Flat sawing
{{short description|Woodworking process}}
File:Plain quarter sawn.png produced by flat sawing from a log. Plank A has been cut from the middle, and is as wide as the original log. Plank B has been cut closer to the side, and shows slash grain.]]Flat sawing, flitch sawing or plain sawing is a woodworking process that produces flat-cut or plain-cut boards of lumber.
{{cite book
|title=Civil Engineering Materials
|page=382
|author1=Nagaratnam Sivakugan
|author2=Carthigesu T. Gnanendran
|author3=Rabin Tuladhar
|author4=M. Bobby Kannan
|publisher=Cengage Learning
|date=2016
|isbn=9781337514606
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ifm5DQAAQBAJ
}}
Process
After an initial cut through the diameter of a log, parallel cuts produce flitches: strips of lumber with consistent thickness.
{{cite book
|title=Band Saw Fundamentals
|page=77
|author=Rick Peters
|publisher=Hearst Books
|date=2006
|isbn=978-1-58816-522-0
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gC25oJuA02gC
}} 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.{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6FxG3ll-lw |type=Video |title=How A Wind Powered Sawmill Works |publisher=YouTube |date=May 10, 2016}} 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", where the angle between the visible growth rings and the width of the board is 45° or less.
{{cite book
|title=Architectural Woodwork Standards
|editor=Stanley R. (Rob) Gustafson
|chapter=Glossary
|publisher=Architectural Woodwork Institute (AWI), Architectural Woodwork Manufacturers Association of Canada (AWMAC), and Woodwork Institute (WI)
|date=2014
|url=https://woodworkinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2ndEdAWS_SmBkMrkd_141001.pdf
}} 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.[http://www.hardwooddistributors.org/blog/postings/what-is-the-difference-between-quarter-sawn-rift-sawn-and-plain-sawn-lumber/ 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
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External links
{{commons|Types of timber cuts|position=left}}
{{Woodworking}}