It looks like I may be able to get my hands on a large, newly fallen white oak. It seems that white oak in particular is often 1/4 sawn. I've worked with plainsawn white oak in the past and had a lot of wood movement. My question is, what are the reasons for choosing to mill white oak 1/4 sawn?
-it's more attractive?
-more stable?
-both?
-If you had the chance to mill up a pretty darn big, straight white oak, would you 1/4 saw most of it, all of it?
Thanks!
YES
In thickness but not in width but it is stronger.
All of it.
Err... maybe. It's good close-up, but if you want grain figure to be seen at a distance, riftsawn is preferred. Face frames, use quartersawn. Panels, maybe riftsawn. Even if you use quartersawn cut plan, there will be some boards of the riftsawn character.
Not just dimensionally, but oak has STRONG twist/warp/cup character, and ripping a board usually releases internal stress. Quartersawn might warp a bit after ripping, but riftsawn will do worse.
Yes -- *much* more. Quartersawn white oak has a stunning ray-flake grain that is not visible in flatsawn lumber.
Yes.
Yes.
All of it.
Yes it is more stable. Most woods expand/contract with moisture change about twice as much tangentially, i.e. in line with the growth rings, as they do in the direction perpendicular to the rings. In the case of white oak, quarter sawn also exposes the "rays" which is a kind of cell structure that extends from one growth layer into another. Whether you find it attractive or not is a judjment call.
Like most things, it is a matter of taste. QS oak (red or white) shows prominent rays that are highlighted in finishing.
Personally, I don't like white oak, but I suppose it has much more character QS. Unless I had nothing better to do, I wouldn't bother to cut one up.
YES!
Yes.
YYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
Barry
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.