Quater Sawn Oak!

LostViking

LostViking

Joined
Jan 1, 2009
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I was going to post up a question asking about Quarter Sawn Oak. Asking about its properties. And basically why It was used and whether I would like it.

But then it hit me.
I'm not some lazy internet slug. I am capable of doing my own thinking, and my own research. So I did some digging. It appears quarter sawn wood. Has many benefits. Workability, exceptionally pretty, and dimensionally stable.

Who Knew?

http://www.hardwooddistributors.org/blog/postings/what-is-quarter-sawn-wood/

Excerpt;
WHY USE QUARTERSAWN?
Quarter sawn wood has an amazing straight grain pattern that lends itself to design. Often used for cabinetry, flooring, high-end custom crafts and furniture, it is the traditional wood used in making mission style furniture. Dramatic flecking is also present in red oak and white oak. Other wood species that are sought after in quarter sawn are walnut, maple and cherry.

In addition to the desirable grain pattern this type of wood is some of the most dimensionally stable, making it ideal to work with. Quarter sawn lumber exhibits almost no twisting, warping and cupping. It is more resistant to moisture penetration and less prone to surface checking and raised grain.

More dimensionally stable and beautiful to look at? “Is there a downside to it?,” you ask. Well, yes. Because the manufacturing process results in a lower yield and is more labor intensive to produce quarter sawn lumber, the cost is higher. There is also a more limited supply because a smaller number of sawmills produce it.
 
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LostViking said:
I was going to post up a question asking about Quarter Sawn Oak. Asking about its properties. And basically why It was used and whether I would like it.

But then it hit me.
I'm not some lazy internet slug. I am capable of doing my own thinking, and my own research. So I did some digging. It appears quarter sawn wood. Has many benefits. Workability, exceptionally pretty, and dimensionally stable.

Who Knew?

http://www.hardwooddistributors.org/blog/postings/what-is-quarter-sawn-wood/

Excerpt;
WHY USE QUARTERSAWN?
Quarter sawn wood has an amazing straight grain pattern that lends itself to design. Often used for cabinetry, flooring, high-end custom crafts and furniture, it is the traditional wood used in making mission style furniture. Dramatic flecking is also present in red oak and white oak. Other wood species that are sought after in quarter sawn are walnut, maple and cherry.

In addition to the desirable grain pattern this type of wood is some of the most dimensionally stable, making it ideal to work with. Quarter sawn lumber exhibits almost no twisting, warping and cupping. It is more resistant to moisture penetration and less prone to surface checking and raised grain.

More dimensionally stable and beautiful to look at? “Is there a downside to it?,” you ask. Well, yes. Because the manufacturing process results in a lower yield and is more labor intensive to produce quarter sawn lumber, the cost is higher. There is also a more limited supply because a smaller number of sawmills produce it.
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Thank you for the post. Great research and I learned a few things. :thumbsup: I think this is a perfect opportunity to start showing off some quartersawn oak Knives. I’ll be posting mine soon
 
In case you wonder... Whe you quarter saw a log, the mill has to be set up in a way where you can literally cut the log in half and then into quarters, then those quarters need sawed on opposite faces every time to get the most boards out of it.
So not only does it take longer and more log ends up as dust, you have to have a mill specifically set up to handle the operation.
Quarter and rift sawn lumber is something that your garage miller with a band mill can actually compete with the big boys making it, and usually on smaller operations like that, they saw prettier lumber anyway, just because they dont have a whole factory backed up behind them breathing oily sawdust down their necks.
Y'all should look up a few pics of rift sawn oak. Not much prettier wood can come from american hardwoods, I think.
PSRQLSLogCutDiagSM.png.cf.png
 
I have a few questions that I haven’t been able to find regarding the dyed quarter sawn oak. Is dyed quarter sawn oak stablized? Is all dyed wood stablized?

I really like the looks of the quarter sawn oak. That’s lil lady is awesome!
 
Wow.. adding a nice curve across a quarter sawn stick really shows off that radial grain... Stuff looks like jewelry when its all oily and polished, I swear. I remember being shocked at the beauty of the 'junk' oak we used to saw for pallet lumber. A 4x6 out of a heart of a log sawn down into boards can crwate combination grain faces that cant be classified. Oak is my favorite wood, my favorite trees too. Got some monsters around here along the Ohio river.. way too big to mill 40 years ago, they tend to get left for genetics and yard shade trees. Some of them ol momma oaks have literally spawned 2 crops of lumber since their stands were first cut, and I know the monster Red Oak here in Middleport has been where it is for well over 150 years and still solid like rocks. Its immense, and it's been town trimmed for the better part of its life, so its perfectly shaped but probably not as wide or tall as it could be.
I love these treez.
 
Hulk2e said:
I have a few questions that I haven’t been able to find regarding the dyed quarter sawn oak. Is dyed quarter sawn oak stablized? Is all dyed wood stablized?

I really like the looks of the quarter sawn oak. That’s lil lady is awesome!
Click to expand...
That is a good question. Not all woods are in need of stabilization (but could still run it through the process I suppose). You would think oak being a hardwood would not require that but curious myself. @VANCE @Fiddleback @allen456 do you guys have the QSO stabilized? Could you explain why or why not this would be required? I too am curious. Thanks.
 
Although oak is hard it is not particularly oily. It occurs to me that the woods typically not stabilized are both very hard as well as naturally stable and with a high degree of natural oil saturation. Desert ironwood, cocobolo, rosewoods, ebony, blackwood, perhaps bloodwood, wenge, osage, camel thorn, Pau ferro.

Stabilizing oak probably keeps it from warping and preserves the colors and patterns. I can't say for sure if it needs to be. Some old kitchen knives around here have plain oak handles that are not stabilized. They tend to crumble and lose character over time and after water gets in the pores.
 
Panthera tigris said:
Although oak is hard it is not particularly oily. It occurs to me that the woods typically not stabilized are both very hard as well as naturally stable and with a high degree of natural oil saturation. Desert ironwood, cocobolo, rosewoods, ebony, blackwood, perhaps bloodwood, wenge, osage, camel thorn, Pau ferro.

Stabilizing oak probably keeps it from warping and preserves the colors and patterns. I can't say for sure if it needs to be. Some old kitchen knives around here have plain oak handles that are not stabilized. They tend to crumble and lose character over time and after water gets in the pores.
Click to expand...
Thanks Tim the Wizard Tim the Wizard that was the only downfall I could think of was swelling/shrinkage and now possible decay. Good stuff and thank you for your input.
 
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