Flat sawing, flitch sawing or plain sawing is a woodworking process that produces flat-cut or plain-cut boards of

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

Process

After an initial cut through the diameter of a log, parallel cuts produce flitches: strips of lumber with consistent thickness. Two cuts on each flitch trim the bark from the sides, and reduces it to a standard board width with squared edges. Two more cuts at each end set the length. Lumber can be quickly flat-cut with a side-by-side set of mechanical saws. A slower but sturdier method involves passing the log back and forth over a single saw. To reduce buckling that may occur along the middle of flat-cut boards, the initial cut may be offset from the diameter, and resulting sections cut further before cutting the flitches.

Comparison

Flat-sawn wood often exhibits "flat-" or "slash

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached husk, hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and ...

", where the angle between the visible

growth rings Dendrochronology (or tree-ring dating) is the scientific method of chronological dating, dating tree rings (also called growth rings) to the exact year they were formed in a tree. As well as dating them, this can give data for dendroclimatology, ...

and the width of the board is 45° or less. This makes the wood vulnerable to deformation as it dries, or if later exposed to moisture. Flat-sawn wood is less stable than quarter sawn or rift sawn wood, but can be produced more quickly and at lower cost.What is the difference between Quarter Sawn, Rift Sawn and Plain Sawn Lumber?
- Hardware Distributor's Association The face of the board may show curved grain, sometimes with intricate patterns.

References

External links

{{Woodworking Woodworking Wood-related terminology