Origin of the term quarter-sawn???

[Dave Falkenstein]

Does anyone know how the term "quarter-sawn" originated. I have discovered that it was first used around 1905 - 1910, but not how it originated. I suspect it came from using 1/4" as the base dimension for rough sawn wood, but maybe there is more to it??? Thanks.

[Dave Lehnert]

I'm no expert by a long shot but a log is cut into quarters, then milled into boards.

[Jason Beam]

Oh i think it goes back a ways further ...

the term comes from the log being "quartered" or cut down the middle making 4 pie-shaped spears - like pickle spears or potato wedges. From there, the saw then slices off boards from one side, then the other - it was an evolution of process to provide the most possible lumber with that grain orientation from a log.

Other ways to do it is through-and-through, but it doesn't yield as much quarter sawn stock.

Have a gander at this:

http://www.allwoodwork.com/article/woodwork/plainorquartersawn.htm

[Dave Falkenstein]

Dave and Jason - that makes sense for quarter-sawn. How about the origin of the term "quarters" for measuring the thickness of rough sawn lumber??? And why is 4/4 rough stock not 1" thick?

[Jason Beam]

You are on the money with the "quarters" in thickness designation. The stock comes off the mill in "rough" quarters - in that, a 4/4 board may come off anywhere between 1" to 1 3/16" thick.

Remember that it's pretty loaded with water at this point - real green. When it dries, it's gonna shrink in overall size, some. That's usually why it's a little under an inch in some places on a board.

Interesting experience with this little phenomenon: I manage to come across friends with some extra tree trunks lying around from time to time. One guy gave me a bit of walnut that was real real green - like it was home to a few critters not more'n the day before kinda green - and I took it home and sliced it into pen blanks that same day. Sealed 'em up and let 'em sit ... well I cut 'em all well over an inch square and some of 'em are barely 3/4" now - 3 years later. They were some kinda soggy, eh? :D

[Philip Rodriquez]

To put it simply, the trees are cut in a manner that yields grain that runs perpendicular to th face. This results in a vertical grain pattern and a board that is subject to far less wood movement.

Flat sawn, on the other hand, typically results in a "cathedral" grain pattern (until you get to the middle of the log) and the board is subject to cupping and a lot more expansion.

[mike holden]

Dave,
Wood is sold in "quarters" as the sawmill moved the log over by one "quarter" of an inch per tooth between cuts. Ergo, if you wanted a one inch (rough) board, you moved the log by four teeth, or "four quarters". This was usually four pulls on the lever. So wood became known by the number of pulls on the adjustment lever.

Mike

[Paul Atkins]

This is what I use for quartersawing-----
We had an antique dealer that used to come to the shop to get us to veneer a bunch of his stuff with "quarter-zone oak". We never did tell him, we just thought it was funny every time he came in.

[Gene Howe]

This is what I use for quartersawing-----
We had an antique dealer that used to come to the shop to get us to veneer a bunch of his stuff with "quarter-zone oak". We never did tell him, we just thought it was funny every time he came in.

Now that picture is cute!

I always figured 1/4 sawn referred to the fact that it costs 25% more....or more:D:D

[Ken Whitney]

If you quarter a tree in the long axis, you end up with 8 "quarter-sawn" faces.

Ideally the plane of cut for quartersawn lumber is parallel to the rays of the tree (the plane from the center of the tree to the outside). The closer you get to this ideal plane the more ray flecks and patterns you see in the wood. However, once you establish one quartersawn face, the second cut will deviate from that ideal somewhat when you cut a board.

So, given the size of the tree and the thickness of the cut, there is a limited amount of true quartersawn faces to be had.

Kind of like filet mignon.