White Oak & Red Oak

THE RIFT & QUARTERED PROCESS

Most lumber is plain-sawn — cut straight through the log for maximum yield. We cut differently.Quartered boards are sawn so the growth rings run 60–90° to the face of the board, producing the most pronounced figure a board can show — the dramatic ray fleck that quartersawn White Oak is known for.Rift boards are sawn so the growth rings run 30–60° to the face, producing a straighter, more uniform grain with less figure.Both cuts share the same advantage over plain-sawn lumber: dimensional stability. Because the growth rings run vertically through the board rather than flat, rift and quartered lumber expands and contracts evenly, resisting the cupping and warping that plain-sawn boards are prone to. That’s why architects, flooring manufacturers, and furniture makers who need lumber to hold its shape over decades — not just years — specify rift and quartered hardwood.