North Central Wood Products

The Finest Quality Doors, Mouldings & Millwork

Rough Sawing of Lumber

Three common cuts of lumber are:

Plain Sawn

Plain Sawn is the most common of the three because your widest boards are available and the least waste is achieved making it also the most economical. In a plain sawn cut the annual rings are typically 30 degrees or less to the face of the board – This allows you to see most of each annual ring.

Quarter Sawn

Quarter Sawn is a cut of the log that runs 60-90 degrees of the annual rings. With the cut being perpendicular to the rings the result is a fine straight grain pattern and the board width selection is much narrower. Quarter sawn is famously known for the often occurring flecking appearance it causes in different species.

The Three common cuts of lumber
Riff Sawn

Rift Sawn is the cut of the log that runs 30-60 degrees of the annual run. This cut generates a fine to semi-fine straight grain pattern very similar to the grain in quarter sawn, however, does not contain the flecking.