In speaking of wood, the term quartermortersawn (also: quarter sawn, quarter-sawn) is properly used for wood that is cut exactly radially (towards the heart of the log), or to put it differently, at right angles to the growth rings. Wood cut in this way is prized for certain applications, but it will tend to be more expensive as well. In cutting a log, quarter sawn boards can be produced in several ways, but if a log is cut for maximum yield it will produce only a few quarter sawn boards among the total; if a log is cut to produce only quarter sawn boards (termed quarter sawing

Quarter Sawing

"History of Quarter Sawn Wood"Henry W. Maley is known as the Father of Quarter Sawed Oak. He was the owner of an Edinburgh, Indiana saw mill. In 1881, he accidentally discovered the method of sawing, while filling an order for a cabinet maker. He turned the large log, cutting it on the bias to get...

) there will be considerable waste.

There are two main reasons to prefer quarter sawn boards:

1. greater stability of form and size (less warping; and shrinkage is less troublesome)
2. for decorative effect: this will only be the case for a limited number of woods. Quarter sawn oak shows a prominent ray fleck. Quarter sawn sapele is likely to produce a ribbon figure.

Thus, quarter sawn wood is especially important in making furniture and for decorative panelling. Quarter sawn oak was a key feature of the decorative style of the American Arts and Crafts movement

Arts and Crafts movement

Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...

, particularly the work of Gustav Stickley

Gustav Stickley

Gustav Stickley was a manufacturer of furniture and the leading proselytizer for the American Arts and Crafts movement, an extension of the British Arts and Crafts movement.-Biography:...

. Sometimes, the cheaper ash

Ash tree

Fraxinus is a genus flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45-65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous though a few subtropical species are evergreen. The tree's common English name, ash, goes back to the Old English æsc, while the generic name...

 was stained to resemble oak, but it doesn't show this ray flake.

On high-end electric guitars and bass guitars quartersawn wood is often used as the base material for the neck of the guitar, since this makes for a stronger and straighter neck which aids tuning and setup stability.

In acoustic guitar

Acoustic guitar

An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...

s, quartersawn wood is often used, especially for the sides which must be steam bent to produce compound curves. This is partly for structural reasons, but also for the aesthetics of highly figured maple

Maple

Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...

s being highlighted when sawn this way.

However, as with any term referring to a desirable property, the term is often used more loosely, in any of a number of ways. It is sometimes confused with "rift sawn", where the orientation towards the growth rings is a little off a true right angle. Rift sawn wood gives a slightly different visual effect, and is cheaper to produce as there is less wasteage.

The process indicated in the US as "quarter sawing

Quarter Sawing

"History of Quarter Sawn Wood"Henry W. Maley is known as the Father of Quarter Sawed Oak. He was the owner of an Edinburgh, Indiana saw mill. In 1881, he accidentally discovered the method of sawing, while filling an order for a cabinet maker. He turned the large log, cutting it on the bias to get...

" yields a few boards that are quartersawn, but mostly riftsawn boards.

External links

• quartersawn and quarter sawing This link offers both an accurate picture of a quartersawn orientation and a method of sawing process that produces mostly riftsawn boards: and only a few actual quartersawn boards.