On 3/24/2010 5:02 PM, wrote:
You mention the different cuts, Karl. When I see them drawn in magazines, I
understand the difference among rift-, quarter-, and plain-sawn...but damned
if I ever could tell by looking at an actual piece of wood. Maybe it's
just that I've only "played at" woodworking off and off for 30 years....

http://community.klipsch.com/forums/.../sawn_wood.jpg
http://i29.tinypic.com/wla3m.jpg

Although....thinking about it, I *do* see that the oak in front of me has
those weird spots ("pickling"?) only on the "edge" and when I make banding
I prefer to put the "face" out front of the plywood shelf.

Those weird spots are medullary rays and characteristic of quarter and
rift sawn, particularly noticeable in red and white oak.

You will notice that often plain or flat sawn woods do have a very
apparent quarter sawn edge. AAMOF, I often seek these pieces out when
I want to show the edge in a drawer/dust divider where the rest of the
wood is quarter sawn, as you can see he

http://www.e-woodshop.net/images/MSB5.JPG

If the wood is thick enough, say 3 or 4", you can actually make a wider
quarter sawn board out of it by ripping it to thickness.

If you really have an eye for picking out and buying rough lumber, you
can save money by buying rough stock and seeking out a real thick plain
or flat sawn board (which are generally cheaper) that exhibits the
typical quarter sawn medullary rays on the edge, and then rip it to the
appropriate thickness in the shop for some nice quarter sawn boards.

Lots of graphic info here on all the above:

http://tinyurl.com/ykqu527

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www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 10/22/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)