Flat sawn

Wood cut so the growth rings run across the width of the board, giving a broad grain pattern and a stable, workable plank.

Flat sawn boards come from slicing a log tangentially, which wastes less timber and yields wider pieces than other methods, so it is the most common and the cheapest way to produce a body blank or a laminate. The trade is a tendency to move more with humidity and to be slightly less stiff than a quarter sawn board of the same species. Most solid bodies are flat sawn, and for a slab the difference is barely relevant.

Example: a flat sawn maple neck can be perfectly serviceable, but it will move more with the seasons than a quarter sawn one of the same stock.

Flat sawn

See also