02/06/2025
We wanted to take a moment to talk about the trend of the Oak wood species and create a better understanding of the different wood sawing methods and how they effect the appearance. The first slide illustrates exactly how each of piece of wood is cut and how each piece of wood varies in grain direction and price.
The second slide shows a Flat-Sawn White Oak, the most typical cut. As you can see the wood has a wider arching grain pattern. This cut style becomes the least-expensive option of the three.
Quarter Sawn uses less of the overall log and Rift Cut uses even less. These processes create more waste and less of the log is usable, hence the additional cost.
The third slide shows Rift-Sawn/Cut White Oak. It has a tight, parallel grain pattern. Keep in mind,
“rift sawn white oak” is not a finish or even a tone, it’s simply referring to the visual grain pattern based on how it’s cut.
If you’re just wanting the lighter brown tone of white oak and don’t really care about the grain, there are several other less-expensive wood species that any competent finisher can use to create a similar tone. Which we would be happy to show you when you come in for your home renovation .
