# Lumber cutting pattern

**URL:** <https://community.blackspectacles.com/t/lumber-cutting-pattern/3463>\
**Category:** Project Development & Documentation\
**Created:** [September 2, 2021, 4:42pm UTC](https://community.blackspectacles.com/t/lumber-cutting-pattern/3463 "2021-09-02T16:42:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![meganhanck](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/community.blackspectacles.com/meganhanck/32/1203_2.png) [@meganhanck](https://community.blackspectacles.com/u/meganhanck)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 4:42pm UTC](https://community.blackspectacles.com/t/lumber-cutting-pattern/3463/1 "2021-09-02T16:42:02Z")

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For the purposes of the exam should I think of quarter sawn and rift sawn as the image with the title “How a Sawyer sees a Log”?

 ![screen-shot-2017-11-22-at-12-22-48-pm_orig](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/uploads/blackspectacles/original/2X/a/a8b944570dde7438803a12a0e6c93514028a9d66.png)  
 ![quartersawn-vs-riftsawn-wood-700x743-1](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/uploads/blackspectacles/original/2X/a/a284a8371c4996ff34178590b070e2e4de4ab37b.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![coachdarionziegler](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/community.blackspectacles.com/coachdarionziegler/32/1272_2.png) [@coachdarionziegler](https://community.blackspectacles.com/u/coachdarionziegler)\
**Post date:** [September 3, 2021, 8:31pm UTC](https://community.blackspectacles.com/t/lumber-cutting-pattern/3463/2 "2021-09-03T20:31:55Z")

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Hi @meganhanck ,

I think the lower image titled “How a Sawyer Sees a Log” aligns better with the source information for the ARE. Personally, I always get these confused so I pulled out my copy of “Building Construction Illustrated” to confirm the difference between quatersawn and plainsawn. (I have the 4th Edition and found this info on page 12.11.) I always recommend going to back to the source materials listed in the ARE 5.0 Handbook when possible!

I’m not sure where the top image is from, but I’ve personally never seen those descriptions before.

The main thing to remember for the exam is why each saw pattern is used and what advantages each has in regards to potential warpage, grain patterns, and costs! Quatersawn logs have more even grain patterns and less prone to warping than plainsawn, but are more costly and produce more waste. Riftsawn lumber is the most stable in regards to grain and warpage, but also results in much more waste and cost than both quatersawn and plainsawn.

Hope this helps!  
-Darion

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![meganhanck](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/community.blackspectacles.com/meganhanck/32/1203_2.png) [@meganhanck](https://community.blackspectacles.com/u/meganhanck)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2021, 7:17pm UTC](https://community.blackspectacles.com/t/lumber-cutting-pattern/3463/3 "2021-09-04T19:17:27Z")

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That’s super helpful, thank you!