Quartersawn White Oak

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(Quercus rubra) Quartersawn white oak is one of the hallmarks of the Arts & Crafts and Prairie styles of furniture making. At the sawmill, the log is split into four quarters and then cut on the diagonal from the center of the tree out toward the edges.

A peculiarity of oak is that it has very strong, well defined Medullary Rays running from the center of the tree outward. The quartersawing method places these rays on the face of the board, revealing the distinctive stripe or "ray fleck" running across the grain that is the signature of quartersawn oak.