Buying Wood - Lemon Laws Don't Exist for the Woodworker

[Mike Shields]

As I anxiously tore into the latest WM, an article on pg 24 really caught my interest: Avoiding Workshop Goofs - Ward off warped doors.

I've already dimensioned my maple for the rails and stiles of several drawer faces. After this article, I'm slightly hesitating. The newbie in me says have fun and build! The better woodworker wannabe says slow down and do it right.

So, I'm at my local hardwoods store selecting the material for my project.
There is only one stack of 4/4 roughsawn maple. Now, I can try to distinguish thru the painted ends, the grains: flatsawn, riftsawn or quartersawn. Or, I the newbie, grab some wood and go.

No matter how may pieces I have from that single stack, the BF price is all the same. I find it difficult to believe that quartersawn is the same price as flatsawn. Or does the hardwoods store keep the best pieces (quartersawn ) stashed somewhere that I'm not aware of, and is the BF price adjusted (higher)?

[Don Bullock]

...

No matter how may pieces I have from that single stack, the BF price is all the same. I find it difficult to believe that quartersawn is the same price as flatsawn. Or does the hardwoods store keep the best pieces (quartersawn ) stashed somewhere that I'm not aware of, and is the BF price adjusted (higher)?


Most lumber yards I've been in separate quarter sawn from the rest, especially oak. I've seen very few other types of wood that is quarter sawn.

[Mike Shields]

269 views and only one reply? :eek:

I thought my question would provoke some responses!

Mike in Denver

[Clifford Mescher]

Most lumber yards I've been in separate quarter sawn from the rest, especially oak. I've seen very few other types of wood that is quarter sawn.
Agree with Mr. Bullock. Lumber place I frequent separates quartersawn white oak from plain and rift. They sell a few species of QS, but not many.Clifford

[Wilbur Pan]

I think that the reason that QS oak is separated and is more expensive is that QS oak has a distinct appearance from oak sawn other ways, thanks to the medullary rays. In other words, you're not really paying for the QS aspect, you're paying for the medullary rays.

In comparison, QS maple or cherry is more similar to rift/flat sawn maple and cherry in appearance, and many would say that the flat sawn maple or cherry have more interesting grain patterns than QS maple or cherry.

Most logs are flat sawn throughout, to reduce the wasted wood as much as possible. QS logs waste more wood. From a flat sawn log, you are only going to get a few boards (maybe 1 or 2) that are truly QS, so it's not surprising that you're not finding much QS wood in the maple stacks.

[Robin Cruz]

Ganahl does not carry any QS. Reel keeps QS white oak seperated in the retail space but you can buy whatever you want, plain rift or QS as rough at their mill. YOu just have to make appt to pick out the lumber. If you have them mill it, 2 surfaces 1 straigtline its about $55 chg and $0.18 ft. I think QS white oak was about $5.50/bdft. Plain red oak is about 3.50

[Keith Marben]

quarter sawing does waste more wood and is more work to do than plain sawn.

Generally it is a more stable lumber as it dries and shrinks up, it doesnt have as much tendancy to cup, etc.

its pretty difficult to flitch cut a 40 inch diameter oak log. so I suppose quarter sawing is just an extra step to make some nicer quality stock than
just blasting through the log.

At least that seems to be the case for my little mill. maybe huge operations have the numbers down to more of a science. mine wouldnt like a bunch of 40 inch wide cuts, I basically would have to quarter the log just to make it managable.

[glenn bradley]

QSWO is about $2 more a BF that rift or flat around here.

[Paul Johnstone]

I read that article as well. While I liked the article, I think they are a bit paranoid.

I never gave much thought to what wood I used on my raised panel doors.
Now a few of them have very slightly warped, but it's not an eyesore or even noticable.

The article went a bit overboard, IMO. If I went through that level of pickiness, and had to keep milling replacement parts, I'd never get anything done.

My advice.. Use good kiln dried wood and just start building...

[Mike Shields]

I read that article as well. While I liked the article, I think they are a bit paranoid.

I never gave much thought to what wood I used on my raised panel doors.
Now a few of them have very slightly warped, but it's not an eyesore or even noticable.

The article went a bit overboard, IMO. If I went through that level of pickiness, and had to keep milling replacement parts, I'd never get anything done.

My advice.. Use good kiln dried wood and just start building...

I see your point. It would almost be as if those cabinets were made in Nevada, and then moved to the North Carolina! Great reason to make an article.

Thanks for your wisdom.

Mike in Denver

[Frank Drew]

I never gave much thought to what wood I used on my raised panel doors.

I did, but for aesthetic reasons, not because I was worried about warping. If you're featuring a nice looking panel (e.g., figured, or crown-figured flat sawn), straight grained framing material is, for me, the best choice (whether QS or not).

[J.R. Rutter]

I build doors for a living. Except for species that have QS figure, like ribbon grain mahogany or white oak , it is NOT common to separate flat from QS. Knowing your MC can help avoid major problems, but realistically, we don't have space or time to let lumber acclimate to a shop environment, let alone anticipate EMC of the final resting place.

I buy lumber hit and missed to be able to see the grain. When I have a cutlist, I allocate each board for rail, stile, panel, or drawer face (if solid slab). We do this by ripping everything first, slightly over width. Outside edges of wider boards often have more vertical grain. If these are straight, they get used for long stiles and rails first. Since I make 5/8" raised panels, we can flatten those boards too cupped or bowed for frame parts.

Then these strips sit overnight. Generally they don't move much after ripping releases tension, but it can't hurt to have the extra few hours. We joint and plane everything and finish the doors at 13/16". Some species move a lot more than others, but maple and cherry are pretty stable.

So I guess the bottom line is don't flatten a twisted stile and expect it to stay flat. Use flat, straight strips for frame parts and you should be OK regardless of grain type. Aesthetics are a different story...