How is Quarter Sawn Oak made?
The diagram on the left shows the cross section of a log ready to be sawn shows how Quarter Sawn flooring is made.
With the black circles representing the growth rings, or the verticle grain, of the wood and the red lines representing the sawblade, the first step is to cut the log in half.
Following this, the log is turned by 45 degrees and sawn so that the wedge is at a right angle to the centre of the log. This wedge is then passed through the saw blade without changing the angle of the log.
The boards that are cut from this process mostly have a perpendicular grain structure, or closer to the edge have an almost right angle cut relative to the centre of the log.
This process continues, turning the log by 45 degrees and passing the log through the sawn without changing its angle.
Many of the boards from this process are narrow, due to the angle of the log not being changed when each wedge is sawn.
What is the appearance of Quarter Sawn Oak?
Quarter Sawn Oak is simply beautiful in its appearance.
The grain structure of quarter sawn wood is significantly straighter than timber sawn with more common methods, which usually result in a slightly wavy pattern.
In plain sawing, a common method of processing timber where a log is passed through the blade without changing in orientation, the grain is at a different angle to each plank. This results in a log with a wavy pattern because the grain is perpendicular to the plank.
In the quarter sawing process, the blade cuts across the grain, so it is at almost the same angle for each plank and therefore has a much straighter grain.
Additionally, quarter sawn oak features the striking medullary rays, which are seen as wavy ribbon-like patterns that appear over the straight grain.
This distinct feature of the wood gives it an almost shifting appearance, as different lighting angles will emphasise the rays in different ways.
When viewed at a 90 degree angle, the surface of a quarter sawn floor looks as if it has light stripes dancing across the surface, but at an angle these stripes change into brilliant streaks reflecting the light in unique ways.
Quarter Sawn Oak is a unique and classic product that will make your project special.
What are the benefits of Quarter Sawn Oak?
Key benefits of this beautiful oak wood are:
- Is more structurally stable than plain sawn oak
- Resists the unwanted effects of cupping, twist, contraction and expansion
- Has a straighter face grain than plain sawn oak
- Often features dramatic ribbon-like patterns and flecks giving each piece a stunningly unique look
You can view our wide range of oak flooring here. Alternatively, get in touch with the team at our Wandsworth showroom, who are more than happy to share their expertise and passion for wood flooring.