{{short description|Woodworking process}} [[File:Plain quarter sawn.png|thumb|Lumber produced by flat sawing from a log. Plank A has been cut from the middle, and is as wide as the original log. Plank B has been cut closer to the side, and shows slash grain.]]'''Flat sawing''', '''flitch sawing''' or '''plain sawing''' is a woodworking process that produces '''flat-cut''' or '''plain-cut''' boards of lumber.<ref name="CEM"> {{cite book |title=Civil Engineering Materials |page=382 |author1=Nagaratnam Sivakugan |author2=Carthigesu T. Gnanendran |author3=Rabin Tuladhar |author4=M. Bobby Kannan |publisher=Cengage Learning |date=2016 |isbn=9781337514606 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ifm5DQAAQBAJ }}</ref>
==Process== After an initial cut through the diameter of a log, parallel cuts produce flitches: strips of lumber with consistent thickness.<ref name="BSF"> {{cite book |title=Band Saw Fundamentals |page=77 |author=Rick Peters |publisher=Hearst Books |date=2006 |isbn=978-1-58816-522-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gC25oJuA02gC }}</ref> Two cuts on each flitch trim the bark from the sides, and reduces it to a standard board width with squared edges. Two more cuts at each end set the length.
Lumber can be quickly flat-cut with a side-by-side set of mechanical saws.<ref>{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6FxG3ll-lw |type=Video |title=How A Wind Powered Sawmill Works |publisher=YouTube |date=May 10, 2016}}</ref> A slower but sturdier method involves passing the log back and forth over a single saw.
To reduce buckling that may occur along the middle of flat-cut boards, the initial cut may be offset from the diameter, and resulting sections cut further before cutting the flitches.
==Comparison== Flat-sawn wood often exhibits "flat-" or "slash grain", where the angle between the visible growth rings and the width of the board is 45° or less.<ref name="AWI"> {{cite book |title=Architectural Woodwork Standards |editor=Stanley R. (Rob) Gustafson |chapter=Glossary |publisher=Architectural Woodwork Institute (AWI), Architectural Woodwork Manufacturers Association of Canada (AWMAC), and Woodwork Institute (WI) |date=2014 |url=https://woodworkinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2ndEdAWS_SmBkMrkd_141001.pdf }}</ref> This makes the wood vulnerable to deformation as it dries, or if later exposed to moisture. Flat-sawn wood is less stable than quarter sawn or rift sawn wood, but can be produced more quickly and at lower cost.<ref>[http://www.hardwooddistributors.org/blog/postings/what-is-the-difference-between-quarter-sawn-rift-sawn-and-plain-sawn-lumber/ What is the difference between Quarter Sawn, Rift Sawn and Plain Sawn Lumber?] - Hardware Distributor's Association</ref>
The face of the board may show curved grain, sometimes with intricate patterns.
==References== {{reflist}}
== External links == {{commons|Types of timber cuts|position=left}} {{Woodworking}}
Category:Woodworking Category:Wood-related terminology