Quarter sawing vs quarter sawn

DonW · February 14, 2023, 05:03:07 PM

As in veneer?

Bob Howell · July 15, 2023, 02:24:26 PM

I'm looking for Quarter sawn Sycamore for guitars. I got some beautiful wood from WDH 5 years ago and made several beautiful guitars. Now I am looking for more. I have found 10-20% of boards are usable. the rest listed as qtr Sawn is useless to me.Only a narrow range works 3% off or so is useless.

I have droped by a mill in Gainsville Ga. 4 times over past 5 yrs ang bought a board 4 times.

Last week I got my first usable wood. But even then only 60% was worthwhile.

I think it is rarely used because so hard to find the snake wood look. I use a lot of figured soft maple but only has the tiger maple look.

So riff sawn has little special beauty as with 85% cut. only 90% is useful for my purpose. and it is great.
WD Hemsley posted a picture of one I made 2-3 years age.

Bob Howell

Bob Howell · July 15, 2023, 02:30:05 PM

Found

pictures of one.

Larry · July 15, 2023, 03:25:52 PM

Beautiful work on that guitar. Excellent use of the wood.

On the side I see sapwood and heartwood with the boundary line between the two. Is that would you are calling the snake wood look?

I quarter saw sycamore but it seems to be a hard sell most of the time. I guess because most of the DIY'ers have never seen it.

Bob Howell · July 17, 2023, 10:39:23 PM

Quarter sawn has become a vague term with many meanings as skimming this topic shows. With sycamore just a few degrees off 90 and the wood grain quality falls off. So a lot of labor for good quality. Very thin market so little demand. Very little of the wood I have seen in the quarter sawn bin has the striking grain I seek. Once in a blue moon I find a good board. But I enjoy looking.

Friend cut in half a 18" sycamore log, 24" long. I then sliced it up on band saw. Log was spalted but grain was there. Though little yield.

For my use I resaw into 3/16" slices.

Bob Howell