The method seems overly difficult and produces fewer boards than either quarter-sawn wood or rip sawn and plain-sawn milling.
Why is rift sawn lumber more stable?
Because the grain is so consistent on rift-sawn lumber , the end product is more stable. The end grain of the wood ends up perpendicular to the board’s face. This reduces board twist and “cupping”. You can see the practicality of this when putting down wood on a deck.
How Do You Get Rift-sawn Wood from a Tree?
Not all mills use the exact same manufacturing method. In general, rift-sawn lumber simply gets pulled from quarter sawn wood. The mill cuts the wood into quarters before running it through the mill. With its “point” set at the top of the cut, the mill slices the wood with the grain mostly perpendicular to the face. You can then remove the widest rift-sawn lumber from the center of each of the four quarters.
Why is rift sawn lumber more expensive than quarter sawn lumber?
It delivers a cut that takes more time and energy. It just uses more of the tree’s available wood than a direct rift-sawn pattern. Because it generates more waste, rift-sawn lumber generally costs more than plain sawn or quarter sawn wood.
What is the hardiest wood?
The hardiest wood is made using a quartersawn method but selects the rift-sawn pieces which are most directly aligned towards the center of the tree. This generates a grain that crosses the wood and allows it to expand only along its length-side. Quarter-sawing is the practical method of getting rift-sawn lumber.
How do sawmills make lumber?
With these and other species, the exposed wood grain plays an important part in its use within a project. Most sawmills make lumber via a process called rip-sawing. We also call this plain sawn lumber. It’s an efficient method that utilizes almost every square inch of a tree to make usable boards.
What happens when rift sawn wood dries?
As rift-sawn wood dries, the board has less tendency to warp or pull into an odd shape. This is what we mean by the boards being more “stable”.
What is the annual ring of a rift sawn log?
In rift sawn lumber the annual rings are typically between 30-60 degrees, with 45 degrees being optimum.
What is the best temperature for rift sawn lumber?
In rift sawn lumber the annual rings are typically between 30-60 degrees, with 45 degrees being optimum. Manufactured by milling perpendicular to the log’s growth rings producing a linear grain pattern with no flecking. This method produces the most waste, increasing the cost of this lumber.
What is the most common type of lumber?
Most common, least expensive. Plain sawn, also commonly called flat sawn, is the most common lumber you will find. This is the most inexpensive way to manufacture logs into lumber. Plain sawn lumber is the most common type of cut.
Is quarter sawn lumber more expensive than plain sawn lumber?
QUARTER SAWN. More expensive than plain sawn material. Quarter sawn wood has an amazing straight grain pattern that lends itself to design. 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.
What is the effect of quarter sawn white oak?
When White Oak is quarter sawn its medullary rays can be very apparent and many times are desirable because it introduces a distinct wavy visual effect to the lumber that is known as “flecking”.
Why is rift and quartered lumber so popular?
Another reason rift and quartered lumber is available at a premium is because it is commonly known to be more stable. In general, lumber adjusts to the climate that it is in by regularly absorbing and releasing moisture from the environment. This causes lumber to expand and contract. When lumber is rift and quartered and sawn perpendicular to its growth rings, any shrinkage or expansion of the lumber is greatest in thickness, is less in width and is less prone to cupping or splitting making it very desirable for manufacturing furniture, windows, instruments and flooring.
What angle is quarter sawn lumber cut at?
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.
How do sawmills cut white oak?
In general, there are three ways sawmills usually cut white oak. The first one is flat sawn or plain sawn which is the most common cutting technique. When used in cabinets or in flooring this presents a grain pattern that is peaked or what is sometimes referred to as a cathedral pattern.
What is the most common species of sawmill?
Today, White Oak is the most common, but not the only specie provided as rift and quartered. Sawmills can cut any species in this manner. However, it is usually only found on a regular basis in White Oak, Red Oak , Cherry, Hard Maple, Ash, and some of the imported tropical species like African Mahogany and Sapele.
What is white oak?
White Oak, "Quercus Alba", is one of the most commonly used North American hardwood lumber species today. It can be found in cabinets, flooring, furniture, doors, barrels, millwork, mouldings, etc. It is strong, water resistant, and has excellent working properties.
Is quartered lumber harder to find?
Because of this, rift and quartered lumber is known to be more expensive and harder to find since fewer sawmills cut logs this way.
Why is rift and quartered lumber so popular?
Another reason rift and quartered lumber is available at a premium is because it is commonly known to be more stable. In general, lumber adjusts to the climate that it is in by regularly absorbing and releasing moisture from the environment. This causes lumber to expand and contract. When lumber is rift and quartered and sawn perpendicular to its growth rings, any shrinkage or expansion of the lumber is greatest in thickness, is less in width, and is less prone to cupping or splitting making it very desirable for manufacturing furniture, windows, instruments, and flooring.
What is white oak?
White Oak, “Quercus Alba”, is one of the most commonly used North American hardwood lumber species today. It can be found in cabinets, flooring, furniture, doors, barrels, millwork, moldings, etc. It is strong, water-resistant, and has excellent working properties.
What angle is quarter sawn lumber cut at?
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 a quartered saw?
Quarter-sawing and rift-sawing are two other sawing techniques. The rift and quarter ed sawing technique requires a unique sawing pattern that is not the most efficient for cutting a log. It requires the sawyer to spend more time handling each log and typically creates 50% more waste compared to a flat sewing pattern. Because of this, rift and quartered lumber is known to be more expensive and harder to find since fewer sawmills cut logs this way.
How do sawmills cut white oak?
In general, there are three ways sawmills usually cut white oak. The first one is flat sawn or plain sawn which is the most common cutting technique. When used in cabinets or in flooring this presents a grain pattern that is peaked or what is sometimes referred to as a cathedral pattern.
Is rift and quartered oak expensive?
This happens because many times the special grain presentation that rift and quartered offers, is appealing to designers and architects to achieve a special look they are pursuing. Many times, rift and quartered white oak can be known to be expensive ...
Is white oak a rift?
Today, White Oak is the most common, but not the only specie provided as rift and quartered. Sawmills can cut any species in this manner. However, it is usually only found on a regular basis in White Oak, Red Oak, Cherry, Hard Maple, Ash, and some of the imported tropical species like African Mahogany and Sapele.
