Why Quartersawn Lumber? - Beauty, Strength, and More!
Quartersawn hardwood is the choice of artisans worldwide for its incomparable beauty and stability. Its distinctive straight-grained appearance allows for easy edge gluing for width and the Medullary Ray gives a sparkle to the face of the board.
Quartersawn hardwood is more stable than plainsawn, since the board tends to shrink and expand only in thickness, not width. Additionally, warp, twist and cupping are virtually eliminated. This makes quartersawn hardwood a perfect choice for flooring, even over radiant heat, as well as cabinetry, furniture, doors and millwork. In cabinet, entry and interior door construction, quartersawn hardwood is a superior product because of this straight-grained stability.
The Medullary Ray is most pronounced in Red and White Oak. This is known as flake, ray fleck and figure. When the board is stained, the Medullary Ray virtually jumps off the face of the board, as it doesn’t take the stain in the same way as the rest of the board. In Cherry, Hard Maple and Walnut the Medullary Ray is less pronounced, but it still sparkles when the board is finished.
In Craftsman, Mission and Arts and Crafts furnishings, quartersawn hardwood is chosen most often not only because of its elegant appearance, but for its utilitarian strength and stability. For the same reason, any fine piece of contemporary furniture made from quartersawn hardwoods will retain its structural integrity for decades, even centuries.