Quarter-sawn boards suggestions

Welcome to the new Bear Mountain Builders Forum - an interactive internet service we provide to encourage communication between canoe and kayak builders
Post Reply
User avatar
Grumple
Posts: 108
Joined: Thu Jul 03, 2014 7:38 am
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia

Quarter-sawn boards suggestions

Post by Grumple »

So I just picked out the WRC boards for my canoe. The only place I found locally with nice, long boards turned out to only have quarter-sawn.

I decided to accept the challenge and buy them anyway, but have since been wondering if I made a mistake. CanoeCraft didn't make it sound like a major problem, and potentially even a good thing asthetics-wise, with a bit more effort. I also actually like the look of the flat grain...

I started reading related threads here on the forum, and it paints a different picture...most people seem to be avoiding flat-grain planks like the plague.

Is it really so bad? For those who have successfully used flat-grain planks, what are your suggestions for success? I see a lot of previous posts seem to indicate that fairing boards are the way to go over planing, etc?
Rick in Pender Harbour
Posts: 44
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2005 11:25 am
Location: Pender Harbour bc
Contact:

Re: Quarter-sawn boards suggestions

Post by Rick in Pender Harbour »

I just built a wee lassie two using some flat sawn strips, really liked the effectImage.
Look at the first 5 or six strips near the keel. I kept the strips from the same board together, and it gave a great "flame" effect.
Rgds

Rick
oysterbayboats.ca
User avatar
Grumple
Posts: 108
Joined: Thu Jul 03, 2014 7:38 am
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia

Re: Quarter-sawn boards suggestions

Post by Grumple »

Thanks Rick,

That looks nice! I'd love to see anyone pics from other flat sawn planks as well.

One question I forgot to ask in the original post: What about rift-sawn boards? What would the resultant planks be like?
Phantom Power
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2009 5:07 pm
Location: Gulf Islands, BC

Re: Quarter-sawn boards suggestions

Post by Phantom Power »

I'm currently building Huron Cruiser using mostly flat grain strips. Almost done stripping and I've done some fairing as I went while waiting for strips to dry.

With a very sharp spokeshave and a quick short skewed action diagonally across the strips I've had no problem fairing. Very minor tearout near some of the knots or places where the grain reverses. It doesn't take long to figure out the trouble spots and which direction each strip wants to be worked.

A cabinet scraper is also very handy.

So while an edge grain boat would be easier undoubtedly, I don't think working with flat grain strips is really that big a deal.
User avatar
Grumple
Posts: 108
Joined: Thu Jul 03, 2014 7:38 am
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia

Re: Quarter-sawn boards suggestions

Post by Grumple »

Thanks Phantom, that's really good to hear. I'd absolutely love to see some pictures if you don't mind posting them, or emailing.

I'm also going to be building the Huron Cruiser, so seeing that specific canoe with flat grain strips would probably be as good as I can get in terms of helping me decide whether to proceed.
User avatar
Grumple
Posts: 108
Joined: Thu Jul 03, 2014 7:38 am
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia

Re: Quarter-sawn boards suggestions

Post by Grumple »

Just a bit of an update from my side...I've checked again with the lumber company about possibly getting flat sawn boards in case I want to chicken-out.

Interestingly enough it turns out they think they do have some flat sawn boards tucked away, but never bothered to put them out for me. They thought they were doing me a favor picking out quarter-sawn boards because they've found their recent canoe-building customers prefer them? :thinking
KenC
Posts: 190
Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2004 10:42 pm
Location: Oakville, ON

Re: Quarter-sawn boards suggestions

Post by KenC »

Although it is easier, and probably produces less waste, to cut strips at 90* off of the edge of a board (ie. cut quartersawn strips off the edge of a flatsawn board, or flatsawn strips off the edge of a quartersawn board), you can orient the strips any way you want in a board, even diagonally. If your boards are truly quartersawn, you can get quartersawn strips out of them.

I built my kayak with quartersawn strips, but a neighbor of ours up at the lake built his using flatsawn strips. It looks great. I don't recall him mentioning any particular difficulties in fairing the surfaces.

On one of my future kayaks, I plan to do the deck in bookmatched flatsawn strips, so I am following your thread with interest.
User avatar
Jim Dodd
Posts: 1359
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2006 11:08 pm
Location: Iowa

Re: Quarter-sawn boards suggestions

Post by Jim Dodd »

I've got a bunch of strips that came from quarter sawn planks, hanging in my garage.

I know they look cool, but they are like noodles ! Severely warped, and no strength. I also worry about them splitting.

Me, I'll stick with flat, or slash cut planks.

To each his own !

Jim
Keep your paddle wet and your seat dry!
User avatar
Grumple
Posts: 108
Joined: Thu Jul 03, 2014 7:38 am
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia

Re: Quarter-sawn boards suggestions

Post by Grumple »

Thanks for the info/suggestions, guys. I've since found out that I can, in fact, get flat-sawn boards from my local lumber yard. I think the lumber guys were a bit annoyed to have to go searching through their stock again though...

Given that it's my first canoe I think I will chicken-out and use the more common quarter-sawn strips for this go. Plus my wife prefers the 'simpler' look of the quarter-sawn planks, and I need to impress her so that I can keep building them. :laughing

Having said that, I'm really intrigued now by the other style, and I think I'll purposefully cut a few flat-sawn planks off my boards to experiment with if I have enough stock. If I can do this I'll update again later with personal impressions/opinions for anyone interested.
AlanWS
Posts: 209
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2005 4:30 pm
Location: Shorewood, WI

Re: Quarter-sawn boards suggestions

Post by AlanWS »

I think the reason most use quartersawn strips is simply that they are cut from flatsawn planks that are usually cheaper than quartersawn.
Alan
Post Reply