Questions: Quartersawn Wood

by Alan Ollivant

Originally published in American Lutherie #74, 2003 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015

John Forcade of Poulsbo, Washington asks:

I have acquired six large maple rounds and would like to quartersaw them and let them dry out for a few years. They are about 45" long and 3' in diameter.

I am not an experienced woodworker so I am looking for some specific directions on how to quartersaw. I would assume I am going to have to split the rounds into fourths by hand and then cut a board off one face, then cut the next board off the opposite face until each quarter is completely cut? Am I on the right track? Also, once I split each round open, how can I determine the quality of the maple? Am I going to be primarily looking for figure? If the wood is good and I keep it, how long should I let it dry before using it? Should it be kept in a controlled environment from day one?

I also have some koa from the big island. What differentiates quality koa from average koa?

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Questions: Quartersawn Wood

by Alan Ollivant

Alan Ollivant, of Fairview, Oregon answers:

The term “quartered” is somewhat misleading. Quartering or dividing the “round” into four pieces is just the first step in the right direction. For lutherie purposes, I prefer the term “radial cut” lumber, that is, pieces sawn from the quartered rounds are radii or close to being radii of the tree’s original circular trunk. Such slices show vertical end grain, which is the most desirable in instrument making, both for strength and stability.

You describe alternating the cuts from the quartered piece, as in Fig. 1, which is one way of achieving radial-cut lumber. In practice however, twisted or interlocked grain, knots, and other defects will greatly affect your ability to saw along a split face of a quartered log section. Most timber does not split perfectly straight, but has inherent twist that causes an “airplane propeller” type appearance, following the fibers of the wood. The important thing before beginning to saw is to achieve at least one flat and straight face to be used as a reference for successive cuts. A good 8" jointer is a great place to start.

Figure 1

When the quarter section has been prepared, the basic principle is to saw each board along a line radiating from the heart of the log to the outer edge of the bark. This aligns the growth rings at 90° to the saw cut (Fig. 2).

Figure 2

If your equipment is limited to a 14"–18" bandsaw, cutting through 6"–10" of maple is a fair bit of work for a 1 h.p. or 2 h.p. motor. Run the motor on 220v if capable, and use a 3/4" or wider blade, with only 2 or 3 teeth per inch, hook style, and heat hardened if possible. Lenox flexback blades are a good choice and are resharpenable.

Initially, green lumber is sawn out as heavy 1"+ or 2" boards and stickered for air or kiln drying. When properly acclimated, these are then resawn into pieces approximately 3/16" thick, perhaps joined together, and thickness planed or sanded into the desired thickness for instrument construction.

If done in a commercial sawmill with a large bandsaw headrig, a third method would probably be used, illustrated in Fig. 3. Initially, one outer third of the log would be sawn off and set aside. Then, successive slices are removed, to be edged and ripped down the middle. The remaining third section would then be rotated 90°, and sawn to yield several quartered boards. The initial third section is then placed back on the saw and the process is repeated. The remaining “pie” sections could then be sawn independently, depending on quality.

Figure 3

Most maples from the West to the East Coast are subject to a number of different stains in curing. If left in the round for longer than a month (especially in warm weather) the sapwood tends to develop blue or gray stain, and the heartwood turns orange or reddish. Maple should be sawn as quickly as possible after the tree has come down, then preferably kiln dried to maintain its white appearance. Even under ideal conditions, air-dried maple usually has a yellow or golden appearance, and in poor conditions, can be terribly stained beyond remedy. So split one of your sections open to see what the wood looks like first, then see if you want to proceed with what you have, or start with fresh wood. If the color looks good, look for any obvious defects such as knots, pin-knot clusters, and bark inclusions. If it is free from these, look for indications of figured grain such as fiddlebacking, quilting, or bird’s-eyes. These are the real gems of maple that add real value to your instrument.

You also mentioned koa. Typically, koa is judged in quality by freedom from defects, color quality, and last, but certainly not least, figure. Highly-figured koa is truly a sight to behold. Curly koa, especially if gold in color, is one of the most valuable woods in the world, and when quartersawn yields a luster and depth unparalleled in my estimation, and makes striking musical instruments. If examined with these criteria, you should have a fair shot at judging its quality.

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