Confused Woodie Question

**RoyG** · 5th February 2015, 06:47 PM

I spent about ten years living in Canada where I gained my initial woodworking education. I returned to Australia about five years ago and after settling down, I got back into woodworking again, and continued my woodworking education.

One major thing I've had to get used to since returning from Canada, is the differences in the terminology used in timber milling. In Western Canada and the north western USA, the only terms that you'd hear mentioned with regard to timber milling was; Flat Sawn, Rift Sawn, and Quarter Sawn.

Since I've returned to Australia, I've come across a whole new language with regard to timber milling, and precious little information clearly defining these terms. Buying timber through the Internet means you need to know what the terms mean to be sure you're getting the cut you're actually after.

So, to help clarify, can someone please provide some definitions for the following terms.

The first three terms are in common use in Canada, the USA, but seem to potentially have different meanings in Australia, as I've had some pretty confusing conversations with some timber millers.

Quarter Sawn - this one is I think the same definition world wide - i.e. growth rings between roughly 60 and 90 degrees to the faces of the board. Am I right in assuming that the same definition is used in Australia ?
Flat Sawn - In Canada and the USA, Flat Sawn was defined as the growth rings being between 0 and roughly 35 degrees to the faces of the board.
Rift Sawn - In Canada and the USA, Rift Sawn was defined as the growth rings being approximately 45 degrees to the faces of the boards.

The following are terms that I've heard since arriving back in Australia, and haven't found definitions for:

Back Sawn - Heard at a timber yard in Tasmania. The stock was a mix of Quarter Sawn, Rift Sawn and Flat Sawn.
Radial Sawn - Seen on a web site for a Timber Mill in Central NSW.
Tangental Sawn - Seen in an advert in an Aussie Woodworking Magazine last year.
Through & Through - Heard somewhere - can't remember where.

So if you can clear up some of the confusion by coming up with a definition or two, that would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Roy

**Kuffy** · 5th February 2015, 08:33 PM

tangental and thru n thru is flat sawn, your definition of quarter and rift is correct.
Back sawing creates some of each, they flat saw up to the center of tree, then rotate the log and create quarter and rift, discarding the center pith.
Radial is an expensive way to make only quarter sawn boards from a log. Each piece is cut with growth rings at 90degrees to face, it creates alot of waste triangle sections...hence expensive.

If u cant inspect the timbers and u need a specific cut, I would ask which direction r the growth rings in relation to the face.

**John.G** · 6th February 2015, 07:17 AM

In Australia you won't see the phrase rift sawn used much outside the boat building trade and those who supply to them, but the definitions you're used to are right. In common usage here however it goes more like this:

Flat sawn, mostly refered to as back sawn here, very occasionally as plain sawn for anything from 0 to 45 degrees.
Quarter sawn is anything from 45 to 90.
Rift sawn, what you get when you sort through a stack of Quarter cut and back sawn boards and pull those you want.

radial sawing is a technique that gives true quarter cut boards- ie every board is at 90 degrees, with pith one edge and bark the other. It's usually only available on special order as it is a slow and wasteful way to saw a log, so earns a big premium.

tangental sawing is a technique that gives true backsawn boards. as with radial sawn timber it's time consuming and wastes a lot of timber and you can expect to pay more.

Through and through is a sawing technique where the log is put through the mill without turning, ie all cants come off parrelell. It gives a mix of backsawn and quarter sawn boards, and is commonly used with small logs.

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