Plain Sawn Rift Sawn Quarter Sawn Live Sawn

Edensaw Woods
•Diagram of Grain, Properties, and Sawing Methods•
Plain Sawn
Quarter Sawn
Rift Sawn
Live Sawn
Plain sawn, also commonly
called flat sawn, is the most
common lumber you will
find. This is one of the most
inexpensive ways to manufacture logs into lumber. Plain
sawn wood planks are wider
and can be milled effortlessly with minimal waste. The
annular rings are generally 30
degrees or less to the face of
the board; this is often referred to as tangential grain.
The resulting wood displays a
cathedral pattern on the face
of the board.
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. When
cutting this lumber at the
sawmill, each log is sawed at
a radial angle into four quarters, hence the name. Quarter
sawn wood is often used in
architectural design and cabinet making. Dramatic flecking is also present in red oak
and white oak.
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.
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. Rift sawn lumber is
the most dimensionally stable
cut of lumber available and has
a unique linear appearance.
Live sawn wood gives the most
lumber from the log. This is
the simplest and cheapest way
of cutting the log into boards.
It is not suited to production
of different sizes or qualities of
lumber. Live sawing is a unique,
though very simple, method of
sawing a log straight through
it’s diameter, leaving in the
heart of the log, and all the
grain and character variations
seen throughout all grades of
lumber. Conventional sawing
methods would avoid the heart
of a log, cutting the higher
grades from the outer portions
of the log.
(800) 745-3336 • www.edensaw.com • info@edensaw.com
211 Seton Road, Port Townsend, WA 98368• (360) 385-7878 | 925 East 25th Street, Tacoma, WA 98421• (253)216-1150
“Promoting environmental responsibility by offering beautiful wood products from sustainable forests.”