Riftsawn Wood

Rift sawing (radially sawing) is a technique of cutting boards from logs radially so the annual rings are nearly 90° to the faces. When rift-sawn, each piece is cut along a radius of the original log, so that the saw cuts at right angles to the tree’s growth rings. Rift-sawing produces lumber of the greatest stability and wear. However, since this produces a great deal of waste (in the form of wedge-shaped scraps from between the boards) rift-sawing is much less-commonly used than flat sawing and quarter-sawing. The waste may be used as firewood or for some other purpose.