Hardwood flooring end match?

[ToolMiser]

I was at our local wood sales place, and I noticed they had a big stack of white oak (not quarter sawn) flooring 4" x 6 to 8" random lengths. We talked with the sales people, and they said they milled out a bunch to test water, and it didn't sell well. My question is, does it need to be end matched? This doesn't, but I think this narrow of strips that it won't be necessary. I like the nice wide boards, and the long lengths, and the price is $55.00 per bundle of 20 square feet, so I think it is pretty reasonable. What do you think about the end matching? We are going to call Monday and see if they want to give us a deal on clearing out their inventory.

Thanks!

[Chuck Hoffman]

I'm not sure what you mean by end matching but if you're talking about nice tight butt joints, that can be done by setting up a power miter box with a good sharp blade and extension tables on both sides. Don't change the settings at all during the job. Make sure that every board is oriented as it would be on the floor and that every end that forms a butt joint is trimmed with the miter saw. IOW, trim the left side of the joint from the left table and the right side from the right table. That way - even if the saw is a little off square - all the butt joints should line up perfectly.

[Dave Mundt]

This seems like a pretty good way, but a tad finicky. I think I would set the miter box to a slight angle...say...10 degrees, and cut a "scarf" joint. That is...assuming I did not take the time to biscuit the ends. The "scarf" joint will work to ensure that even if the joint opens a bit, it will be less obvious. However, I suspect that is overkill for a floor. After all, the fact of the matter is that there are not that many folks that are going to take a micrometer to the ends of the boards to see how wide the gaps are. Regards Dave Mundt